granite domes
Rounded rock formations
Granite domes are massive, rounded rock formations created when granite bedrock erodes along curved fractures, shedding layers like an onion.
Half Dome in Yosemite is the iconic example.
The term also describes smaller outcrops where granite pushes through soil: The Georgia Piedmont is dotted with granite domes.
Sometimes called exfoliation domes for the process that shapes them.
- Yosemite National ParkProtected Sierra Nevada wilderness
- rock climbingScaling steep natural surfaces
- rock faceSteep exposed stone surface
- bare rockExposed stone surface
- smooth curvesContinuous rounded shapes
exfoliation · jointing · quartz · feldspar · Sierra Nevada · erosion · Stone Mountain · igneous rock · inselberg · hiking trails · El Capitan · mica · weathering · microclimates · glaciation · geological formation · mineral veins · natural landmark
granite domeslava domes
Mounded volcanic extrusions
volcanic cones · sedimentary layers · coral reefs · sand dunes · impact craters