Its a rock which formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle.
Serpentine Soils and Plant Adaptations. The embedded ultramafic rocks of the ophiolite complex find their way to the surface either by erosion of material above the ophiolite or uplift in the course of tectonic activity. As a corollary to serpentinite rock, serpentine soil carries the unique chemical composition containing high amounts of magnesium and low amounts of calcium. The pH of the soil greatly varies, ranging from 6.1 (slightly acidic) to 8.8 (slightly basic). Serpentine soils are weathered products of a range of ultramafic rocks composed of ferromagnesian silicates. Serpentine more accurately refers to a group of minerals, including antigorite, chrysotile, and lizardite, in hydrothermally altered ultramafic rocks. The marble-like serpentine rock distinguished from its red serpentinite soil, found along the trial heading up Poly Mounatin. The soil which is derived from weathered serpentinite rock is called serpentine. A serpentine soil is derived from ultramafic rocks, in particular serpentinite, a rock formed by the hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle. Serpentinite is composed of the mineral serpentine, but the two terms are often both used to mean the rock, not its mineral composition. The soils derived from ultramafic bedrock give rise to unusual and sparse associations of edaphic (and often endemic) plants that are tolerant of extreme soil conditions, including: All of these factors result in a tremendous variety of soil types derived from serpentine, yet there are characteristics of serpentine soils in common that have bearing on the plants that occupy these areas and their distinctive plant community. Photo by Jenny Moore. Once exposed to the elements, serpentine rock weathers to form soil. The resultant soils are a byproduct of the mineralogy of the rock, from which it is formed, but other factors come into play like rainfall, topography, and the length of time the serpentine rock has been exposed. Serpentine soils are usually not pure blue serpentine. They are usually adobe like with serpentine rocks here and there. Sometimes that look like red rock with some blue in it. Jade is a form of
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/serpentines/adaptations.shtml http://polyland.calpoly.edu/topics/Geology/studentsites/2006a/Soil%20composition.html http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199830060/obo-9780199830060-0055.xml http://polyland.calpoly.edu/topics/Geology/studentsites/2006a/Soil%20composition.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpentine_soil https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpentine_soil http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/serpentines/adaptations.shtml http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/beauty/serpentines/adaptations.shtml http://www.laspilitas.com/advanced/serpentine-plants.html
what is a serpentine soil