By Barbara Falconer Newhall
El Capitan, that massive cliff overlooking the Yosemite Valley, is the biggest single chunk of granite in Yosemite National Park — and in the world, for that matter. But to me, just as spectacular as all that bigness is the abundance of the smaller stuff at Yosemite — the boulders, the rocks, the stones and the pebbles that litter the park’s 12,000 square miles.
It took 100 million years for the rocks of Yosemite National Park to form — deep underground — and many more eons for that rock to be thrust upward, then shaped and polished by the action of rivers and glaciers.
If you’d like more of the geologic history behind all this earthy beauty, go to the Yosemite website, where you’ll find some gorgeous words to go with all those exquisite rocks. Like granodiorite, tonalit, biotite, gabbro, latite tuff and hornblende . Go for it!
But first, sit a while and listen to these rocks. They are weighty. They have been here a while. They’re trying to tell you something.
If you liked this post, you might enjoy “Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder — But What If There’s No Beholder?”
I’m just a so-so photographer with my little Canon point and shoot. A guy named G. Dan Mitchell has some real beauties on his website. Also, Kathy A has a cool collection of glacier erratic photos on her Pinterest page.
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I seriously appreciate individuals like you! Take care!
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Thank you. I do like to write. But am having fun taking photos these days too.