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.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Red Marble leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Red Marble typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: red, white, pink.
- 5Look at form & habitTypical habit: massive.
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: Streak differs, so Red Marble leaves white, Cinnabar leaves scarlet; luster reads vitreous on Red Marble and adamantine 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
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- Perfect Rhombohedral
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Decorative, Lapidary, Construction
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Terrain
- Typical price
- $5-50 for slabs or polished specimens
Where rockhounds find red marble
1 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Italy
- Greece
- Turkey
- USA
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic terrain country, the host setting where red marble typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, dolomite, quartz in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. 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.
