rock silde 5 hours ago in Yosemite valley

[Turner Reich]

It's called the Yellowstone Caldera.

[John Kasaian]

IIRC Mammoth also has a caldera---yikes!

I am glad the rock slide didn't take out the cappuccino bar at Curry.! wonder if that old pioneer cabin behind the Camp Curry swimming pool survived? Does anyone here know?

[Michael Gordon]

Isn't there a big volcano there waiting to explode?

It's called the Long Valley Caldera.

[Greg Lockrey]

It's called the Yellowstone Caldera.

IIRC Mammoth also has a caldera---yikes!

I am glad the rock slide didn't take out the cappuccino bar at Curry.! wonder if that old pioneer cabin behind the Camp Curry swimming pool survived? Does anyone here know?

It's called the Long Valley Caldera.

Thanks guys, I was remembering something like that from my days of studying Geophysics in the 60's.

[Rakesh Malik]

Volcanoes, lahars, and avalanches are part of the joy of living in the Pacific Northwest, too... we owe our spectacular scenery and majestic trees to those volcanoes whose shadows we live in... and whose landslide debris we live ON...

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, eh?

[Bill_1856]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...0/MN224367.DTL

...if you are out photographing...and you get killed just remember that death is just part of the outdoor experience.

Ah, Dakotah, you have penned the mantra of life.

[Brian_A]

Volcanoes, lahars, and avalanches are part of the joy of living in the Pacific Northwest, too... we owe our spectacular scenery and majestic trees to those volcanoes whose shadows we live in... and whose landslide debris we live ON...

Nothing ventured, nothing gained, eh?

Oh come on, you forgot earthquakes

[Rakesh Malik]

Oh come on, you forgot earthquakes

D'oh! You're right, I did!

Oh well, you can't win 'em all... at least we don't get as many earthquakes as LA though. And we're upwind of Yellowstone, and we're not in the line of fire of the hurricanes and tornadoes. So at least we have SOMETHING going in our favor

[Drew Wiley]

Earthquakes are actually rather rare on the western slope of the Sierra, which includes
Yosemite Valley. Something really big on the east side might pass through, but the
vast majority of rockslides are simple exfoliation from long-term expansion/contraction
and frost wedging of the joints in the granite. For awhile sonic booms were a much greater hazard to climbers in Yosemite than earthquakes. The last time I was actually
awakened by a quick jolt up in the granite it turned out to be the last underground
A-bomb test north of Vegas, at least 200 miles away!

[Preston]

Here's a short article about the aftermath of the Yosemite rockfalls, from our local news website MyMotherLode.com...

"Majority Of Curry Village Will Remain Closed Following Rockslides
Saturday, November 22, 2008

BJ Hansen
MML News Reporter

Yosemite, Ca -- Many of the visitor accommodations in Yosemite National Park's Curry Village were shut down following a pair of rockslides occurring early last month, and the majority will remain that way on a permanent basis.

“It is purely based on a geologic assessment,” says Yosemite Spokesperson Scott Gediman. “Based on the history and potential of rocks falling, the decision was made to close these units because of the hazard and risk to park visitors.”

233 visitor accommodations (tent cabins, cabins with bath, cabins w/o bath) will be closed permanently. It will also result in the closure of associated visitor support structures (shower houses, restrooms, etc.) Additionally, 43 concessioner employee housing units will be closed down."

This is sorta like the old saying.."You can't rollerskate in a buffaloe herd!" :-)

-Preston