Definition of "quartzite" []

• A rock formed from the metamorphism of quartz sandstone. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The quartzite, which is regarded as probably the highest member of the series, forms prominent ridges due to the more rapid erosion of the phyllites, mica-schists and limestones occupying the intervening hollows."
• "Richard Davis, who is applying for mining rights, says he intends to turn the canyon into a quarry, but Dr. Bart Kowallis, a professor in the Department of Geology, said the only rock to mine there is quartzite, which is extremely common in Utah."
• "The more resistant sequences, such as quartzite, form most of the prominent ranges in the area, while less resistant schist, dolomite and phyllite underline many of the valleys and plains."