Geology of the Yosemite area
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The exposed geology of the Yosemite area includes primarily granitic rocks with some older metamorphic rock. The first rocks were laid down in Precambrian times, when the area around Yosemite National
Half Dome rises more than 4,737 ft (1,444 m) above the valley floor.
The valley from an airplane
Sierra Nevada Batholith
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The Sierra Nevada Batholith is a large batholith that is approximately 400 miles long and 60-80 miles wide which forms the core of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, exposed at the surfac
Geology of the Yosemite area
…volcanism in the Jurassic intruded and covered these rocks in what may have been magmatic activity associated with the early stages of the creation of the Sierra Nevada Batholith. 95% of these rocks were eventually removed by uplifted-accelerated erosion. Most of the remaining rocks are exposed as 'roof pendants' in the eastern…
Half Dome, Yosemite, a classic granite dome of the Sierra Nevada Batholith