Pothole Dome is a

granite dome Granite domes are domical hills composed of granite with bare rock exposed over most of the surface. Generally, domical features such as these are known as bornhardts. Bornhardts can form in any type of plutonic rock but are typically composed ...

on the west side of

Tuolumne Meadows Tuolumne Meadows () is a gentle, dome-studded, sub-alpine meadow area along the Tuolumne River in the eastern section of Yosemite National Park in the United States. Its approximate location is . Its approximate elevation is . The term ''Tuolumne Me ...

, 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 ...

located at Tioga Road mile marker 18. Near Pothole Dome is

Marmot Dome Marmot Dome is the one dome east of Fairview Dome Fairview Dome is a prominent granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located north of Cathedral Peak and west of Tuolumne Meadows. Near Fairview Dome is Marmot Dome, linked by an area called '' ...

. The summit of the dome is easily accessible by foot from a parking area on the

Tioga Road Tioga may refer to: United States communities *Tioga, California, former name of Bennettville, California *Tioga, Colorado *Tioga, Florida * Tioga, Iowa *Tioga, Louisiana *Tioga, New York, a town in Tioga County *Tioga County, New York, a county at ...

at mile marker 18. The view from the summit includes most of

and in the distance,

Cathedral Peak Cathedral Peak may be any of several mountains, typically those with steep sides and towers reminiscent of a cathedral. In the United States alone, the USGS identifies 17 summits named "Cathedral Peak". In other countries: *Cathedr ...

. The dome gives evidence of many of the geologic processes at work in Yosemite during and after the last ice age. In particular, the stranded, rounded boulders from a glacier that has long since retreated, and the water-eroded "potholes" provide evidence of two ways that water can interact with granite. Image:Pothole-dome-rocks.jpg, View from top of Pothole Dome Image:Pothole-Dome-pothole.jpg, One of the potholes

References

External links

Pothole Domeat Yosemite Hikes

Yosemite National Park Hiking Guides
Geology of Yosemite National Park Landforms of Tuolumne County, California Granite domes of Yosemite National Park Hills of California {{TuolumneCountyCA-geo-stub