Search Results

Wildflower Mount Diablo Slender Woolly Marbles Scientific Name: Psilocarphus tenellus Family: Asteraceae (Sunflower Family) Blooms: April Color: White Annual herb Native Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Steven Beatty

Wildflower Mount Diablo Serpentine Columbine, Stream Columbine Scientific Name: Aquilegia eximia Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family) Blooms: Jun - Jul Color: Red-Pink Perennial herb Native, endemic to California Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Kevin Hintsa

Wildflower Mount Diablo Bellardia, Mediterranean Linseed Invasive Scientific Name: Bellardia trixago Family: Orobanchaceae (Broomrape Family) Blooms: Apr - Jun Color: White Annual herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Wildflower Mount Diablo Woolly Clover Scientific Name: Trifolium tomentosum Family: Fabaceae (Legume Family) Blooms: Apr-Jun Color: White Annual herb Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Mormon Metalmark Apodemia mormo Riodinidae Metalmarks Flies July to October Host Plant Buckwheat Nectar Plant Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald Underwing Daniel Fitzgerald Daniel Fitzgerald

Wildflower Mount Diablo Spring Vetch Invasive Scientific Name: Vicia sativa Family: Fabaceae (Legume Family) Blooms: Feb - May Color: Red-Pink Annual herb or vine Introduced Jump to Blooming Now Blue / Purple Red / Pink White Yellow / Orange Invasive Plants Mike Woodring

Geology: Our understanding of the geological history of the rocks and structure of Mount Diablo has undergone major changes during the past 30 years, and even now geologists are still trying to unravel the complicated history of the mountain. This complex history is not unique to the mountain, but to our region as a whole, since Mount Diablo has been caught up in the processes that have shaped the Coast Ranges over the last several million years. Paleontology: Mount Diablo State Park contains geological formations rich in fossil resources. Marine mollusks of Miocene age are abundant along the southern flank of the mountain. Fossil plant material is also common in this area. Along the southern boundary, 9 million year old river deposits have yielded a large number of vertebrate fossil fragments including sabre-tooth cats, mastodons, horses, camels, and llamas. Photo: Devil's Pulpit is an erosion-resistant block of chert standing along Mary Bowerman Trail near the summit of Mount Diablo | Ray Mengel __Mount Diablo Guide 3 cups Blueberries 3 cups Flour 1½ cups Butter Geology: Our understanding of the geological history of the rocks and structure of Mount Diablo has undergone major changes during the past 30 years, and even now geologists are still trying to unravel the complicated history of the mountain. This complex history is not unique to the mountain, but to our region as a whole, since Mount Diablo has been caught up in the processes that have shaped the Coast Ranges over the last several million years. Paleontology: Mount Diablo State Park contains geological formations rich in fossil resources. Marine mollusks of Miocene age are abundant along the southern flank of the mountain. Fossil plant material is also common in this area. Along the southern boundary, 9 million year old river deposits have yielded a large number of vertebrate fossil fragments including sabre-tooth cats, mastodons, horses, camels, and llamas. Photo: Devil's Pulpit is an erosion-resistant block of chert standing along Mary Bowerman Trail near the summit of Mount Diablo | Ray Mengel __Mount Diablo Guide Mount Diablo Geology Featured Articles Geologic History Guide to Mount Diablo Geology Geology FAQ Geology Guides & Maps Geologic Guide to Mount Diablo State Park Geology Road Map Trail Through Time Geology Map of Mount Diablo Geologic Guide to the Falls Trail Loop Mining Clayton Quarry Cowell Cement Industry Gold, Silver, and Copper Mines of Mount Diablo Quicksilver at Mount Diablo ___ Roi Peers

The Mount Diablo Observatory Association (MDOA) is dedicated to public education in astronomy. The organization includes scientists, engineers, and other professionals with a common interest in astronomy and a desire to further science education. MAILING ADDRESS: Mt. Diablo Observatory Association, Inc. P.O. Box 3165 Walnut Creek, CA 94598-3165 3 cups Blueberries 3 cups Flour 1½ cups Butter The Mount Diablo Observatory Association (MDOA) is dedicated to public education in astronomy. The organization includes scientists, engineers, and other professionals with a common interest in astronomy and a desire to further science education. MAILING ADDRESS: Mt. Diablo Observatory Association, Inc. P.O. Box 3165 Walnut Creek, CA 94598-3165 In celebration of the International Year of Astronomy 2009, NASA Great Observatories -- Hubble Space Telescope, Spitzer Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory -- have produced a matched trio of images of the central region of our Milky Way. Stargazing on Mount Diablo Mount Diablo Astronomical Society (MDAS) Event Calendar The Mount Diablo Observatory Association, Inc. (MDOA) is a cooperating organization within Mount Diablo State Park. Incorporated in 1988, MDOA members planned, raised funds and established an astronomical observatory. The observatory consists of a Solar powered 96 square foot roll-off roof observatory, and a 500 square foot warming room. The heart of the observatory is a computer controlled Celestron 14, which has a variety of electronic attachments, a CCD camera, and photographic equipment. The addition of a refractor to the observatory has enhanced the photographic tasks and the public outreach of the observatory. A 15 Kilowatt generator provides all the electrical needs for lighting, heating, and AC for the comfort of our visitors in the warming room. At nearly 3800 feet above the mean sea level, the observatory has an unobstructed view of the night sky (and Mount Diablo is the highest mountain within the San Francisco Bay Area with a public access observatory). Every year MDOA and its sister organization, Mount Diablo Astronomical Society, operate Public Astronomy Programs under the sponsorship of Mount Diablo State Park. This program is now in its 28th year! For written information, applications for Associate Membership ($30/year; $25 annual membership + $5 MDAS name badge) to support the observatory or for other correspondence feel free to contact us by email, or in writing at: Mount Diablo Astronomical Society P.O. Box 4889 Walnut Creek, CA 94596 Celestron 14 | Jon Wilson Planetary Nebula, M 57 in Lyra. June 12, 2010 Information for Visitors: EXCITEMENT FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY! MOON Photographed April 13, 2009 Participate in hands-on astronomy activities followed by supervised observing through the many different telescopes of MDAS members. Bring snacks, water, binoculars, and warm clothes. If you bring a flashlight please cover it with red material. Please note that only Mount Diablo Astronomy Docents may set up telescopes on Public Nights. LOCATION DETAIL Mount Diablo, at the Lower Summit Parking Lot off Summit Road, almost to the top of Mount Diablo Summit Rd, Walnut Creek, CA 94598 More information at: Mount Diablo Astronomical Society Another astronomy link: Western Amateur Astronomers The material above is provided by Mount Diablo Observatory Association and Mount Diablo Astronomical Society

Privacy Policy of Mount Diablo Interpretive Association Mount Diablo Interpretive Association (MDIA) operates the https://mdia.org website (“the website”), which provides the public with information and resources on our organization’s mission and work related to the preservation and education of Mount Diablo State Park. This page is used to inform website visitors regarding our policies regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information if anyone decides to use our Service, the Mount Diablo Interpretive Association website. If you choose to use our Service, then you agree to the collection and use of information with this policy. The Personal Information that we collect is used for providing and improving the Service. We will not use or share your information with anyone except as described in this Privacy Policy. Information Collection and Use For a better experience while using our Service, we may require you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information, including but not limited to your name, phone number, email address, and postal address. The information that we collect will be used to contact or identify you. Log Data We want to inform you that whenever you visit our Service, we collect information that your browser sends to us which is called Log Data. This Log Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser version, pages of our Service that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages, and other statistics. Cookies Cookies are files with a small amount of data that is commonly used as an anonymous unique identifier. These are sent to your browser from the website that you visit and are stored on your computer’s hard drive. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. We use these cookies to help the website function and provide you with an improved and customized user experience. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Necessary cookies are crucial for the basic functions of the website and the website will not work in its intended way without them. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data. We do not use third-party cookies. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics, the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. We do not store user preferences. If you continue to use the website, we assume that you are okay with it. Service Providers We may employ third-party companies and individuals due to the following reasons: To facilitate our Service; To provide the Service on our behalf; To perform Service-related services; or To assist us in analyzing how our Service is used. We want to inform our Service users that these third parties have access to your Personal Information. The reason is to perform the tasks assigned to them on our behalf. However, they are obligated not to disclose or use the information for any other purpose. Security We value your trust in providing us with your Personal Information, thus we are striving to use commercially acceptable means of protecting it. HTTPS or Secure HTTP is an encryption method that secures the connection between users’ browser and your server. This makes it harder for hackers to eavesdrop on the connection. Every day we share our personal information with different websites whether it’s making a purchase or simply logging in. To protect the data transfer, a secure connection needs to be created. That’s when SSL and HTTPS come in. Each site is issued a unique SSL certificate for identification purposes. If a server is pretending to be on HTTPS, and its certificate doesn’t match, then most modern browsers will warn the user from connecting to the website. We adhere to best practices for cybersecurity through the implementation of https:// and an SSL certificate for encryption of data transfers. Mount Diablo Interpretive Association (MDIA) does not store any payment information on our website or its database. All payment processing is securely transmitted through our 3rd party merchant processor and credit card payment gateway provider (Bloomerang ). But remember that no method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage is 100% secure and reliable, and we cannot guarantee its absolute security. In the event of a significant security breach, MDIA will take specific measures to notify the public through a variety of communication channels, such as social media, email newsletter, and/or press release. Links to Other Sites Our Service may contain links to other sites. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that site. Note that these external sites are not operated by us. Therefore, we strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of these websites. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services. Changes to This Privacy Policy We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. Thus, we advise you to review this page periodically for any changes. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page. These changes are effective immediately after they are posted on this page. Contact Us If you have any questions or suggestions about our Privacy Policy, please contact us .

MDIA Board Members Steve Smith . . . . . . . President Mike Brandy. . . .Vice President Dan Sandri . . . . . . . . .Secretary Dan Fitzgerald . . . . . Treasurer Mark Brauer Julie Braun Martin Leslie Contreras Tere Dixon Linda Kwong Carol Lane Dick Nicoll Steve Viarengo Steve Smith President Steve grew up in Danville and has been an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast his whole life. He is a docent, hike leader, back-country rover, leader of the Maintenance Volunteer Group, and member of the Trash Removal Project. He began volunteering on the mountain after completing a quest to hike all 162 miles of trails within the park. Mike Brandy Vice President Mike is always drawn to the outdoors for inspiration and renewal. As a Mount Diablo State Park volunteer for the last four years, he is currently engaged in co-managing the Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center, always trying to enhance the docent training and the visitor experience to the park. He also volunteers on the Trash Removal Project (TRP) team. He usually cycles or hikes every week on the mountain. Dan Fitzgerald Treasurer Dan grew up in Concord with a view of the mountain and spent some time exploring it with Michael Marchiano. When he retired, Dan completed the State Parks volunteer training and became an active member of the Trash Removal Project and a visitor center and roving docent. Dan also enjoys nature photography. Dan Sandri Secretary Dan has lived in the East Bay for nearly all of his life, and Mt. Diablo has always been his favorite hiking place. Dan has a B. S. degree in Entomology and enjoys observing and photographing insects, birds, reptiles, as well as other plant and animal life. Upon retirement, Dan became a volunteer at Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center, and a back-country rover. Dan enjoys interacting with visitors, learning and writing. Mark Brauer Mark has lived in the East Bay for the last 35 years and has enjoyed hiking at Mount Diablo since he moved here. For the past six years he has volunteered his time as a docent and as a rover at Mount Diablo. He particularly enjoys interacting with the park's visitors and helping them discover the best places to visit in the park. Mark set himself the goal in 2013 to hike every trail in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and after 8 years completed that task. Of all the parks and open spaces in the East Bay he finds the most enjoyment from visiting Mount Diablo. Julie Braun Martin Julie, an educator for many years with a passion for conservation and serving youth, enjoys walking on the mountain and serving at Mitchell Canyon and assisting with publications. Leslie Contreras Living in the shadow of Mount Diablo all her life, Leslie has always had a passion for the mountain. She contributes to MDIA as the event coordinator for the hiking program and as co-manager of the Mitchell Canyon Visitor Center. Terese Dixon Tere has lived at the base of Mount Diablo for nearly 40 years and has hiked and biked the trails of Mount Diablo State Park throughout that time. Currently serving as the Webmaster for the MDIA website , Tere is also a State Park volunteer, and is a California Naturalist. Other than cycling with her husband, Tere enjoys working in her dry garden and birding. Linda Kwong Linda has lived in Alamo since 1997. Her connection to the mountain started after a neighbor took her on a bike ride to the Summit over 7 years ago. Now she is a regular visitor on the mountain, often riding 3-4 days per week. Photographing all four seasons and engaging with both the park visitors and staff are her favorite activities. Her goal is for all park visitors to have a safe, memorable and fun experience during their visit on Mount Diablo. Carol Lane Carol is a retired Registered Nurse who loves to be active and find interesting things out in nature. She is an active trail maintenance volunteer and sees trail work as a way to give back for the enjoyment that she experienced as a trail runner. Dick Nicoll A long time local resident, Dick loves everything outdoors. He coordinates publications, serves at Mitchell Canyon, works on the Trash Removal Project, and organizes road repairs. He has completed the California Naturalist Program. Steve Viarengo Steve has been a Danville resident since 1997. In that time he has spent many hours hiking and biking on Mount Diablo and enjoying time with his family exploring Rock City. He began volunteering in 2022 and found that the volunteer activities he enjoyed the most involved being with visitors out in the park. In addition to time on the trails he enjoys kayaking on Lake Tahoe and traveling with his wife. MDIA Committee Members and Leads Archives Lead(s): Dan Sandri Other Members: Steve Smith Maintains print archives Audible Mount Diablo Lead(s): Steve Smith Other Members: Wally De Young; Kendall Oei; Joan Hamilton Coordinates development of Audible Mount Diablo/Mount Diablo "Shorts" Contracts Lead(s): Dick Nicoll Other Members: Steve Smith Develops and reviews MDIA contracts Corporate Governance Lead(s): Vacant Other Members: Dan Sandri Updates and maintains the documents contained within the MDIA Board of Directors Handbook Education Lead(s): Julie Braun Martin, Dick Nicoll Other Members: Encourage school field trips by adding content to MDIA website that would assist teachers in planning trips to MDSP. Finance Lead(s): Dan Fitzgerald Other Members: MDIA Executive Committee Review financial records and bank statements Fundraising Lead(s): Mike Brandy, Dick Nicoll, Julie Braun Martin Other Members: Judith Parker, Gary Parkhurst, Dan Sandri, Steve Smith, Steve Viarengo, Tere Dixon Develops fundraising strategy to support new MCVC Hikes Lead(s): Leslie Contreras Other Members: Ken Lavin Recruits hike leaders; advertises and leads hikes in the park Insurance Lead(s): Linda Kwong Other Members: Negotiates appropriate insurance coverage and manages insurance-related matters Interpretive Displays Lead(s): Steve Smith Other Members: Mike Brandy, Dick Nicoll, Mark Brauer, Julie Martin Designs and fabricates interpretive panels and visitor center displays in conjunction with MDSP MCEC Capital Committee Lead(s): Mike Brandy, Dick Nicoll Other Members: Julie Braun Martin, Steve Smith Recommend architects to prepare conceptual drawings for new MCVC; apply for grants for MCVC Marketing, Advertising and Publications Lead(s): Dick Nicoll Other Members: Steve Smith Publishes Mount Diablo Review , MDIA annual report, and other MDIA publications Membership Lead(s): Julie Braun Martin Other Members: Steve Smith, Dan Fitzgerald, Dick Nicoll Maintains membership list; prepares membership packets and acknowledgements. Merchandising Lead(s): Dan Fitzgerald, Steve Smith Other Members: Linda Kwong (wholesale); Steve Smith(online); Dan (Perishables) Orders and maintains merchandise to sell at SVC, MCVC and online; maintains inventory; fulfills online orders Mountain Talks Lead(s): Mike Brandy Other Members: Steve Smith Develops program and presents Mountain Talks Native Plant Garden Lead(s): Carol Lane Other Members: Carole Leadem; Leslie Contreras; Judy Quinlan; Mary Jankowski Maintains, repairs and replants native garden at MCVC Nominating Lead(s): Mark Brauer Other Members: MDIA Executive Committee Recruits and nominates board members and officers Outreach Lead(s): Mark Brauer Other Members: Steve Smith Develop and maintain relationships with external partner groups and community Park Maintenance (MVG/TRP) Lead(s): Steve Smith Other Members: Dan Fitzgerald Coordinates with MDSP the repair and improvement of parks structures and the removal of non igneous material from the park Peregrine Team Lead(s): Vacant Other Members: Leslie Contreras, Steve Smith Educate public and monitor the status of the falcons throughout the nesting season. Recruitment Lead(s): Linda Kwong, Leslis Contreras Other Members: Develop a strategy to increase diversity of MDIA board Trail Maintenance Lead(s): Carol Lane Other Members: Coordinates MDIA sponsored trail maintenance activities and budget Trail Signage Lead(s): Steve Smith Other Members: Dan Fitzgerald Coordinates trail sign maintenance and installation with MDSP Volunteers in Park Lead(s): Dan Fitzgerald Other Members: Budget item only: for budget requests from MDSP for VIPP Website and Social Media Lead(s): Terese Dixon, Steve Viarengo Other Members: Steve Smith Designs, updates, and maintains the MDIA website and social media presence

Geology FAQ Mount Diablo Geology Frequently Asked Questions Is Mount Diablo a volcano? No. Although basaltic lava rock can be found on the mountain, the lava was formed far at sea, upwelling from deep in the earth through fissures in the ocean crust. How high is the mountain? 3,849 feet. The summit is actually inside the museum. What kind of rock makes up the summit? The hard resistant rock on the summit is mostly greenstone (a slightly altered form of basalt, a common igneous rock that makes up much of the upper part of the ocean crust) and hard reddish chert with minor amounts of graywacke sandstone and shale. The exposed rock that you can stand on inside the summit museum is greenstone. Why does it stand up higher than the surrounding area? The rocks have been folded and lifted by compressional stresses in the earth’s crust. The greenstone and chert on the two main peaks are very resistant to erosion compared to many of the rocks in the surrounding areas and thus stand higher. Is Mt. Diablo still rising? The stresses that folded and raised the mountain are still at work and the mountain continues to slowly rise (about 0.1 inch a year) while the forces of weathering and erosion try to keep pace. How old is the mountain? The oldest rocks on the mountain are the greenstones in the mountain’s core formed about 190 million years old. But as a topographic feature, the mountain is relatively young, forming only during the past one million years or so. Is there any gold or silver here? Minor amounts of gold and silver associated with small copper deposits on the north side of the mountain were prospected, but production was not economical. Are the mercury mines still in operation? No. Mining operations stopped in the early 1970s after approximately $1,500,000 worth of mercury had been extracted. What are they quarrying on the north side? Diabase. Diabase is a dark igneous rock of fine crystalline texture. It is used primarily for building stones and crushed rock for roadbeds. Are there dinosaur bones in any of the rocks? Did they live here? No to both. The Mount Diablo region was under the ocean during the Jurassic and Cretaceous. The closest dinosaur bones to us were found near Pacheco Pass in central California. What about the bones at the Blackhawk Quarry? The quarry on the south side of the mountain is one of the richest mammal bone beds in the United States, second only to La Brea in Los Angeles. Bones from 9 million-year-old horses, camels, rhinos, and mastodons have been found here—but these are much younger than dinosaurs, which died out over 60 million years ago. The bones (only fragments are found, no complete skeletons) were preserved in stream deposits. How old are the fossils in the building blocks of the Summit Building? The clams, oysters, and other fossil shells in the building stones of the summit building came from the “Briones Formation” of Miocene age near Fossil Ridge and are about 12 million years old. How are the caves formed at Rock City? Although often called Wind Caves, they are only indirectly due to the wind. During the rainy season, water seeps into the rocks. The water is a very weak acid and slowly dissolves the cement that had been holding the sand grains together. The hot dry days of summer would draw the water to the surface of the rock where it evaporated and left behind the cement it had dissolved from deeper in the rock. After centuries of wet winters and dry summers, the inside of the rock had only a little cement, while the outside had a hard crust of sand grains tightly cemented. As wind and rain continued to beat on the faces of the rocks, holes developed in the crust. This exposed the loosely cemented grains underneath, which erode much faster than the surface, so that holes enlarged into little caves behind the hard crust. Very little of the hard crust remains on the surface of these rocks today. This text was reproduced from "Geology of Mount Diablo - A Training Manual" by Roi Peers

Much of the rock that makes up Mount Diablo is sedimentary in origin. It was laid down millions of years ago on the floor of the ocean. Within the last one to two million years, a piece of hard, red 160-million-year-old Franciscan rock was pushed up through six to eight miles of overlying rock and soil, tilting and distorting the rock layers and in some places turning them completely upside down. As a result, the fossilized remains of many sea creatures, as well as those of mastodons, saber-toothed cats and three-toe horses have been discovered here ___ Mount Diablo State Park brochure Plants Geology Wildlife Astronomy Natural History of Mount Diablo State Park