Yosemite National Park“The Mist Trail”

Danica Preciado

Geology 3 CO-1

Field Assignment

December 4th, 2011

Content

• Background and Method

• Park Information

• Seasonal Weather/Climate

• Waterfall/River Geology

• Tree Examples

• Habitats

• Rock Samples

• References

Background and Research Methodology

• In early August I visited “The Mist Trail” which is one of many trails of the Yosemite National Park.

• Most of the photos used in this report were taken from this trip.

• Map images used came from Google. • Vernal and Nevada Falls I provided along with some tree

photos.• Animal pictures came from Internet.• Identification of rock came from Topinka(2002)• Identification of tree came from Browse Trees (n.d)

Site Location

• Located in the central Sierra Nevada of California

• Established: 10-1-1890• 761,268 acres • Coordinates

37° 44′ 42.73″ N, 119° 35′ 53.6″ W

(“Tasev,” 2011, “Uhler,” 1995)

Park Information

• Yosemite National Park was established on 01 October 1890.

• It is the Nation's third oldest national park.

• It is a show case spectacular geological features, such as the greatest concentration of granite domes and largest exposed granite monolith in the world.

• Abraham Lincoln signed the grant of 1864 which was the first application of a park concept that originated in Yosemite.

• Yosemite plays an important role in wildlife preservation and preserving biological diversity.

• It’s a world heritage site that provides solitude and inspiration and serves as an outdoor classroom for environmental education.

(“Uhler,” 1995)

Seasonal Weather/Climate

• Summer• June-September• Usually warm to hot with

occasional rain.• Yosemite Vally(4000ft/1200m)

87oF(31oC)/51oF(10oC)• Water comes from melted

snow in high country.• Waterfalls reach peak flow

during this time.• Most blooming of wildflowers

occur.

• Fall• October-November• Variable-Ranges from hot to

cold, dry to rain or snow.• Yosemite Vally(4000ft/1200m)

54oF(12oC)/35oF(2oC)• Water levels are very low.• Waterfalls contain little or no

water.• Doesn’t have a variety of fall

colors.

(“Yosemite,” 2011)

• Winter• December-March• Snowy and cold, but sunny and

chilly days may occur.• Yosemite Vally(4000ft/1200m)

53oF(12oC)/28oF(-2oC)• Water levels are low until it

snows or rains.• Waterfalls begin to flow again.• Covered in white from snow.

• Spring• April and May• Sunny and warm days with

occasional winter storms.• Yosemite Vally(4000ft/1200m)

69oF(21oC)/39oF(4oC)• Waterfalls and small creeks are

both flowing.• It may reach peak runoff in May.• No blooming-Except for

California poppies.

(“Yosemite,” 2011)

Temperatures and Precipitation

• Month Maximum  Minimum Precipitation (°F / °C) (°F / °C) (inches / cm)

• January 48/9 29/-2 6.5/16• February 52/11 30/-1 6.7/17• March 58/14 34/1 5.2/13• April 64/18 38/3 2.8/7.1• May 72/22 45/7 1.7/4.4• June 81/27 51/11 0.7/1.8• July 89/32 57/14 0.4/1.0• August 89/32 56/13 0.1/0.3• September 82/28 51/11 0.7/1.8• October 71/22 42/6 2.1/5.3• November 56/13 33/1 4.6/12• December 47/8 28/-2 5.5/14

(“Yosemite,” 2011)

The Mist Trail

• The Mist trail is the most popular trail in Yosemite.

• Distance: over 10 miles

• Elevation at trailhead:  4,000 feet

• It got its name by the wind blowing the mist everywhere and getting hikers wet.

• It has steeped granite steps that are some of the finest foot path engineering.

• On this trail many sceneries can be seen such as Vernal and Nevada Falls, roaring streams of water courses, Emerald Pool, carved granite cliffs.

• It is also considered one of the most dangerous trails because of the slick steps.

(“French,” n.d, “Yosemite,” 2006)

Waterfalls

• Yosemite is known for it’s amazing countless number of waterfalls and hiking locations, such as Bridalveil Fall, Lower Yosemite Fall, Cook’s Meadow Loop, Mirror Lake/Meadow, Valley Floor Loop, Four Mile Trail, Panorama Trail, Upper Yosemite trail, Vernal and Nevada Falls and Half Dome.

• Spring is the best time to see the waterfalls.

(“Yosemite,” 2011)

Vernal Falls

• 317 FT• Flows all year, but peaks

in May• Can be seen from

Glacier Point• Elevation Gain: 1,000

feet (300 meters) to top of Vernal Fall

• 3 Miles (4.8km) round-trip

• 3 hours

(“Yosemite,” 2006, “Yosemite,” 2011)

Nevada Falls

• 594 FT

• Flows all year with peak flow in late May

• Can also be seen from Glacier Point

• Elevation Gain: 1,900 feet (580 meters) to top of Nevada Fall

• 5.4 miles (8.6km) round-trip

• 5-6 hours

(“Yosemite,” 2006, “Yosemite,” 2011)

Tree-Incense-Cedar

• Scientific Name: Calocedrus decurrens

• Family Name: Cupressaceae

• Description: Small dark greenish leaves, bright cinnamon-red bark that has broken ridges

• 40-50 ft, sometimes as tall as 70ft

• 8-12ft in width

(“Yosemite,” 2011)

Tree-Ponderosa Pine

• Scientific Name: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa

• Family Name: Pinaceae

• Description: Very tall, Dark gray-green, olive or yellow green needles

• In the wild it can grow 150’-230’

• It has a 25’-30’ spread

(“Yosemite,” 2011, “Browse,” n.d)

Habitats

• Yosemite National Park is the home of many wildlife species.

• It supports over 400 vertebrates such as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

• Insects are found here as well, with two species not found anywhere else in the world.

• While visiting the park, I didn’t have the chance to see any animals.

• Some examples of animals that live in the park are mule deer, black bears, spotted owls, bobcats, mountain beavers and many more.

• All deer in the park are mule deer; they tend to have more attacks on Humans than bears.

• The owls may be heard in the park if u listen closely.

( “Wikipedia,” 2011, “Uhler,” 1995)

American Black Bear

Mule Deer Spotted Owl

( “Wikipedia,” 2011)

Rock-Granite

• The most common rock that was seen was Granite.

• Granite is an igneous rock• Composed of four minerals;

quartz, feldspar, mica, and usually hornblende

• It forms as magma cools far under the Earths surface very slowly

• Description: Whitish or light gray

• Also contains tiny crystals

(“Topinka,” 2002)

Rocks-Granite/Schist

• The top picture I believe was also Granite.

• The Park was mostly made up of granite rocks with less than 5% of there being sedimentary or metamorphic rocks, most looked the same; whitish gray with crystals in it.

• The bottom is a metamorphic rock which may be called a Schist Rock.

• It is made up of quartz, feldspar, mica

• Description: Silvery, brownish, dark green with waves in it.

(“Topinka,” 2002)

References• "Browse Trees—Tree Guide at Arborday.org." Buy Trees and Learn About Trees - Visit Our Online

Nursery. Arbor Day Foundation. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/browsetrees.cfm>.

• French, Dave. "The Mist Trail Yosemite National Park." Climbing, Hiking and Mountaineering at Timberline Trails. Timberlines Trails. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.

<http://timberlinetrails.net/YosemiteMistTrail.html>.

• Peck, Donald B. "Rock Key." Bob's Rock Shop: The First 'Zine for Mineral Collectors and Rockhounds. Don Peck, 2001. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/rockkey/>.

•  Tasev, Ivan. "Google Custom Maps | Mapsys.info." Mapsys Info - Mapping and Geospatial News. Google, 2011. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. <http://mapsys.info/62799/google-custom- maps/>.

• Topinka, Lyn. "CVO Menu - America's Volcanic Past - Yosemite." USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory (CVO). USGS, 20 Sept. 2002. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov/LivingWith/VolcanicPast/Places/volcanic_past_yosemite.html>.

• Uhler, John W. "Yosemite National Park Information Page." Yosemite National Park. Hillclimb Media, 1995. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://www.yosemite.national-park.com/info.htm>.

•  "Yosemite Hikes: The Mist Trail." Yosemite Hikes: The Best Hikes in Yosemite National Park. Yosemite Hikes, 2006. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://www.yosemitehikes.com/yosemite-valley/mist-trail/mist-trail.htm>.

•  "Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service)." U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America. National Park Sevice, 2011. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.

<http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm>.

•  "Yosemite National Park." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosemite_National_Park>.