Community Corner
Piedmont Rocks! (And So Does Oakland Geology)
Sign up for a walking tour of Piedmont's Davie quarry, or just learn a little about local rocks, minerals and oddities from a geologist's point of view
Andrew Alden is an Oakland geologist who writes about geology for several websites, leads geology-themed walking tours and spends his spare time exploring and photographing the area's rocks, minerals, hills, canyons and even stone cemetery markers.
He also writes a blog, "Oakland Geology," that provides a fascinating look at the local terrain. While he sometimes includes technical details, mostly it's very accessible to readers with no special knowledge of geology.
On Feb. 11, Alden will lead a walk through Piedmont's Davie quarry, site of the Davie Tennis Stadium, and three quarries in Oakland. The Davie quarry "exploited the Novato Quarry terrane of the Franciscan complex, a large pod of which underlies Piedmont and its immediate surroundings," he writes. (You probably didn't know that...)
Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Details of the walk will be available on the website of Oakland Urban Paths, which is sponsoring the outing.
Meanwhile, take a look at Alden's blog for things like where to see effects of movement on the Hayward Fault, "knockers" in Mountain View Cemetery, self-guided walks nearby (one takes you to Piedmont's Dracena Creek) and even a stone fountain on upper Lakeshore Avenue. You can search the site for "Piedmont" to see the most local entries.
Find out what's happening in Piedmontwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.