Half Dome is a granite dome at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California. It is a well-known rock formation in the park, named for its distinct shape. One side is a sheer face while the other three sides are smooth and round, making it appear like a dome cut in half. The granite crest rises more than above the valley floor. Geology The impression from the valley floor that this is a round dome that has lost its northwest half, is just an illusion. From Washburn Point, Half Dome can be seen as a thin ridge of rock, an arête, that is oriented northeast–southwest, with its southeast side almost as steep as its northwest side except for the very top. Although the trend of this ridge, as well as that of Tenaya Canyon, is probably controlled by master joints, 80 percent of the northwest "half" of the original dome may well still be there. Ascents As late as the 1870s, Half Dome was described as
Half Dome es una cúpula de granito en el extremo este del valle de Yosemite en el Parque Nacional de Yosemite, California. Es una formación de roca bien conocida en el parque, nombrada por su forma distinta. Un lado es una cara pura mientras que los otros tres lados son lisos y redondos, lo que lo hace parecer como una cúpula cortada en la mitad. La cúpula de granito se eleva más que por encima del suelo del valle. Geología La impresión del suelo del valle de que esta es una cúpula redonda que ha perdido su mitad noroeste, es sólo una ilusión. Desde Washburn Point, Half Dome se puede ver como una delgada colina de roca, una arete, que está orientada noroeste-suroeste, con su lado sureste casi tan rígido como su lado noroeste excepto para la parte superior. Aunque la tendencia de esta colina, así como la de Tenaya Canyon, es probablemente controlada por los maestros, el 80 por ciento de la "