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Our hike's namesake. My understanding is that most of the rocks were all vertical
Granites are much more resistant to erosion than the surrounding metamorphic rocks, because they consist of weathering-resistant igneous minerals like quartz and feldspar, resulting from the crystallization of magma.
Much of the large-scale erosion that shaped the Joshua Tree National Park’s rocks is no longer occurring. Instead, the weathered formations that we see today occurred long ago. The landscapes left behind by these conditions are truly something to behold. In particular, large masses of rounded granite with interesting weathering patterns can be seen at places like Wonderland of Rocks, Split Rock, and Jumbo Rocks. Here, we can see something called spherical (or spheroidal) weathering.
Granites are much more resistant to erosion than the surrounding metamorphic rocks, because they consist of weathering-resistant igneous minerals like quartz and feldspar, resulting from the crystallization of magma.
Much of the large-scale erosion that shaped the Joshua Tree National Park’s rocks is no longer occurring. Instead, the weathered formations that we see today occurred long ago. The landscapes left behind by these conditions are truly something to behold. In particular, large masses of rounded granite with interesting weathering patterns can be seen at places like Wonderland of Rocks, Split Rock, and Jumbo Rocks. Here, we can see something called spherical (or spheroidal) weathering.