Relationship between Mineralogical Properties of Quartz Sands and Glass Stones

Abstract

The relationship between the properties of quartz sands and so-called glass stones (minerals within the glass) was studied by mineralogical and analytical methods. The quartz sands are obtained from dune and arkose deposits, and are used as the raw material of amber bottle glass at K and S glass works, respectively. The sorting grade in the two deposit types influences the size and form of the constituent grains. The heavy minerals found in the dune type are spherical and larger than those from the arkose type deposit. The grain size influences strongly the structure and constituent minerals in glass stones. The following peculiar structures and minerals are found in the glass stones from the K glass works; they are not present in the glass stones from the S glass works:
(1) Andalusite stones: consisting of a single crystal of andalusite and of the peritic aggregation of fine mullite crystals,
(2) Corundum stone: consisting of a single crystal,
(3) Corundum stone: consisting of an aggregation of fine crystals.
The results of mineralogical and analytical studies suggest that the peculiar glass stones are the insoluble remnants of andalusite, corundum and diaspore crystals which are included as the heavy minerals in the dune type deposit. The peculiar glass stones amount to about 15% of the total number of glass stones.