Sentinel Rock is a

granitic A granitoid is a generic term for a diverse category of coarse-grained igneous rocks that consist predominantly of quartz, plagioclase, and alkali feldspar. Granitoids range from plagioclase-rich tonalites to alkali-rich syenites and from quartz- ...

peak in

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 ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It towers over

Yosemite Valley Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California. The valley is about long and deep, surrounded by high granite summits such as Hal ...

, opposite

Yosemite Falls Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in Yosemite National Park, dropping a total of from the top of the upper fall to the base of the lower fall. Located in the Sierra Nevada of California, it is a major attraction in the park, especially in ...

. Sentinel Rock lies northwest of

Sentinel Dome Sentinel Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, United States. It lies on the south wall of Yosemite Valley, southwest of Glacier Point and northeast of Profile Cliff. Sentinel Dome is known for a Jeffrey Pine that grew from its pea ...

How it was formed

Sentinel Rock formed when masses of rock split off

's south-side

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...

, along steep joints trending nearly east–west. This formed the near-vertical north face of Sentinel Rock.USGS Geology and Geophysics
USGS Geology and Geophysics
accessdate: March 20, 2017

Climbing

The most famous climbing route is the '' Steck-Salathé route'', which is rated a A0. Climber Derek Hersey died while attempting to free solo climb Sentinel Rock in 1993.

Gallery

File:Yosemite National Park, Sentinel Rock.jpg, Northwest aspect File:Yosemite National Park - Sentinel Rock.jpg File:Sentinel Rock, Yosemite National Park.jpg, Sentinel Rock (right) in Yosemite Valley. (camera pointed east) File:Sentinel Rock postcard.jpg, Sentinel Rock postcard, circa 1901

References

External links

* Mountains of Mariposa County, California Mountains of Yosemite National Park Mountains of Northern California Climbing areas of California {{MariposaCountyCA-geo-stub