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What is an Indian Marble?

What is an Indian Marble?

Below is a transcription of the above sign found at the Valley of Fire Visitor Center.

Nodules form when water carrying calcite, silica, or other minerals percolate through sediments and meets hard object: a quartz crystal or something organic.

The water slows down, seeking a way around the hard substance.

This causes the water-borne minerals to be deposited around the subject.

Concentric layers of these minerals form a nodule or concretion with the hard material in the center.

Some fossil dunes in Valley of Fire contain these nodules. They appear as hard, rounded spheres attached to the rock surface or lying on the ground nearby.

They are sometimes called “Indian marbles.”

Please leave our Indian marbles where you find them.

Help us preserve the national treasures of the Valley of Fire.

Category: Sedimentary

Time Period: Mesozoic Era

Composition: Crystalized quartz, calcite, silica, or other minerals

Location: Along the main road near the entrance to Petrified Logs, and at Rainbow Vista

What is an Indian Marble?

The above Indian marbles were found on the Top of the World hike (June 2018).

desert marbles

Indian marbles found at the Top of the World at Valley of Fire (June 2018)

What is an Indian Marble?

Tracy

Sunday 2nd of October 2022

If I sent a photograph, could you tell me if what I have are Indian Marbles? I bought them at an estate sale in middle TN.

Billie Hillier

Thursday 6th of October 2022

Sure - send us an email at TheSouthwestExplorers AT gmail.com