I just got into looking for gold and there are a lot of milky quartz rocks around where I live in piedmont nc. I heard that sometimes small amounts of gold may be found inside quartz rocks. Will it set off my metal detector if there is gold inside? Anybody else tried this? Thanks
It originated back in the late 1980's or early 1990's. Most likely it was part of the new age movement or started by someone who wanted to sell more crystals of various types. I didn't keep track but I've heard various properties attributed to different crystals i.e. one person says quartz heals and another says it increases love.
Quartz crystals are generally hexagonal, and have no cleavage lines. When you say square sides, I assume you mean 6 parallel faces.
Yes quartz has a very weak cleavage in three directions (rhombohedral). But the specimen you discribe is not quartz. If your rock has very good cleavage angles slanted at about 60 degrees then it could be calcite.
Quartz has no cleavage. It only has conchoidal fracture. If its rhomb shaped its probably calcite, maybe dolomite. If its cube shaped its probably halite (salt, you can lick it)
