Colorado Yule Marble is a high-purity, metamorphic rock renowned for its extremely uniform grain structure and brilliant white appearance. It is extracted from the Yule Creek valley and is famous for its use in iconic structures like the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Rockhounders typically collect it as tumbled stones or lapidary slabs due to its high polishability.
Is this colorado yule marble?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch colorado yule marble with a known reference. Colorado Yule Marble sits at Mohs 3-4, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Read the textureLook at a fresh break with a hand lens. Texture: Smooth, homogeneous grain structure.
- 3Pick out the mineralsComposition: Marble of 99.5 percent pure calcite, formed by contact metamorphism of the Mississippian Leadville Limestone. Identify the two or three most abundant grains.
- 4Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: subvitreous.
- 5Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: white, gray.
Often confused with
Colorado Yule Marble vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Luster reads subvitreous on Colorado Yule Marble and vitreous to pearly on Dolomite.
How to tell apart: Luster reads subvitreous on Colorado Yule Marble and vitreous; pearly on cleavages and {0001} on Calcite.
How to tell apart: Quartzite is the harder of the two (Mohs 7 vs. 3-4); luster reads subvitreous on Colorado Yule Marble and vitreous on Quartzite.
Often found alongside colorado yule marble
Minerals reported to co-occur with colorado yule marble. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Mohs hardness
- 3-4
- Density
- 2.71 g/cm³
- Luster
- Subvitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Decorative, Construction, Sculpture
- Host rock
- metamorphic contact zone
- Texture
- Smooth, homogeneous grain structure
- Composition
- Marble of 99.5 percent pure calcite, formed by contact metamorphism of the Mississippian Leadville Limestone
Where rockhounds find colorado yule marble
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Marble, Colorado
- Gunnison County, Colorado
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: metamorphic contact zone. If you start seeing calcite, dolomite, muscovite in float, you are in the right ground. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Colorado. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find colorado yule marble on the map
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