Red marble is a recrystallized limestone containing iron oxide impurities that provide its distinct vibrant color. It is highly valued in lapidary work for its ability to take a high polish and its intricate, swirling patterns.
Is this red 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 red marble with a known reference. Red 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: Crystalline; typically not foliated.
- 3Pick out the mineralsComposition: Recrystallized calcite or dolomite; color and veining come from impurities such as iron oxides. Identify the two or three most abundant grains.
- 4Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 5Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: red, white, pink.
Often confused with
Red Marble vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Red Jasper is the harder of the two (Mohs 6.5-7 vs. 3-4).
How to tell apart: Luster reads vitreous on Red Marble and adamantine, inclining to metallic when dark; dull in friable material on Cinnabar.
Often found alongside red marble
Minerals reported to co-occur with red 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
- 2.7-2.8 g/cm³
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Decorative, Lapidary, Construction
- Host rock
- metamorphic terrain
- Texture
- Crystalline; typically not foliated
- Composition
- Recrystallized calcite or dolomite; color and veining come from impurities such as iron oxides
Where rockhounds find red marble
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Italy
- Greece
- Turkey
- USA
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: metamorphic terrain. If you start seeing calcite, dolomite, quartz in float, you are in the right ground. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Vermont. Start trip planning there.
More red marble photos
Common questions
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Find red marble on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
