We’ve all seen them. Most frequently in bars and pubs… fraternity
and sorority houses... lurking around in every high school in America… and
rarely but occasionally spotted out in the great outdoors. It’s a North Face
jacket.
Despite the North Face morphing from an outdoor clothing company
into a lifestyle brand sold at Nordstrom’s and Niemen Marcus, they still make
incredible jackets that can take you from the local coffee shop straight to the
top of a Colorado fourteener. The North Face has been making outdoor equipment
since 1968 and has become one of today’s most recognizable brands. So what’s
the story with The North Face and how does it relate to geology?
The
North Face is named after the coldest, harshest, most unforgiving side of a
mountain. Think of a place similar to the pass on Caradhras that Gandalf tried
to lead the fellowship of the rings through… maybe they could have made it if
they were outfitted in subzero down suits from North Face. Maybe. Why is the north face of a mountain so
harsh? Because the sun never shines on the north face of a mountain located
north of the tropic of cancer, the cold is colder, the dark is darker, and the
climb is oftentimes harder on the north face. Then, take into consideration
that since the beginning of time man has always tried to conquer Mother Nature,
so it is no surprise many elite climbers set their life goal on being able
climb and overcome the harshest and most hostile side of a mountain. And yes,
they need clothing and equipment for an expedition of that caliber, and The
North Face is able to provide that gear. However, apart from their brand name
referencing the most extreme part of a mountain, little do most people realize
that the logo of The North Face is based on one of the most famous and
recognizable geologic structures in North America; the Half Dome at Yosemite
National Park. |
| Half Dome at Yosemite Nat'l Park |
Half Dome. It took my breath away the first time I saw it. I
had never seen something so massive. Pair that with El Capitan on the other
side of Yosemite Valley and I will admit that I truly had never felt so
insignificant. As I looked up at Half Dome, I began to wonder how if formed,
why it was there, why it looked so strange and why The North Face made this
rock a part of their logo. But since I opted out of the geologic hayride tour
and went climbing on El Capitan instead, my question had to wait until I got
home and was able to look into it. As I was doing some research I stumbled upon
an amazing resource pertaining to all things Yosemite. A book that was recently
adapted for the Internet, The Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park (1987)
by N. King Huber. Huber has done extensive research on the formation, history
and geology of Yosemite. After reading through his book I found the answers to
all of my questions.
 |
| Pacific plate subduction under the North American plate. Geologic Story of Yosemite |
The formation of the Sierra Nevada mountain range can be
traced back to the early Paleozoic, about 500 million years ago. During this
time, the area that would one day become Yosemite National Park was located on
the western edge of the North American Continent, located
bordering the Pacific plate. However, by the end of the Paleozoic and a massive
shift in the tectonics of the region, the overall geometry of the North American
plate had undergone some transformations and the adjacent oceanic plate was
beginning to be subducted beneath the North American plate.
It wouldn’t be until the early Mesozoic, more than 200
million years ago, that lithosphere would begin to visibly represent the chaos
going on underneath. The magma that formed from this subduction event had an
original composition of basalt, however, as the magma rose and experienced a
change in temperature and pressure, a more siliceous magma was formed. This
magma was not able to escape by being ejected out of a volcano, instead it
stayed put. From the middle of the Jurassic through the late Cretaceous the
magma cooled, then intruded and cooled again, eventually shutting off by the
beginning of the Cenozoic. This massive granitic body resting in the upper
crust of the Earth would eventually become known as the Sierra Nevada Batholith*.
Tectonic uplift and erosion eventually exposed the batholith
around 63 million years ago. Intensive weathering and erosion of the Sierra
Nevada batholith by glacial episodes resulted in the topography we see in
Yosemite today. These natural processes shaped the batholith into one of the
most beautiful places to visit in North America and have blessed us with cliffs
of Yosemite, Hetch Hentchy valleys, waterfalls and many high peaks in the park,
including my personal favorites, El Capitan and Half Dome.
 |
| Exfoliation Weathering http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rmr/E-rock/ERgeneral.html |
The North Face Logo. 3 curved lines representing Half Dome.
Smooth curved lines… not jagged and rough lines like you would expect to
represent a mountain. Why? Because of that strange form of mechanical
weathering known as exfoliation. Half Dome, and most of the granite rocks that
can be found in Yosemite are extremely jointed. Since the batholith
crystallized at significant depth and pressure, as it began to be uplifted it
experienced a substantial amount of pressure release, which caused the rock to
expand and become jointed. Huber explains the process of exfoliation as the
result of expansion in a rock. “This expansion is taken up by adjustments along
the numerous partings; but in a massive monolith, the stresses accumulate until
they exceed the tensile strength of the rock, and the outer and more rapidly
expanding layer bursts loose. Over time, the process is repeated, and the
monolith becomes covered with several layers of shells. The outermost layer,
exposed to the weather, gradually disintegrates, and the pieces fall off. The
process of sheeting eliminates projecting corners and angles and replaces them
with curves. As succeeding shells drop off, these curves become more and more
gentle, and thus a smoothly rounded surface evolves (Huber 1987).”
 |
| You know he has no idea. |
Who would have known that The North Face’s logo was so steeped
in geology? If I was creating an outdoor clothing line, I would love to have a
brand name and logo as cool as The North Face. I would definitely want my
outdoor gear to be associated with these amazing geological sites. So, next
time you are at a bar and you see a frat guy wearing a North Face jacket trying
to hit on a pretty girl, go up to him and ask him about his jacket. When he
tells you he just wears it to walk to and from class, tell him about the cool
geology and history behind the brand. You will be sure to make him feel like a
chump and undoubtedly impress the girl he was trying to hit on. How could
you not, what, with your knowledge of north faces of mountains, subduction
zones, batholiths and exfoliation domes… and well... If she isn’t impressed,
then clearly she isn’t the girl for you.
*Batholith: A very large igneous intrusion extending deep in
the earth's crust.
Works
Cited
"Exfoliation." About Geology - The Complete Guide
to Earth Science and Geology. Web. 06 Feb. 2012.
<http://geology.about.com/od/geoprocesses/ig/mechweathering/exfoliation.htm.
"Half Dome, California, USA." The Complete Guide
to Earth Science and Geology. Web. 06 Feb. 2012.
<http://geology.about.com/library/bl/peaks/blhalfdome.htm>.
Kearey, P., Klepeis, K., Vine, F., 2009. Global Tectonics. 3rd
Edition, Wiley-Blackwell. 271-272.
Schutter,
Paul De. "Exfoliation Domes." Web. 06 Feb. 2012.
<http://ougseurope.org/rockon/surface/exfoliation.asp>.
"The
Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park (1987), “Genesis of Yosemite’s Rocks,”
by N. King Huber." Yosemite Online. Web. 08 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.yosemite.ca.us/library/geologic_story_of_yosemite/genesis.html>.
"Yosemite National Park." U.S. National Park
Service - Experience Your America. Web. 06 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/geology.htm>.
