Sentinel Rock is a
granitic
A granitoid is a broad term referring to a diverse group of coarse-grained igneous rocks that are widely distributed across the globe, covering a significant portion of the Earth's exposed surface and constituting a large part of the continental ...
peak in
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in California. It is bordered on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The p ...
,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It towers over
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about long a ...
, opposite
Yosemite Falls.
Sentinel Rock lies northwest of
Sentinel Dome.
Geology
Sentinel Rock formed when masses of rock split off
Yosemite Valley
Yosemite Valley ( ; ''Yosemite'', Miwok for "killer") is a U-shaped valley, glacial valley in Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada mountains of Central California, United States. The valley is about long a ...
's south-side
cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of Rock (geology), 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. ...
, along steep joints trending nearly east–west. This formed the near-vertical north face of Sentinel Rock.
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)
See also
*
Sentinel granodiorite
References
External links
*
Mountains of Mariposa County, California
Mountains of Yosemite National Park
Mountains of Northern California
Climbing areas of California
{{MariposaCountyCA-geo-stub