Identify My Rock Marble

Because of this the surface of marble shows scratches and wear.

Identify my rock marble.

You obviously don t want to crush your rock if you think it s valuable but that isn t necessary. Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms when limestone is subjected to the heat and pressure of metamorphism. It is composed primarily of the mineral calcite caco 3 and usually contains other minerals such as clay minerals micas quartz pyrite iron oxides and graphite under the conditions of metamorphism the calcite in the limestone recrystallizes to form a rock that is. You might find somebody who can identify a rock as quartz or jasper but there are so many variations of the material based on its origin color or pattern that it s really hard to find somebody who can absolutely identify some of the rarer varieties and their origins or trade names and the value can vary widely based on that information.

Marble can be scratched with a metal blade. Marble tends to be light in color. The visible crystals in marble give it a characteristic granular surface and appearance but there are other properties used to identify the rock. Sedimentary rocks such as limestone or shale are hardened sediment with sandy or clay like layers strata they are usually brown to gray in color and may have fossils and water or wind marks.

You can conduct a streak test with a piece of unglazed porcelain the back of a porcelain tile is ideal. Authentic marble is a metaphoric rock formed by applying heat to limestone forming crystals of calcite a relatively soft mineral.