Half Dome

Half Dome
Sunset over Half Dome from Glacier Point
Highest point
Elevation	8,846 ft (2,696 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence	1,360 ft (410 m)[1]
Parent peak	Clouds Rest[1]
Coordinates	37°44′46″N 119°31′59″W / 37.7460363°N 119.5329397°W / 37.7460363; -119.5329397[2]
Geography
Half Dome Mariposa County, California, US
Parent range	Sierra Nevada
Topo map	USGS Half Dome
Geology
Age of rock	Cretaceous, 93 Myr
Mountain type	Quartz monzonite batholith
Climbing
First ascent	1875 by George G. Anderson
Easiest route	Cable route

Half Dome is a quartz monzonite batholith 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. It stands at nearly 8,800 feet above sea level and is composed of quartz monzonite, an igneous rock that solidified several thousand feet within the Earth. At its core are the remains of a magma chamber that cooled slowly and crystallized beneath the Earth's surface. The solidified magma chamber was then exposed and cut in half by erosion, therefore leading to the geographic name Half Dome.^[3]