I keep saying that Oakland has geological features worthy of being put in textbooks. Today I’m here to show you that Oakland has rocks worthy of being in museums, and I’ve put them there.
In 2012, I was asked to put together a set of teaching rocks for the Chabot Space and Science Center. After all, other planets are made of rocks, right? It took some doing, but some of the rocks were easily available within Oakland’s borders in roadside exposures. The conglomerate of the Orinda Formation was one.
The red chert from the Franciscan Complex was another.
And of course there was our serpentinite.
All told, I made five sets of 15 rock types for the kids.
The next year I got a request from Las Positas College, in Livermore, for a boulder of blueschist. Turns out this little college teaches geology, because every citizen will benefit from a course, and students can get a head start on a 4-year degree there. I struggled one out of this streambed, where it wouldn’t be missed.
They installed it in their teaching garden as Rock J, on the left. It’s small compared to its mates, but that thing weighs a ton because high-grade blueschist is pretty dense.
My reward included a visit backstage to see their cool collections.
Then last year, I got a note out of the blue from the under-construction Maine Mineral and Gem Museum asking my help in building their collection. Maine is well known for its gemstone and mineral mines, but the state has no blueschist. I went to a quiet outcrop where it’s just lying around.
Got two nice boulders and couldn’t choose between them, so I sent them both. They told me one will go on display and the other will go in their teaching collection.
None of these are precious collectibles or gemstones. They’re just cool and educational.
I’ve pretty much stopped collecting rocks for myself because I’m not important enough. But museums are important enough.
Oakland Geology 
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