Characteristics Of Granite Dome

Dome mountains are generally smaller than mountains formed by folds in the crust and have a different shape.

Characteristics of granite dome.

Despite the name most of the dome actually remains and it was originally formed as a narrow wedge shaped dome. Granite dome is a massive piece of granite in the heart of the emigrant wilderness. There are ample climbing routes for all technical abilities ranging from easy class ii scrambles to more technical. There are seven intrusive suites in yosemite national park.

As granitic plutons cool kilometers below the earth s surface minerals in the rock crystallize under uniform confining. Granite is an intrusive igneous rock which means it was formed in place during the cooling of molten rock generally the slower the molten rock cooled the larger it s mineral crystals with k feldspar megacrysts forming in special circumstances greater than 5cm. The tuolumne intrusive suite is the youngest and most extensive occupying about 1 3 of the park s area. The tuolumne intrusive suite contains many famous rock types including the half dome granodiorite and cathedral peak granite.

Granite is much harder than other rock and so it doesn t erode as easily as the rest of the mountain. Once the last glaciers retreated granite domes became exposed to the elements. As plagioclase weathers easily tonalite areas are more deeply weathered than nearby granite areas. Tonalite is a granite like rock of plutonic origin and usually has plagioclase as the sole feldspar.

Soaring 4 788 feet 1 459 4 m above the valley the distinctive granite dome has been literally sheared in half by weathering erosion and earthquakes. Weathering causes sheets of exposed rock to slip away and fall due to cracks or joints in the rock creating sheer faces like on the other side on half dome. Well known dome mountains include half dome in california which is a fully exposed granite dome formed by cooled magma. It is the predominant mountain in this area with a smattering of picturesque lakes that provide both excellent camping and fishing opportunities.

The softer layers of sedimentary rock were washed away leaving the hard granite dome. Dome shaped granite hills inselbergs such as the sugar loaf of rio de janeiro.