1. FIELD STUDY San Luis Obispo, CA By Sarah Diekneite

5. Dacite Dacite is an igneous, volcanic rock. It is composed of Andesite and Rhyolite. Bishop Peak is primarily composed of dacite. Magma from its days as a volcano welled up underneath a layer of softer rock and solidified. The softer overlying rock has eroded away over the years, leaving the dacite.

6. Serpentine Serpentine is a metamorphic rock that is formed at low-temperatures. It is created through a reaction involving heat and water in which low-silica mafic and ultramafic rocks are oxidized. Serpentine is the second most common rock found on the “Nine Sisters.” I was lucky enough to find one large sample on the peak, and also some stones of Serpentine at the Learning Pine Arboretum.

8. The Learning Pine Arboretum Exploration site: Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo What: An outdoor “living laboratory” of beautiful and interesting landscape plants Who: Run by the Environmental Horticultural Science facility Where: Located on five acres of Cal Poly’s campus, overlooking the Santa Lucia Mountains When: I visited on July 22, 2011 Why: To display sunning landscapes teach about plants from around the globe