{"id":845,"date":"2026-02-02T22:11:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T22:11:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/?post_type=product&#038;p=845"},"modified":"2026-02-02T22:11:06","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T22:11:06","slug":"small-quartz-plate-2","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/product\/small-quartz-plate-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Small quartz plate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"164\" data-end=\"452\">This specimen is a <strong data-start=\"183\" data-end=\"205\">clear quartz plate<\/strong>, composed of <strong data-start=\"219\" data-end=\"238\">\u03b1-quartz (SiO\u2082)<\/strong> crystallized in the <strong data-start=\"259\" data-end=\"286\">trigonal crystal system<\/strong>. The plate morphology results from preferential crystal growth along the <strong data-start=\"360\" data-end=\"370\">a-axes<\/strong>, producing a flattened, tabular habit rather than the more common prismatic form.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"454\" data-end=\"720\">Clear quartz is chemically pure silicon dioxide with minimal trace-element substitution, allowing for <strong data-start=\"556\" data-end=\"585\">high optical transparency<\/strong> and the absence of color. Its clarity indicates low concentrations of lattice defects, inclusions, or radiation-induced color centers.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"722\" data-end=\"1029\">Crystallization occurred from <strong data-start=\"752\" data-end=\"787\">silica-rich hydrothermal fluids<\/strong>, typically associated with granitic, pegmatitic, or metamorphic geological environments. Variations in temperature, pressure, and fluid chemistry during growth influence crystal habit, leading to plate-like development in certain conditions.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1031\" data-end=\"1239\">Quartz plates often preserve <strong data-start=\"1060\" data-end=\"1114\">growth zoning, internal veils, or fluid inclusions<\/strong>, which record episodic changes during crystallization and provide insight into the physicochemical environment of formation.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1241\" data-end=\"1270\"><strong data-start=\"1241\" data-end=\"1270\">Mineralogical properties:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"1271\" data-end=\"1446\">\n<li data-start=\"1271\" data-end=\"1297\">\n<p data-start=\"1273\" data-end=\"1297\">Chemical formula: SiO\u2082<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1298\" data-end=\"1326\">\n<p data-start=\"1300\" data-end=\"1326\">Crystal system: Trigonal<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1327\" data-end=\"1349\">\n<p data-start=\"1329\" data-end=\"1349\">Hardness: 7 (Mohs)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1350\" data-end=\"1374\">\n<p data-start=\"1352\" data-end=\"1374\">Fracture: Conchoidal<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"1375\" data-end=\"1395\">\n<p data-start=\"1377\" data-end=\"1395\">Luster: Vitreous<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3 data-start=\"132\" data-end=\"182\">Clear Quartz Plate (Mineralogical Description)<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"184\" data-end=\"446\">The specimen is a <strong data-start=\"202\" data-end=\"239\">colorless \u03b1-quartz crystal (SiO\u2082)<\/strong> exhibiting a <strong data-start=\"253\" data-end=\"291\">tabular (plate-like) crystal habit<\/strong> resulting from anisotropic growth preferentially developed parallel to the <strong data-start=\"367\" data-end=\"389\">{0001} basal plane<\/strong> and along the <strong data-start=\"404\" data-end=\"414\">a-axes<\/strong> of the trigonal crystal system.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"448\" data-end=\"726\">The absence of color indicates <strong data-start=\"479\" data-end=\"532\">low concentrations of trace-element substitutions<\/strong> (e.g., Al\u00b3\u207a, Fe\u00b3\u207a) and a lack of radiation-induced color centers within the quartz lattice. Optical clarity suggests minimal structural defects and a low abundance of solid or fluid inclusions.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"728\" data-end=\"1070\">Crystallization occurred from <strong data-start=\"758\" data-end=\"798\">silica-saturated hydrothermal fluids<\/strong>, commonly associated with granitic, pegmatitic, or high-grade metamorphic environments. Fluctuations in temperature, pressure, and solution chemistry influenced growth kinetics, resulting in the development of a tabular morphology rather than the typical prismatic habit.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"1072\" data-end=\"1274\">Microscopic internal features such as <strong data-start=\"1110\" data-end=\"1175\">growth zoning, healed fractures, and primary fluid inclusions<\/strong> may be present and serve as records of changing physicochemical conditions during crystallization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[24,20,23],"product_tag":[44],"class_list":["post-845","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-clearquartz","product_cat-crystals","product_cat-quartz","product_tag-clear-quartz","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=845"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=845"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=845"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawtothecorecrystals.co.uk\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}