"HOW ROCKS GET THEIR COLOR" ~ © Tiffany E. Reed
Certain chemical elements bond with others easily, such as silicon and oxygen. Silicon atoms rather enjoy having threesomes with two Oxygen atoms — one just isn't enough fun! — and the Oxygen atoms seem to enjoy it, too. When that happens, a Silicon Dioxide molecule is formed.
When many Silicon Dioxide molecules band together to form a commune, a Quartz crystal is born. As more and more Silicon Dioxide molecules join the party, the Quartz crystal grows in size.
Many quartz crystals are large-enough to be seen with the naked eye, such as this one:
Sometimes, though, something other than Silicon Dioxide wants to join the party. For instance, the monogamous Iron Oxide likes to hold hands with one of the Oxygen atoms in a Silicon Dioxide molecule.
Thus, an "impurity" enters the Quartz crystal and tinges it a pinkish color. To the rock hound, though, this so-called "impurity" creates beautiful Rose Quartz!
If enough Iron Oxide joins the party, then the pinkish hue becomes absolutely red or even brown, as seen in this specimen of Red Jasper (which is a piece of Quartz, where the crystals are so tiny that a microscope would be required to see them):
The same basic principle works to create a wide range of colors in most rocks and crystals.
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See my other PrettyRocks posts
I saw some large pieces of red jasper on my last visit to the gemstone centre. I wonder if they will still be there? I'm making a wishlist for my trip on Monday :-)
That sounds exciting! I hope they still have the red jasper for you!![pink_smile.gif](https://steemitimages.com/0x0/https://steemitimages.com/DQmQDWcfDFG8AoFaZAFhehJ261ZaABVhV2c5SiBtUzGCYXj/pink_smile.gif)
Cool!
Thank you! 😊
How cool... love the way you've explained the molecule formations.... Reminds me of my chemistry classes a long long time ago...lol. I may have a large rose quartz - almost the size of my fist!
Thank you! So glad you liked the explanations; I tried to make them less dry and more interesting than lectures at school! 😊 I would like to see your rose quartz some time if you feel like posting it!![pink_heart.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmSGcDmRUvbbeydrzYgMbVWTtdLwscTufnCxsnnyxHGGJP/pink_heart.jpg)
Thank you for the resteem! 😊
Thanks for posting this fascinating explanation of the chemistry beneath silica crystal formation @thekittygirl; love the diagrams and photos as it really helps me to visually understand!
So glad you enjoyed the post! I like to keep things simple and interesting! Thanks for your comment! 😊
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