California May Drop Rock, and Geologists Feel the Pain
By JENNIFER STEINHAUER
Published: July 13, 2010

LOS ANGELES — Empirically speaking, geologists are not a particularly irascible group. But those who make their living studying rocks, minerals and gems in California — and increasingly those scientists beyond the state’s borders — are enraged over a bill in Sacramento that would knock serpentine, the official state rock, off its mantle.

Some serpentine rocks do serve as a host for chrysotile, a form of asbestos. But geologists say chrysotile is less harmful than some other forms of asbestos, and would be a danger only if a person were to breathe its dust repeatedly. The lawmaker and others who would like to see serpentine stripped of its title say the olive green rock found all over the state is a grim symbol of the deadly cancers associated with asbestos, which can be found in the rock. Geologists, who have taken to Twitter on behalf of the rock, assert that serpentine is harmless and is being demonized by advocates for people with asbestos-related diseases and possibly their trial lawyers, too.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/14/us/14rock.html?_r=1&hp

When one is seeking California areas with densest wildflowers one need look no further than where serpentine outcrops show on geological maps. Such areas have more wildflowers than other areas because most species like grasses and especially all the alien invasive European grasses plaguing our flora today simply cannot grow on our state rock. It rejects em.

Serpentine outcrop here in the Mt. Hamilton Range, Santa Clara County:



Lupine against lichen on serpentine, Merced River BLM, Mariposa County: