Everything about Exfoliation Geology totally explained
Weathering}}
» This article is about the weathering process, for other uses see Exfoliation.
Exfoliation in geology is a
weathering process, mainly caused in arid areas by differential heating and cooling of rock surfaces. There needs to be a high diurnal temperature range.
Hard rock such as
granite forms
plutons (a rising blob of lighter rock similar in form to those seen in a
lava lamp, but far larger) several kilometers below the surface as
magma slowly cools and crystallizes. The granite is under great pressure due to overlying rock.
Then, granite is rapidly uplifted to the surface during a mountain-building event. During the
mountain building process, the overlying rock is stripped away by erosion as the granite is uplifted.
With the overlying rock removed, the pressure on the granite is reduced. The granite expands and
fractures. These fractures, called
sheet joints, develop parallel to the exposed surface. The granite subsequently erodes in concentric layers (similar to the way an
onion peels) forming rounded masses called
exfoliation domes. Many such domes are found in the
Sierra Nevada range in
California, which includes the most famous
exfoliation dome in the
United States,
Half Dome. Granitic surfaces in this region that have been exfoliated are identified by their lack of
glacial polish.
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