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Generalized geologic map of the Yosemite area. (Based on a USGS image) 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 Park was on the edge of a very young North American continent.
Humans may have lived in the Yosemite area as long as 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. [1] Habitation of the Yosemite Valley proper can be traced to about 3,000 years ago, when vegetation and game in the region was similar to that present today; the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada had acorns, deer, and salmon, while the eastern Sierra had pinyon nuts and obsidian. [2]
The geology of California is highly complex, with numerous mountain ranges, substantial faulting and tectonic activity, rich natural resources and a history of both ancient and comparatively recent intense geological activity. The area formed as a series of small island arcs, deep-ocean sediments and mafic oceanic crust accreted to the western ...
Comprising 1,200 square miles, Yosemite has a lot to offer visitors. “It’s, like, between the natural history, the culture history, the wildlife, the beauty and the size, there’s so much to ...
The natural and cultural history of Yosemite Valley is presented at the Yosemite Valley Visitor Center, the adjoining Yosemite Museum, and the Nature Center at Happy Isles. The parks' two National Historic Landmarks are the Sierra Club 's LeConte Memorial Lodge (Yosemite's first public visitor center), and the Ahwahnee Hotel.
The Geologic Story of Yosemite Valley by N. King Huber (USGS, 1987) authoritative and up-to-date summary of Yosemite's geology; Origin of Yosemite Valley, Chapter 4, "Glaciers of California", by Bill Guyton; Historic Yosemite Indian Chiefs – with photos; Daily updating time-lapse movies of Yosemite Valley
Almost all of the landforms in the Yosemite area are cut from the granitic rock of the Sierra Nevada Batholith (a batholith is a large mass of intrusive igneous rock that formed deep below the surface). [2] About 5% of the park's landforms (mostly in its eastern margin near Mount Dana) are metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks. [3]
The Tuolumne Intrusive Suite is the youngest and most extensive of the intrusive suites of Yosemite National Park, and also comprises about 1/3 of the park's area. The Suite includes Half Dome Granodiorite, Cathedral Peak Granite, and Kuna Crest Granodiorite.