YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. – National parks bring a plethora of beauty for all to enjoy year-round, but not without the risk of rockfall at some popular landmarks.
Rockfalls are a constant threat to be monitored at popular locations such as Yosemite National Park in California.
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According to the National Park Service (NPS), more than 1,000 rockfalls have occurred in the park in the last 150 years. Rockfalls are a natural and dynamic geologic process involving the detachment and rapid downward movement of rock.
Due to the steep, glacier-carved cliffs of Yosemite Valley, the national park experiences dozens of rockfalls each year.
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"2025 was a quiet year for rockfalls in Yosemite, with 43 documented events with a cumulative volume of approximately 478 cubic meters (1,423 tons)," a statement from the NPS reads. "As is typical, most of the documented rockfalls in 2025 consisted of relatively small rocks that fell onto park roadways during winter storms."
Fortunately, the biggest rockfall events occurred at night, when there were no hikers in the area.
A number of geological processes can trigger rockfall, including glaciation and weathering. Tectonic stresses and erosion can cause granite rock to fracture as well.
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Other factors, such as earthquakes, water, ice and vegetation growth, can cause unstable rocks to fall.
"Recent research suggests that daily temperature variations and extreme heat can also cause rock slabs to become unstable," a statement from the NPS reads.
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Experts at the National Park Service suggest the following safety tips:
When a rockfall event occurs, park scientists, in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey, will actively study rockfalls using new technologies, such as high-resolution digital photography, laser mapping of cliffs and exposure dating of boulders.
These tools allow officials to accurately map rockfall zones and study the source areas of rockfall.
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In recent years, the NPS has reduced the risk of rockfalls in Yosemite Valley by removing or re-purposing high-risk buildings in hazardous areas. These actions have reduced rockfall-related risks by 95%, according to the NPS.
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