Īlong with most of the other rock formations of Yosemite Valley, El Capitan was carved by glacial action. A separate intrusion of igneous rock, the Taft Granite, forms the uppermost portions of the cliff face.Ī third igneous rock, diorite, is present as dark-veined intrusions through both kinds of granite, especially prominent in the area known as the North America Wall. In addition to El Capitan, this granite forms most of the rock features of the western portions of Yosemite Valley. Main article: Geology of the Yosemite areaĮl Capitan is composed almost entirely of a pale, coarse-grained granite approximately 100 MYA (million years old). There are many named climbing routes, all of them arduous, including Iron Hawk and Sea of Dreams.
For climbers, the challenge is to climb up the sheer granite face. The top of El Capitan can be reached by hiking out of Yosemite Valley on the trail next to Yosemite Falls, then proceeding west. In this legend the translation means Measuring-Worm Rock. Tutokanula (another spelling) is found in the story The Two Bears as retold by Robert D. It is unclear if the Native American name referred to a specific tribal chief or simply meant "the chief" or "rock chief". El Capitán ("the captain", "the chief") was taken to be a loose Spanish translation of the local Native American name for the cliff, variously transcribed as "To-to-kon oo-lah" or "To-tock-ah-noo-lah" ( Miwok language).
The formation was named "El Capitan" by the Mariposa Battalion when they explored the valley in 1851.
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