Yosemite waterfall turns to 'flowing lava' in rare February spectacle caught on camera

By Associated Press

19th February 2012

A window of time just opened in Yosemite National Park when nature photographers wait, as if for an eclipse, until the moment when the sun and earth align to create a fleeting phenomenon.

This marvel of celestial configuration happens in a flash at sunset in mid-February — if the winter weather cooperates.

On those days the setting sun illuminates one of the park's lesser-known waterfalls so precisely that it resembles molten lava as it flows over the sheer granite face of the imposing El Capitan.

Fiery illusion: Mid-February sunsets in Yosemite National Park lights a natural firefall from Glacier Point illuminating one of the park's lesser-known waterfalls so precisely that it resembles molten lava