While it’s hard to fully grasp the beauty and majesty of the geologic features on display in Yosemite National Park, it is quite easy to assume how they formed. Though some of the geologic processes that built this beautiful valley are self-explanatory, others, force gazers to pay close attention, look for the inconspicuous clues and really investigate what built this awe inspiring landscape. Our Journey together will eventually lead to the discovery of what really “went down”?
The goal in mind when choosing to take a trip to Yosemite National Park was to experience one of the most beautiful places on earth for myself and to learn two things; I wanted to …show more content…
If carefully studied, Half Dome would reveal a fair amount of information, leading to one very solid hypothesis. However, I didn’t come this far for a well thought out idea, even if it had a ton of evidence to support it. I knew that in order to be sure, it was my job to study some of the other landmarks in the valley to find out what they had to say about the course of history- and, whether or not they will say the same things? Traveling counter clockwise around the valley, the first landmark I decided to stop at was Bridal Veil Falls. I chose the falls over neighboring landforms because it tells a specific story. Bridal Veil Falls lies in an alcove, one that has be eroded upslope via headward erosion, and while important to the current form of the falls- it doesn’t lend me any knowledge about the valley formation itself. However, what Bridal Veil Falls does say, is that it is the mouth of its own valley, a hanging valley in particular that likely formed due to the presence of a glacier. Was it possible that a large glacier once filled this valley? This potential solution …show more content…
This evidence or lack thereof leads to the conclusion that it would take not only an extremely large and powerful force to move the rock, but also a force that is as durable as the rock itself. Further study will be necessary in order to confirm any inferences, though. The next stop to make on the list was Half Dome. Even with the thought of there being a glacier that large in the valley warrants investigation. There would be evidence of the glacier on the broad flat surfaces of the most prominent rocks-and since the big question was about Half Dome anyway, why not study it? On the face of Half Dome there are glacial striations or small marks where the glacier had rocks embedded in the ice and as the glacier descended the canyon, it scarred the rock outcroppings with a dragging motion. This suggests that glacial
The goal in mind when choosing to take a trip to Yosemite National Park was to experience one of the most beautiful places on earth for myself and to learn two things; I wanted to …show more content…
If carefully studied, Half Dome would reveal a fair amount of information, leading to one very solid hypothesis. However, I didn’t come this far for a well thought out idea, even if it had a ton of evidence to support it. I knew that in order to be sure, it was my job to study some of the other landmarks in the valley to find out what they had to say about the course of history- and, whether or not they will say the same things? Traveling counter clockwise around the valley, the first landmark I decided to stop at was Bridal Veil Falls. I chose the falls over neighboring landforms because it tells a specific story. Bridal Veil Falls lies in an alcove, one that has be eroded upslope via headward erosion, and while important to the current form of the falls- it doesn’t lend me any knowledge about the valley formation itself. However, what Bridal Veil Falls does say, is that it is the mouth of its own valley, a hanging valley in particular that likely formed due to the presence of a glacier. Was it possible that a large glacier once filled this valley? This potential solution …show more content…
This evidence or lack thereof leads to the conclusion that it would take not only an extremely large and powerful force to move the rock, but also a force that is as durable as the rock itself. Further study will be necessary in order to confirm any inferences, though. The next stop to make on the list was Half Dome. Even with the thought of there being a glacier that large in the valley warrants investigation. There would be evidence of the glacier on the broad flat surfaces of the most prominent rocks-and since the big question was about Half Dome anyway, why not study it? On the face of Half Dome there are glacial striations or small marks where the glacier had rocks embedded in the ice and as the glacier descended the canyon, it scarred the rock outcroppings with a dragging motion. This suggests that glacial