“Pic of the Week”. February 7, 2014. Half Dome, Yosemite National Park, California

2014 003 Jan 17a Half Dome at Sunset, Glacier Point 07-96

One of the classic symbols of Yosemite National Park (or the USA for that matter) is Half Dome in Yosemite Valley.  This mountain rises 5000 ft (1500 m) above the valley floor and its summit is 8800 ft (2680 m) above sea level.  Half Dome is best know for being a half a mountain (as its name implies).  John Muir, the father of conservation of the Sierra Nevada, correctly postulated that this appearance was due to glaciation, half the mountain having been removed by glacial action not unlike a knife cutting a cake in half.

The color of the granite in the valley changes dramatically with changing daylight, as seen in the …

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