Broken moqui marble
MOSTLYDESERTS
Moqui marble at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
BRIAN W. SCHALLER
NPS - FOBU STAFF
Fossil Butte from Cundick Ridge
Easy Scores
What: Wonderstone Where: Vernon Hills, Tooele County If you’re into the spiritual energy that different rocks possess, wonderstone is one you might be interested in. This volcanic rock, a kind of jasper, is believed to balance masculine and feminine energies. It reportedly enhances mental clarity, creativity and imagination, and it infuses spaces with tranquil energy vibrations and reduces tension. Whether or not you believe all the New Age hype, wonderstone is a beautiful piece that any rockhound would want to include in his or her collection. Predominantly composed of volcanic glass particles and welded together by heat and compression, the variations of this rock that are found locally have astounding coloration bands. These rocks look like maroon, yellow, white and salmon-colored taffy stretched then folded into lumps. Polish these rocks up and the colors pop even more. Directions: Take I-80 west to Tooele. Travel south about 31 miles on state highway 36 to the town of Vernon. Four-and-a-half miles past Vernon, turn north onto a dirt road and follow the train tracks for another 1.7 miles until the road turns northwest. A half mile after the curve, you will start to see piles of wonderstone. Recommendations: Check weather before you go. A 4WD vehicle is recommended on the dirt road. Avoid the areas marked for a private mining claim. Bring a rock hammer, protective eyewear and water (to stay hydrated). 28 | Vamoose Utah • April 2019
Rocky Road Trips
What: Moqui Marbles Where: Southern Utah Called Navajo cherries, Navajo berries, Kayenta berries, Shaman stones and iron concretions, these red-brown and black balls made of iron oxide and sandstone range in size from pea to grapefruit. These form underground when a chemical reaction causes iron saturated groundwater to condense into spheres. Sand grains eventually cement around these iron deposits. They become exposed from their rock beds as they erode from the Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone formations where they were formed. Moqui (moe-key) marbles are found widely across southern Utah. Most people will run across them while hiking around Zion National Park, Snow Canyon State Park and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. If you find them in any of these places leave them be. It is illegal to take anything out of a national park, a state park or a national monument (see sidebar on where and how to legally rockhound).