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1/19/2021 A Deep Dive Into the Properties of Quartzite-Use Natural Stone So how do you tell sandstone and quartzite apart?And does it even matter? The bottom line is, yes, you can tell quartzite and sandstone apart by examining their textures. And,yes, it does matter in terms of porosity. Moderately porous stones are perfectly usable, but should be sealed in certain applications(such as countertops or flooring) and may be more prone to staining. Given the choice between an accurate name or a generalized, semi-true label,we should always go with the former. As always, the key is to evaluate what stone you have and what its properties are before you commit to using it. Let's delve into the details, shall we? The sandstone - quartzite continuum Most likely you know by now that sandstone is a sedimentary rock. Sandstone starts out as humble beach sand. Eventually, sand gets buried and compressed by overlying layers, and minerals carried by groundwater act as glue that binds the sand grains together into solid rock. All of this and more is described in our article about sandstone. � ' •.'. pressure from overlying layers beach sand + "—— squeezes grains C,t7p together loplow deposited in cross beds gamer carries minerals between sand grains,cementing them L, together • • • •r or •• . '• • . . , horizontal mineral cement figs in the • •. layers —��• spaces between the grains, ' ':•' :•••••• creating solid sandstone STEP 1.SAND ENJOYS A DAY AT THE BEACH STEP 2.SAND GRAINS BECOME SANDSTONE Quartzite picks up where sandstone leaves off. It's a metamorphic rock-one that's been baked into an extra-tough stone by the heat and pressure that only comes from deep burial way down in Earth's crust. Such events are usually brought about by tectonic collisions,where continents grind into each other. Quartzite isn't melted sandstone. It's sandstone that is fused together so tightly that the sand grains lose their individual identities. The minerals crystallize together into a dense fabric of quartz crystals.The deeper and hotter the stone gets, the more tightly it's fused. Here is the key point:The heat and pressure that turn sandstone to quartzite is not a definitive, black-and-white occurrence. It's a gradual process,with subtle differences occurring all along the spectrum. There is no exact moment that sandstone becomes https://usenaturalstone.org/properties-of-quartzite/ 5/16