The Giant Sequoia of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Its name dates back to early when the miners in the area formed the Mineral King Mining District. Sequoia National Park contains a significant portion of the Sierra Nevada. Most of the mountains and canyons in the Sierra Nevada are composed of granitic rocks.

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These rocks, such as granite , diorite and monzonite , formed when molten rock cooled far beneath the surface of the earth. The molten rock was the result of a geologic process known as subduction.

Powerful forces in the earth forced the landmass under the waters of the Pacific Ocean beneath and below an advancing North American Continent. Super-hot water driven from the subducting ocean floor migrated upward and melted rock as it proceeded.

This process took place during the Cretaceous Period , million years ago. Granitic rocks have a speckled salt-and-pepper appearance because they contain various minerals including quartz , feldspars and micas. Valhalla, or the Angel Wings, are prominent granitic cliffs that rise above the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River. The Sierra Nevada is a young mountain range, probably not more than 10 million years old.

Forces in the earth, probably associated with the development of the Great Basin , forced the mountains to rise. During the last 10 million years, at least four ice ages have coated the mountains in a thick mantle of ice. Glaciers form and develop during long periods of cool and wet weather.

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Glaciers move very slowly through the mountains, carving deep valleys and craggy peaks. The extensive history of glaciation within the range and the erosion resistant nature of the granitic rocks that make up most of the Sierra Nevada have together created a landscape of hanging valleys, waterfalls, craggy peaks, alpine lakes and glacial canyons. Park caves, like most caves in the Sierra Nevada of California, are mostly solutional caves dissolved from marble.

Marble rock is essentially limestone that was metamorphosed by the heat and pressure of the formation and uplift of the Sierra Nevada Batholith. These caves are carved out of the rock by the abundant seasonal streams in the park. Most of the larger park caves have, or have had, sinking streams running through them. Caves are discovered every year in the park with the most recently discovered major cave being Ursa Minor in August Animals that inhabit this park are coyote , badger , black bear , bighorn sheep , deer , fox , cougar , eleven species of woodpecker , various species of turtle , three species of owl , opossum , various species of snake , wolverine , beaver , various species of frog , and muskrat.

The General Sherman Tree

In addition to hiking, camping, fishing, and backpacking, the following attractions are highlights with many park visitors:. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The General Sherman Tree , the largest tree in the world. Retrieved 23 May Biological and Physical Elements of the Sierra Nevada ed. Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project. Final Report to Congress: Archived from the original on Fur Bearing mammals of California. Sierra Nevada Wilderness Education Project.

Sequoia National Park - Wikipedia

Sequoia Natural History Association. Alerts In Effect Dismiss. Giant Sequoias and Coast Redwoods. Coast redwoods Alison Taggart-Barone In a family or subfamily there can be multiple groupings of species called genera the plural of genus. All three species in this subfamily are relatively rare.

Each stands as the sole surviving species in its genus. Once, relatives of these species covered much of the Northern Hemisphere;now their natural ranges are much smaller. Currently, the range of the giant sequoia is limited to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California. The range of the dawn redwood is only in Lichuan County, Hubei Province, China, where it grows in fertile, moist lowland areas also desirable for farming.

Logging in the late 19thand early 20thcenturies took many giant sequoias both for lumber and to prove to the world that such big trees existed. At up to 18 inches thick and extremely fibrous, sequoia bark not only resists burning but also insulates the tree against fire's heat. Should fire penetrate the bark and scar the cambium, new growth —one-half inch of new wood and bark can be added each year — can heal the scar.

Eventually the scar may be completely covered and the tree protected anew against subsequent fire.

Giant Sequoias

Fire also prepares the bare, mineral soil required by sequoia seeds for germination. It burns of undergrowth and trees that compete for the abundant sunlight young sequoias require. The sequoia's cone-and-seed strategy certainly evolved with fire. Sequoia cones retain their seeds — unlike other trees in their forest environs — in closed cones for perhaps 20 years. When fire burns through the forest the hot air dries out older cones. They open up and, within one to two weeks, begin to rain down their seeds loads onto fire-swept, bare soil. The reproductive success of giant sequoias demands only that each tree produce just one maturing offspring over its lifespan of several thousand years.

The life story of the giant sequoia begins with a plethora of small seeds. Unlike its cousin the coast redwood, which can sprout from root and stump, the sequoia can sprout only from seed. To germinate and survive, sequoia seeds must fall on bare, mineral soil. All seeds fall out of cones eventually, but they accomplish nothing unless soil conditions are right. Fires bring down large numbers of seeds on top of soil burned clear of duff. Douglas squirrels, also known as chickarees, harvest cones and release thousands of seeds.