Quartz and Tourmaline: Light, Electricity, and the Geophysical Roots of Mythogenic Landscapes

Mythogenic landscapes are environments where geological features and physical processes actively shape myths, beliefs, and cultural imaginaries. This contribution explores the role of mineral-specific physical properties—particularly those of quartz and tourmaline—in the development of symbolic narratives, ritual practices, and geomyths associated with prehistoric landscapes. Quartz and tourmaline are widely documented in archaeological contexts worldwide, including rock art sites, ritual deposits, burials, and ceremonial spaces, suggesting that their cultural significance extends beyond purely utilitarian uses.

Both minerals exhibit remarkable electrical and luminous behaviors. Tourmaline displays strong piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties, generating electric fields, particle attraction, and ash reorientation when subjected to pressure or heat. Quartz, in addition to being piezoelectric, exhibits triboluminescence: the emission of visible light when fractured, struck, or knapped. These effects can produce sparks, flashes, and electrostatic phenomena that are directly observable without specialized technology. In prehistoric contexts—during tool production, rock engraving, or campfire activities—such phenomena may have been perceived as manifestations of vital or solar forces acting within stone.

Ethnographic, linguistic, and archaeological evidence indicates that quartz has been interpreted in several cultures as a “solar stone,” a material associated with light, power, and cosmological significance. The recurrent presence of quartz in ritual and symbolic contexts suggests that its luminous and electrical responses contributed to its mythogenic potential. Similar interpretations can be proposed for tourmaline, whose pyroelectric behavior is reflected in vernacular names such as ash-attractor, pointing to empirical observations of its interaction with fine particles.

This paper argues that these minerals acted as abiotic cultural agents within mythogenic landscapes, mediating between geological processes and human perception. Their physical properties may have inspired solar motifs in rock art, geomyths explaining landscape features, and beliefs linking stone, light, and spiritual power. Such interpretations highlight how geophysical phenomena contributed to intangible geoheritage long before scientific explanations emerged.

By integrating mineral physics, archaeology, and geomythology, this study emphasizes the need to evaluate geoheritage not only for its scientific value but also for its culture-shaping significance. Recognizing the mythogenic role of quartz- and tourmaline-rich landscapes enhances their potential for geoeducation, public engagement, and geotourism, reinforcing the deep and enduring connections between humans and the dynamic Earth.

This publication is part of the grant RYC2023-042760-I, funded by MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and ESF+.