In the 1800s, there was great controversy on whether Yosemite Valley was formed from water erosion, glaciation, or volcanic cataclysm. In the early 1900s, evidence for glaciation became overwhelming.
They are not volcanoes. The Yosemite granite domes are plutons, formed from molten rock that cooled deep underground.
no
The Sierra Nevada batholith is wonderfully exposed in the granite domes at Yosemite National Park.
batholith
What would later become the granite domes of Yosemite formed when granitic magma accumulated underground and solidified in place. The area was later uplifted by tectonic forces and erosion exposed the domes while the erosion-resistant granite largely stayed in place.
The Sierra Nevada batholith is wonderfully exposed in the granite domes at Yosemite National Park.
Crater... Does it make sense to you that the remains are the largest intrusive rocks?
Granite magma attempting to rise through the crust.
Some popular land features within the valley in Yosemite include Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, El Capitan, and the Washington Columns. Outside of the valley, there are plenty of domes and high elevation lakes that attract visitors to the higher elevations of Yosemite to visit hidden and less popular hiking trails.
Igneous rock, typically granite.
Granite is made from the melting of the lower crust. As these magma domes slowly rise through the crust toward the surface, some may solidify underground. This solidified material is called granite.
27th Street, just north of National Avenue