Half Dome from Olmsted Point May 18, 2011 The photo above shows
famed Half Dome in Yosemite Valley, California as viewed from
Olmsted Point, looking west. This massive granite monolith,
looming 4,737 ft (1,444 m) above the valley floor, formed
approximately 80 million years ago. It's part of the central
Sierra Nevada Range. Intense glacial scouring shaped Yosemite
and many other valleys in the Sierra's during the last 1.5
million years. The fractured rocks visible in the foreground
here are granodiorite (granite and diorite), which is similar to
granite but contains more plagioclase. Red Fir and Jeffry Pine
have been successful at gaining a foothold in this severely
scoured landscape. Photo taken in July of 2010. Photo details:
Camera Maker: Panasonic; Camera Model: DMC-TZ4; Focal Length:
5.3mm (35mm equivalent: 41mm); Aperture: f/8.0; Exposure Time:
0.0040 s (1/250); ISO equiv: 100; Exposure Bias: none; Metering
Mode: Matrix; Exposure: program (Auto); White Balance: Auto;
Flash Fired: No (enforced); Orientat