1. By Sami Allam & Woo Byun

2. Facts Quartz:  Is the most common mineral found on the surface of the Earth.  A main ingredient in igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.  Is found in an impressive range of varieties and colors and goes by many names for these different varieties. http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry- detail.aspx?entryID=1173

3. More Facts  Quartz is composed of silicon and oxygen and is common throughout the world, although most of it is not crystallized. Crystallization occurs when the silicon dioxide or silica is heated. http://www.fis.unipr.it/~bersani/miner ali/quartz-corchia2.jpg http://www.bluemooncrystals.com/

4. History  A quartz arrowhead that is estimated to be over 11,000 years old was discovered at the Mount Blakely Dam site in Garland County Crystallized quartz has several properties that make it valuable. It is capable of steady vibrations, also called oscillations, that can be used to regulate the flow of electricity. http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/quart z11.jpg http://www.rockhoundingar.com/quartz.html

5. Quartzmining  Arkansas, USA is the largest quartz mine in the U.S  One of the famous mines would be the Deckard mountain Quartz deposit. http://www.rockhounds.com/rock shop/quartz3.jpg www.mindat.org/loc-10520.html

6. Arkansas Woo and I headed to Arkansas to find out the affects of Quartz mining on the population. We learned that mining Quartz lets out a dust called silica. This dust causes many diseases including long disease. http://oddiments.com/Photo- Gallery/albums/album61/4_Ell_in_AK.sized.jpg

7. Silica and Silicosis Arkansas miners were exposed to this dust every moment they mined for Quartz. Silicosis is a very serious and fatal disease. The people that own these mines could care less about any of their employees. http://www.wku.edu/Library/onlinexh/sanders/cartoons/nation/coal_mining_safety.jpg

8. Symptoms of Silicosis  This chest x-ray shows coal worker's lungs. There are diffuse, small, light areas on both sides (1 to 3 mm) in all parts of the lungs https://ssl.gstatic.com/health/5d3c282f3e4c ca3768715b775261030d/ref/graphics/1599.jpg https://health.google.co m/health/ref/graphic/159 9

9. Random facts  The strength of a synthetic quartz crystal drops rapidly at 400°C http://static.howstuffworks. com/gif/quartz-watch- crystal.jpg http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/enc yclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1173://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/enc yclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1173

10.  During World War II there was a demand for Arkansas quartz for radio oscillators for the military http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/ minerals/pix/quartz1.jpg http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/enc yclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1173

11. Symptoms  Silicosis is a respiratory disease caused by breathing in (inhaling) silica dust.  Symptoms  Chronic cough  Shortness of breath with exercise, usually in patients who have progressive massive fibrosis  Other symptoms of this disease, especially in acute silicosis:  Cough  Fever  Severe breathing difficulty  Weight loss https://health.google.com/health/ref/Silicosis

12. New Safety Standards  The mine owner of Arkansas were forced to develop better safety standards for their miners. http://www.corbisimages.com/images/BE05 3761.jpg?size=67&uid=14463734-D287- 4129-9407-7014C3A1BB97 http://www.silicosis.com/exposure/in dex.php

13. Mining Safety  The best thing to prevent you from silicosis is wearing respirators, and eye protection http://images.huffingtonpost.com/gen/8201/ thumbs/s-MINE-SAFETY-large.jpg http://www.silicosis.com/respirators/index.p hp

14. Work cited  http://www.lawcore.com/silicosis-silica/ http://www.lawcore.com/silicosis-silica/  http://www.workershealth.com.au/facts060.html http://www.workershealth.com.au/facts060.html  http://geology.about.com/od/minerals/a/aboutquartz.htm http://geology.about.com/od/minerals/a/aboutquartz.htm  http://www.silicosis.com/ http://www.silicosis.com/  Howard, Darcy, and Mike Howard. Collecting Crystals: The Guide to Quartz in Arkansas. Little Rock: A&I Studio Press, 2009  Rockhounding Arkansas. http://www.rockhoundingar.com (accessed November 7, 2009).http://www.rockhoundingar.com  http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entr y-detail.aspx?entryID=1173 http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entr y-detail.aspx?entryID=1173  https://health.google.com/health/ref/Silicosis https://health.google.com/health/ref/Silicosis  http://www.silicosis.com/respirators/index.php http://www.silicosis.com/respirators/index.php