Yosemite Granite Domes

Mount hoffmann and most of the terrain visible from it are composed of granite formed deep within the earth by solidification of formerly molten rock material and subsequently exposed by erosion of the overlying rocks.

Yosemite granite domes.

Granite domes are domical hills composed of granite with bare rock exposed over most of the surface. As granitic plutons cool kilometers below the earth s surface minerals in the rock crystallize under uniform confining. The dashed horizontal lines show the lowest contours that do not encircle higher peaks. The ocean is the absolute bottom.

The bedrock geology of yosemite national park consists almost entirely of granitic rocks. Of all of the stunning natural features that compose yosemite s landscape the park s granite domes are among the most unique. Vertical arrows show the clean prominence of three peaks on an island. The park boundary perfectly frames a landscape that is composed almost entirely of granite and it s no surprise that this landscape contains some of the most iconic rock formations on earth.

Granite granite dominates the geology of yosemite national park. Many granite domes are in yosemite national park. Generally domical features such as these are known as bornhardts bornhardts can form in any type of plutonic rock but are typically composed of granite and granitic gneiss.