Moqui marbles (shaman stone) from Utah USA
Size-
1) 2.5cm x 2.3cm x 2cm
2) 3.4cm x 2.7cm x 2cm
Weight-
42g
You will receive the item in the photo
Moqui marbles are concretions of iron. They consist of an outer shell of hematite (iron oxide) with a center of sandstone. The sandstone center is often stained red and or yellow from iron oxides. Moqui marbles formed in the lower part of Navajo sandstone formation found predominantly in southern USA and northern Arizona. This part of the Navajo sandstone formation was laid down approximately 190 million years ago at the very beginning of the Jurassic era. Although we know when and where they are formed and elegant they are formed from we do not have enough geological information to know how exactly how they are formed.
Moqui marbles probably formed at a time when the original sand dunes that later became the Navajo sandstone were underwater. We believe what caused the Moqui marbles to actually form was volcanic venting of hot gases which would have caused bubbles to form in the gelatinous limonite. The volcanic gases would have been hot enough to alter the limonite into hematite.
Moqui marbles are found in areas where the Navajo sandstone formation has nearly eroded away once again forming sand dunes.
