![]() ![]() ![]() Gediman didn’t have an estimated weight for the rock that fell Monday. He said the initial rock that fell was an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 cubic yards in size - significantly smaller than a massive boulder that fell in 2017, the most recent rockfall activity on El Capitan until Monday. “Rockfalls are a common occurrence they’re natural,” Gediman said. The park’s one-way road reopened Tuesday evening. ![]() The phenomenon at Horsetail Fall on El Capitan occurs in a tiny window in late February when the setting sun hits the waterfall at the right angle. Gediman said a “few more boulders” did come down the sheer peak Monday evening, though geologists determined they probably had come loose during the initial fall.Ĭalifornia Want to see Yosemite’s famous ‘firefall’ this winter? You’ll need a reservation Wood said he remained in the park until sunset Monday and was able to capture the phenomenon, just hours after he recorded the rockfall. Peak time for firefall is late February, often drawing throngs of visitors and photographers, but Gediman said Monday’s rockfall didn’t affect that popular tourist event. The phenomenon occurs when the setting sun hits the El Capitan waterfall in such a way that it looks like lava flowing down the rock face. The initial rock fell from the eastern face of El Capitan, not far from Horsetail Fall - the site of Yosemite’s famous firefall. “Nobody was hurt, and there was no damage,” said Ranger Scott Gediman, a spokesperson for Yosemite National Park.Īfter the incident, Gediman said the park closed Northside Drive - the road closest to where the rock fell - for more than 24 hours while geologists assessed the damage and monitored for other potential debris or rockfalls. But park officials later said no one was injured. ![]()
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