A Geoscience Digital Image Library
A Geoscience Digital Image Library
| Title | Exfoliation Flakes on El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, California |
|---|---|
| Description | This view shows several exfoliation flakes half way up El Capitan, a granitic monolith in Yosemite Valley, California. The large flake in the lower center part of the photo is called Texas Flake, because of its shape. A smaller flake above it is called Boot Flake; there is a rock climber sitting on top of Boot Flake. Exfoliation to produce flakes of this sort is common when plutons from deep in the Earth reach the surface. The release of confining pressure leads to jointing and slabs eventually fall off. The rock shown here, called the El Capitan Granite, is of Cretaceous age. The picture also shows many younger light colored dikes cutting across the El Capitan granite. |
| Chronostratigraphy | Cretaceous |
| Geologic province | Sierra Nevada |
| Location | USA ▹ California ▹ Merced. Near Merced. Yosemite Valley National Park. |
| Photographer | Dexter Perkins. 2002-02-21. |
| Key words | Yosemite, granite, exfoliation, El Capitan |
| Tech details | 774 KB. Vista. |
| GeoDIL number | 2448 |
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