This rock contains many light-colored quartz fragments set in a much finer matrix, which usually comprises sand or silt, small rock fragments, and iron oxides, often cemented by silica or calcite.

TEXTURE The large grains are rounded; the matrix may be angular or rounded. Quartz conglomerates rarely contain fossils because of their coarse nature and the often turbulent conditions associated with their formation. Bedding structures are seldom seen in small specimens.

ORIGIN Forms in environments such as beaches and river systems, where there is sufficient energy to move large fragments of material.

Grain size: Very coarse

Classification: Detrital

Fossils: Very rare

Grain shape: Rounded