El Capitan
El Capitan, often referred to as El Cap, is a prominent granite monolith located in Yosemite National Park, California, rising over 3,000 feet from the ground. Known for its striking sheer faces, it has become a world-renowned destination for rock climbers, with its Nose section being particularly famous. El Capitan is not the tallest granite structure in the park, but it is the largest and easily one of its most recognizable features. The geological formation of El Capitan occurred millions of years ago due to glacial activity that exposed the granite after it formed deep within the Earth through volcanic processes.
Yosemite National Park, established in 1890, attracts approximately 4 million visitors annually, many of whom come specifically to see El Capitan. The area is rich in unique geological features, and El Capitan is often photographed, especially during sunset when it can exhibit a vibrant glow. The rock formation is not without its dangers; rock falls can pose risks to climbers and visitors, and notable climbing achievements have occurred here, including the historic free solo ascent by Alex Honnold in 2018. Despite its allure, El Capitan carries a complex legacy, reflecting both the majesty of nature and the inherent challenges it presents.
On this Page
El Capitan
El Capitan, which is also known as El Cap, is a massive granite rock structure in Yosemite National Park in California, United States. El Capitan is one of the most famous features in the park, which is known for its various granite rock edifices. Yosemite is an extremely popular tourist attraction, and El Capitan is known around the world as a destination for rock climbers. Although the granite structure is a popular climbing and tourist attraction, it can be dangerous for climbers and visitors alike. El Capitan formed millions of years ago when glaciers exposed the rock as they carved into Earth’s surface. El Capitan is not the tallest granite structure in the park, but it is the overall largest structure, and it is the largest granite monolith in the United States.
Background
Yosemite National Park was founded on October 1, 1890, by an act of Congress. Yosemite was only the third national park created in the United States. Congress chose to protect this site by turning it into a national park in part because humans had begun to negatively affect the landscape, especially by allowing livestock to graze on the land. The government voted to protect a huge tract of land, about the size of Rhode Island, as a national park. The designation of as a national park gave the area protection and stopped livestock from grazing. Although the designation protected the park from White settlers overtaking it, it also placed restrictions on the land for the Indigenous Americans who first lived in the region and often visited it because they believed the land was sacred. Roughly 4 million people visit the park each year to see Yosemite, and many of those visitors make a point to see El Capitan during their trip.
The park has a unique geology, and much of it is surrounded by a ring of granite, with many notable structures jutting out from the surface. Many of these structures are famous, including an impressive structure called Half Dome, which rises 5,000 feet (1,524m) from the valley floor. Other notable structures include the Three Brothers and Cathedral Rocks.
Granite is an igneous rock, which means it formed from liquid magma miles under Earth’s crust. Igneous rock cools and forms slowly, trapping impressive crystals inside it as it cools. Various minerals inside the magma create different colors in the crystals and the granite. El Capitan has a noticeable difference in colors in its different parts. The granite that lines Yosemite National Park most likely formed through subduction, an event during which one of Earth’s tectonic plates shifts beneath another tectonic plate. When the plate was pushed down, mineral melted into magma. That magma rose back up to the surface because it was less dense than the surrounding material. Then, the magma cooled and turned into rock. This rock was thrust upward because of the shifting of the tectonic plates.
Over eons, glaciers moved slowly over the area and wore away rock from the surface, exposing the granite structures visible in modern times. Much of the granite in Yosemite was exposed about 120 and 85 million years ago. Melting glaciers then formed many of the freshwater lakes and ponds that also cover the park. The park still has some glaciers in modern times. Geologists have only mapped El Capitan and learned about its unique geology since the end of the twentieth century. Mapping the structure helped scientists understand that granite structures are intricate with many different types of rock and minerals.
Overview
El Capitan rises more than 3,000 feet out of the ground and towers over Yosemite National Park. It is made up of granite, and it is one of many granite structures around the park. El Capitan has two main faces, the Southwest and the Southeast. The structure also has a section between the two faces that juts out and is called the Nose. The Nose is one of the most popular sections of the structure for rock climbers.
El Capitan is located at the west end of the Yosemite Valley, and it is one of the most visible and recognizable attractions in the park. People can view El Capitan from many sections of the park, including the El Capitan picnic area and the El Cap meadow.
The structure is a favorite of photographers who enjoy the challenge of capturing El Capitan and its natural beauty. Famed nature photographer Ansel Adams was one of the first photographers to spend time capturing images of Yosemite. People visit the park all year long to view and photograph the rock structures, which are particularly popular at sunset because they can give a fire-like glow from the setting sun if the conditions are right.
Horsetail Falls is a waterfall on the east side of El Capitan. It is a seasonal waterfall and has two streams during winter and spring. This waterfall is most famous for a unique phenomenon that happens in February. If the weather conditions are just right at that time of the year, the sun can strike the falls in such a way as to make it appear as though the water is glowing. People sometimes call the water feature a firefall because of the glowing stream of water.
El Capitan is visually striking in part because of its sheer face. However, that sheer face also creates a rock-climbing challenge, which appeals to many adventurous climbers. Many climbers have visited Yosemite since the 1800s to try to climb the many mountains and rock structures. El Capitan is a famous attraction for rock climbers around the world. In 2018, climber Alex Honnold became the first known climber to scale El Capitan without ropes or other safety gear. In 2019, a ten-year-old named Selah Schneiter scaled the rock face, making her the youngest known successful climber. Although the rock face is an attraction for climbers, it is also known for rock falls that can be dangerous, even deadly, for climbers. These rock falls are related to geologic structures called rock flakes, which are peeling off El Capitan’s surface. Triumphs and tragedies continued on El Capitan in the 2020s as well. Austrian climber Barbara "Babsi" Zangerl made history by flashing the Freerider route on El Capitan. This means she completed her climb of a big wall route on El Capitan, her first time, without falling. However, in 2023, a climbing instructor from a Korean climbing school fell to his death fixing ropes on a route around the Nose.
Bibliography
Leal, Isabela Espadas Barros, and Katia Hetter. “10-year-old Girl Conquers Yosemite's El Capitan.” CNN, 18 June 2019, www.cnn.com/travel/article/10-year-old-girl-climbs-yosemite-el-capitan/index.html. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Ishii, Seiji. “First Attempt, No Falls: Babsi Zangerl Achieves First Flash of El Capitan.” Gear Junkie, 25 Nov. 2024, gearjunkie.com/climbing/rock/babsi-zangerl-first-flash-el-capitan. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Kornei, Katherine. “Peering Beneath a Source of El Capitan’s Deadly Rockfalls.” New York Times, 20 May 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/science/el-capitan-yosemite.html. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Lin, Summer. “Climbing Instructor Falls to his Death on Yosemite’s El Capitan, According to Report.” Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023, www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-10-06/climbing-instructor-falls-to-his-death-on-yosemites-el-capitan-according-to-report. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
“Park History - Yosemite National Park CA.” Travel Yosemite, www.travelyosemite.com/plan/park-history. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Synnott, Mark. “Exclusive: Alex Honnold Completes the Most Dangerous Free-Solo Ascent Ever.” National Geographic, 3 Oct. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/features/athletes/alex-honnold/most-dangerous-free-solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
“Yosemite - Granite.” National Park Service, 19 Sept. 2019, www.nps.gov/yose/learn/nature/granite.htm. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
“Yosemite - Rock Formations in Yosemite Valley.” National Park Service, 8 Nov. 2024, www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/formations.htm. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
“Yosemite National Park Established.” History, 30 Sept. 2024, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/yosemite-national-park-established. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
“Yosemite National Park: A Story of Glaciation.” ArcGIS, www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=353f534836464451a254b915460045a5. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.