Crossbedded boulder-gravels...

dominate the south wall of an aggregate pit west of Spokane and north of Airway Heights, indicating transport from east to west (left to right) during Pleistocene-age outburst floods (click to enlarge):

I snapped the image early today while doing field work for a small consulting project on the mine property, the goal of which is to determine the distance that separates the seasonal high groundwater surface relative to the elevation of the pit floor.

Ice Age Floods Institute lecture...

on the “Latest Pleistocene Geologic History of Upper Grand Coulee” by Dr. Patrick Spencer will occur this Thursday, November 17, at 7 pm on the Eastern Washington University, Cheney Campus, in Science Building Room 137.

Dr. Spencer is a professor of geology at Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington.  He will present a summary of his recent work on fine grained sediment in Upper Grand Coulee, including analysis of grain size distribution, sedimentary structures and radiocarbon age dates on key localities, suggesting that some of the sediments accumulated in a calm-water setting, possibly in a lake behind a moraine-dam. Grand Coulee was then swept by Missoula Floods, leaving behind a record of high energy processes.

The lecture is sponsored by the Cheney-Spokane Chapter and is free and open to the public.

Megaripples on West Bar...

on the Columbia River, south of Wenatchee, Washington, were generated by surging floodwaters from the mouth of Moses Coulee during the Pleistocene (click to enlarge):

A close-up view shows that the enormous bedforms sit on a terrace more than 150 ft above the present day river, and are 300 to 350 ft long and about 25 to 40 ft high.  The floodwaters are estimated to have been between 700 to 900 ft deep at this location during their deposition:

I snapped the images above on Wednesday morning, following my presentation the night before about the geology of Mars, where I compared them to similar sedimentary structures found on the red planet in Athabasca Vallis (click for larger image at higher resolution):

Image credit: MOC camera on Mars Global Surveyor, Malin Space Science Systems.

Ice Age Floods trail creation...

is proceeding at a glacial pace.

Although it's certainly a worthwhile project, in these difficult economic times one should understand that it's not exactly a state or federal funding priority.

Little green men...

will be admitted to my upcoming lecture about the geology of Mars according to the press release:

Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will meet 7:00 P.M. Tuesday October 11, at Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center, 127 South Mission, Wenatchee.

To Mars, without a rocket or space suit! In our backyard! Dr. John P. Buchanan, Professor of Geology at Eastern Washington University, will present “The Geology of Mars and the Scablands Connection.” By comparing Martian and terrestrial landforms with copious illustrations and photographs of both, Dr. Buchanan will examine the geology of Mars and how it relates to the Channeled Scablands in eastern Washington. He will also tell the history of Mars exploration, and include recent scientific findings in his discussion.

The program is free and open to the public. Little green men also admitted.

This will be about the eighth time I've presented this popular talk, and I am working at including new information regarding the upcoming launch of the Mars Science Laboratory (the Curiosity rover) and its landing site in Gale Crater.

Spring lecture and field trip...

to examine the "Cheney-Palouse Scabland Tract - Top to Bottom" will be held this coming Thursday and Saturday, hosted by the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI):

The free lecture on Thursday, 28 April, will be presented at 7 pm, Science Building, Room 135, Eastern Washington University, Cheney.  Dr. Gene Kiver, Professor Emeritus, EWU Geology, will provide an overview of the Cheney-Palouse Scabland channel system from its beginning south of the West Plains of Spokane to its terminus south of Palouse Falls at the confluence of the Palouse and Snake Rivers. Important geologic concepts that help understand the evolution of the Channeled Scabland include generation of nickpoints (cataracts, now dry falls), development of canyons or coulees produced by cataract retreat, and long-term deepening and stripping of the rock layers producing different landforms as erosion continues will be discussed. 

The associated field trip on Saturday, 30 April, is led by Gene Kiver, Bruce Bjornstad, and Lloyd Stoess. The field excursion will start in Cheney at 8 am near the upper end of the Cheney-Palouse Scabland Tract and progress southward to Rock Lake and to the Palouse River valley. From there we will travel west across the Rock Creek and Cow Creek Coulees to Benge and south to Hooper, Washtucna, and Palouse Falls where the Cheney-Palouse Scabland Tract ends at the Snake River. We’ll see examples of cataract canyons, dry falls, basalt buttes and mesas, streamlined- and scarped- loess islands, and divide crossings caused by the monstrous Missoula Floods. The return trip will follow the west edge of the Cheney Palouse Scabland Tract, concluding at 6 pm. Registration is required and you can find details in the registration and liability forms. More information: Melanie Bell; (509) 954-4242.

For other related activities, consult the IAFI events calendar.

Ice Age Floods Institute lecture...

sponsored by the Cheney-Spokane Chapter, will take place this Wednesday (16 March) at 7 pm in the Lair Auditorium at Spokane Community College:

"In the Wake of the Flood"

presented by Jack Nisbet
and Gene Kiver

The first fur traders who came to the Inland Northwest were guided along tribal trails that naturally followed landforms scoured by the Ice Age Floods. This presentation gathers the earliest art and mapwork done in the Spokane vicinity to search for flood features and comments on the event. Featured artists include David Thompson (1807- 12), Henry James Warre (1845-46), Paul Kane (1846-47) and Gustavus Sohon (1853- 58). Landscape clues to the past geologic events in the Pacific Northwest are apparent in the wonderful paintings and sketches of the early explorers. That connection will be discussed by the presenters.

Here's a list of upcoming events sponsored by the IAFI.

Ice Age Floods Institute lecture...

this coming Monday, 11 October 2010, at 7 pm in the Lair Auditorium, Spokane Community College:

"Some Springs and Fossil Discoveries
in Washington Territory"

Charles T. Luttrell
Washington State Parks Archaeologist

During the late 1870s, numerous fossils were recovered from natural springs located within the northern Palouse Hills--an area mostly bypassed by the many Glacial Lake Missoula outburst floods. Columbia mammoths are the best known specimens, but other species include bison, antelope, and deer. Some spring locales also contained prehistoric artifacts. The Palouse Hills sub-region is a unique environment whose potential to contain extinct fauna and other discoveries is largely unrealized.

Mr. Luttrell has over 20 years of experience with the archaeology, history, and historic preservation of the Pacific Northwest. Formerly a contract archaeologist associated with Archaeologist & Historical Services, Eastern Washington University, Mr. Luttrell presently assists the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission with cultural resources in the state parks.

A more perfect day...

is impossible to imagine, in the company of about 50 curious hikers, all willing to bushwhack through one of the most geologically wondrous terrains, in perfect spring-like weather beneath cloudless skies, all the while being equipped with the proper gadgetry to memorialize the event. Hands down a fantastic day. Do I make myself clear?

The Ice Age Floods Institute sponsored walk began early by mustering together at Lyons Ferry State Park at the confluence of the Palouse and Snake Rivers. The briefing by trip leaders L. Stoess and E. Kiver (EWU emeritus geo prof) at departure consisted of a review of the outburst flooding from glacial Lake Missoula that was responsible for the headward erosion of the narrow Palouse Canyon in the Columbia River basalts. Here's a map (click to enlarge) that I compiled with my GPS during the walkabout:

The orientation and geometry of the Palouse River canyon is strongly controlled by the jointing patterns in the basalts as evidenced in this Google Earth image of nearly the same area as the topographic map seen above:

Several informal lectures were conducted along the way, and here L. Stoess is seen describing the local cultural history near the beginning of the trek with the Snake River behind him, flowing left to right:

Eventually we entered the canyon, becoming boxed in by the high basalt escarpment on one side and the river on the other. Following vague game trails we made our way slowly northward, peeling off layers of clothing as the day warmed:

Native Americans utilized several flood-plucked rock shelters as food caches, and in fact, the important Marmes Rockshelter lies close to this location. Here we pause at one along our route while E. Kiver describes the columnar nature of the basalts:

Deer, hawks, and a bald eagle were all sighted at various times during the day. We exploited the bench-like topography of the basalt outcrops to carry us up the canyon, following perched trails that provided continuously awesome views:

The canyon slowly narrowed and increasingly zig-zagged as we got closer to the falls at the northern end of our excursion:

Ultimately, we reached the terminus of the trail in Palouse Falls State Park where we were richly rewarded with a stunning view of the 200 foot high cascade:

In sum, the hike took about six hours to complete, gained 775 ft over 8.7 miles and was, in a word, priceless. If you want to participate in similar adventures, here's the schedule of events sponsored by the IAFI.

"Ice Age Floods" layer...

created by former EWU student Ron Hall for Google Earth can be found here. Once you import the .kmz file into GE you can turn on/off or adjust the opacity of glacial lakes, the channeled scablands, glacial ice and significant landmarks.

Great job, Ron.

Ice Age Floods Institute lecture...

this coming Thursday where Greg Behrens will present:

"EXTRA! EXTRA!: Missoula Flood Helps Carve Massive Coulee,
Creates Irrigation Pathways For Hundreds Of Thousands Acres!"

The Okanogan ice lobe blocked the Columbia River near the site of Grand Coulee Dam and, in concert with the Missoula Floods, assisted in channeling of the Grand Coulee. Evidence of this ice age event allowed visionaries in the early 1920s to visualize the construction of a dam and irrigated farming on a grand scale. Engineering consequences of these events with the construction of Grand Coulee Dam will be discussed. Behrens has degrees in Geology and Geography from Eastern Washington University and has worked at the Grand Coulee Project for 30 years as their geologist and GIS specialist (now retired).

This free lecture will be held on Thursday, 4 March, at 7 pm at Eastern Washington University, Science Building, Room 137.

Link to IAFI calendar of upcoming field trips and lectures.

Ice Age Floods...

National Geologic Trail has been established by the US Senate yesterday (but it still has to pass in the House.) The bill includes:

Promotion of a spectacular chapter in our state’s geologic history: the Ice Age Floods. The multiple floods more than 12,000 years ago occurred when an ice dam in today’s Idaho repeatedly broke and emptied massive Lake Missoula. The floods created the unique geology of Eastern Washington and, most significantly, cut the Columbia River Gorge through the Cascade Mountains.

The bill authorizes an Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail through parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. The National Park Service will manage the trail that will include interpretive centers, signs and markers, exhibits and roadside pullouts to tell the story of the floods. Both education and tourism interests will be well-served by the Ice Age trail, and we hope final plans will include Vancouver as a significant point of interest on the floods’ race to the ocean.

EWU geology professor emeritus Gene Kiver has been involved in designing the trail system. Thanks, Gene, for your diligent efforts.