On August 4, 2010 I wrote about how Serpentine’s status as the state rock was endangered. (California State Rock an Endangered Species?) Due to misinformation and some hysteria by our state government there was consideration of taking away Serpentine’s state rock status. While the California state government still can’t pass a budget, it did manage to table the proposed change to our state rock. Check comments section for more information on the history of Serpentine and it becoming the state rock.
The state legislature also managed to pass a bill that all future California “Happy Cows” ads only use California cows (recent ads had apparently used cows from New Zealand) Maybe our cows were all depressed over the state budget and they couldn’t find a happy one for the commercial.
The state rock issue may arise again in the future as Senator Romero, the sponsor of the anti-serpentine bill, hopes someone will take up her cause (fortunately, she can not run for re-election due to term limits).
Related Articles
- Asbestos in California’s State Rock? Not Really (laist.com)
- Wait, they’re going after the state rock? (fresnobeehive.com)
- Fight over state rock enters calmer phase (fresnobeehive.com)
- No Budget, but California Is All Over the Cow Issue (online.wsj.com)
- Serpentine: a battle between a rock and a hard place (sfgate.com)
Natural History Wanderings 
That’s great info, Sandy. The fact that it was chosen for commercial reasons kind of takes the luster off trying to “save” it as the state rock in my mind.
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By: John Wall on October 4, 2010
at 3:01 PM
I’m surprised our state rock isn’t gold. I kind of wonder how serpentine got picked. I like serpentine as much as the next guy, but why not chert, or basalt, or carnelian? 🙂
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By: John Wall on October 4, 2010
at 1:32 PM
I did a little more research on Serpentine and here is what I found:
In an April 14, 1965 letter to Governor Edmond G. Brown, urging the Governor’s approval of Senate Bill No. 265, DeWitt Nelson, and Director of the California Department of Conservation wrote:
“Although serpentine is not unique to California, it is by no means widely distributed elsewhere; and in many states does not exist at all. Serpentine indirectly is of great economic importance to California. It is a host rock for the state’s newest and most rapidly–growing mineral industry–asbestos, now bringing in several millions of dollars annually. It is an attractive rock, selected varieties of serpentine make good cutting material and is used for bookends, paper weights, etc. Designating serpentine as the state rock will increase the market for such items and improve the local economy in a number of places.” from Netstate.com http://www.netstate.com/states/symb/rocks/ca_rock.htm
and from State Symbols http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/California/CAstatesymbolrock.html
Serpentine
California has a greater number of minerals and a wider variety of rock types than does any other state. Serpentine, a shiny, green and blue rock found throughout California, was named the official State Rock in 1965. It contains the state’s principal deposits of chromite, magnesite, and cinnabar. California was the first state to designate a State Rock.
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By: Sandy Steinman on October 4, 2010
at 2:01 PM