Glacial Erosion, Yosemite National Park
Upper Yosemite Falls drops from its "hanging" valley into the Yosemite chasm. These hanging valleys and waterfalls (among the grandest collection of waterfalls in all the world) were left after glacial ice scoured out the main valley to a depth of 2,000 or more feet. When the glacial ice in the main valley melted, the tributary valleys were left "hanging" high above the main valley floor. The lower slopes have been scoured smooth by the glacier while the upper slopes above the ice line remain rugged (upper left).
