I think it is quartz?Would it be worth anything like this? would it be worth anything if it was cut polished?Here are some pics:(that's my photostream with the pics in it!)
Quartz is a mineral. Composition varies a little with impurities or associated minerals but basically silicon dioxide ( SiO2 ) Quartzite is a metamorphic rock that is basically sandstone that has been subjected to heat and pressure to form a rock with almost the exact same composition and characteristics as Quartz. Or you can look at it from the geologist stand point. They are virtually the same thing. Quartz mineral is usually found in granitic magmas. When the granites weather the quartz washes away and deposits in nice clumps like beaches etc... then those deposits get buried and solidified into rock (sandstone) that sandstone then undergoes some metamorphic event to get turned into Quartzite. So it is the same mineral just goes through the geologic process.
Quartz is a pure crystalline form of silicon oxide. Quartzite is a metamorphic rock formed from sandstone.
Your question is a false dichotomy... quartzite (metamorphic rock) is composed of quartz (mineral). Quartzite is formed when a quartz arenite (sandstone) is metamorphosed under high temperature and pressures. The original quartz grains recrystallize, creating an interlocking mosaic . This explains why, at the microscopic level, you are having difficulty distinguishing the two. They are identical!
