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Metamorphic rock composed of firmly cemented quartz grains is what quartzite termed as. Generally it is white, light gray, yellowish, or light brown, but can also be colored blue, green, purple, or black by included minerals. It results from the metamorphism of pure quartz sandstone. Easily distinguished from the sandstone, quartzite fractures across the constituent grains of sand. Quartzite is extremely resistant to the chemical weathering, and often forms ridges and resistant hilltops. The nearly pure silica content of the rock provides little to form soil from and therefore the quartzite ridges are often bare or covered only with a very thin soil and little vegetation. Because of its tough hardness it is sometimes used in the construction of the railway ballast as well.