The peeling away of curved rock sheets from an exposed rock mass as the pressure that once confined it deep underground is released by erosion of overlying material, a process also called sheeting or unloading. It produces the rounded, dome-shaped outcrops characteristic of granite landscapes such as Yosemite's domes.
Facts
Process Type First Proposed Year Sources
1. Exfoliation (geology), Wikipedia
Lead section, first sentence
Exfoliation joints or sheet joints are surface-parallel fracture systems in rock, often leading to the erosion of concentric slabs.
References list
Gilbert, G.K. (1904). "Domes and dome structures of the high Sierra"
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