Cathedral Peak is part of the
Cathedral Range
The Cathedral Range is a mountain range immediately to the south of Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The range is named after Cathedral Peak, which resembles a cathedral spire.
Geograph ...
, a mountain range in the south-central portion of
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ...
in eastern
Mariposa and
Tuolumne Counties. The range is an offshoot of the
Sierra Nevada. The peak which lends its name to the range derives its name from its
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
-shaped peak, which was formed by
glacial
A glacial period (alternatively glacial or glaciation) is an interval of time (thousands of years) within an ice age that is marked by colder temperatures and glacier advances. Interglacials, on the other hand, are periods of warmer climate betwe ...
activity: the peak remained uneroded above the glaciers in the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed in ...
.
Geography
Cathedral Peak has a subsidiary summit to the west called Eichorn Pinnacle, for
Jules Eichorn
Jules Marquard Eichorn (February 7, 1912 – February 15, 2000) was an American mountaineer, environmentalist, and music teacher.
Early years
Jules Marquard Eichorn was born in San Francisco on February 7, 1912, to Hilmar and Frieda Eichorn, wh ...
, who first ascended a
class 5.4 route to its summit on July 24, 1931, with
Glen Dawson.
In 1869,
John Muir
John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist ...
wrote in ''My first summer in the Sierra'':
Geology
The
Cathedral Peak Granodiorite
The Cathedral Peak Granodiorite (CPG) was named after its type locality, Cathedral Peak in Yosemite National Park, California. The granodiorite forms part of the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite (Tuolumne Batholith), one of the four major intrusive suit ...
of Cathedral Peak is an
intrusion into an area of older intrusive (or plutonic) and metamorphic rock in the
Sierra Nevada Batholith. It is part of a grouping of intrusions called the Tuolumne Intrusive Suite. Cathedral Peak is the youngest of the rock formations in the Suite, dating to the
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...
Period at 83 million years ago. Its composition is mainly
granodiorite
Granodiorite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar.
The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gr ...
with
phenocryst
300px, feldspathic phenocrysts. This granite, from the Switzerland">Swiss side of the Mont Blanc massif, has large white plagioclase phenocrysts, triclinic minerals that give trapezoid shapes when cut through). 1 euro coins, 1 euro coin (diameter ...
s of
microcline
Microcline (KAlSi3O8) is an important igneous rock-forming tectosilicate mineral. It is a potassium-rich alkali feldspar. Microcline typically contains minor amounts of sodium. It is common in granite and pegmatites. Microcline forms during slo ...
.
Cathedral Peak was a
nunatak during the
Tioga glaciation of the
last ice age, the peak projected above the
glaciers, which carved and sharpened the peak's base while plucking away at its sides.
See also
*
Budd Lake, fairly near Cathedral Peak
*
Cathedral Lakes
The Cathedral Lakes are two lakes located In Yosemite National Park, Mariposa County, California. The lakes are situated 1.6 km (1 mi) southwest of Cathedral Peak and 3.2 km (2 mi) east-northeast of Tenaya Lake; Tresidder P ...
, which are directly below Cathedral Peak
*
Cockscomb
A comb is a fleshy growth or crest on the top of the head of some gallinaceous birds, such as domestic chickens. The alternative name cockscomb (with several spelling variations) reflects the fact that combs are generally larger on cock birds t ...
, another mountain fairly near Cathedral Peak
*
Echo Peaks, mountains near Cathedral Peak
*
Elizabeth Lake, also fairly near Cathedral Peak
*
Matthes Crest
Matthes Crest is an approximately mile-long fin of rock with two summits separated by a deep notch. It is a part of the Cathedral Range, which is a mountain range in the south-central portion of Yosemite National Park. The range is part of the ...
, a mountain which is near Cathedral Peak
*
Unicorn Peak
Unicorn Peak is the highest point in the Tatoosh Range which is a sub-range of the Cascade Range. It's located in Mount Rainier National Park, south of Mount Rainier. The descriptive name is for the mountain's resemblance to the head and hor ...
, a peak which is near Cathedral Peak
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Geology of Yosemite National Park
Mountains of Yosemite National Park
Mountains of Mariposa County, California
Mountains of Tuolumne County, California
Igneous intrusions
Mountains of Northern California
Cretaceous magmatism
Igneous petrology of California