Geology of the Tri-Cities Washington Region
Resources that describe the geology of the Tri-Cities Washington region are provided in this section.
Wallula Gap in South Central Washington
Floods: Rising Waters and You
PBS put together the American Field Guide which is a set of educational video segments from programs that have aired. Floods: Rising Waters and You, for grades 9-12, presents several short videos about the Missoula Flood.
Glacial Lake Missoula and the Ice Age Floods
The Montana Natural History Center's Glacial Lake Missoula website is where you can learn about the great floods that shaped the Pacific Northwest, take a tour of the landscapes they created, and revisit the drama that unfolded as the story of the floods came to light.
HUGEfloods
Tom Foster of Pasco maintains HUGEfloods which is an excellent website with many photographs of geologic features he has taken. He offers several videos and lists 25 features related to the Ice Age Floods region. He is also host of the Ice Age Floods Blog.
Ice Age Floods Institute
The Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) is a nonprofit, volunteer-based organization that is committed to the recognition and presentation of the Ice Age Floods as a significant part of the nation's, and the world's, natural heritage. The Lake Lewis Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute represents the Tri-Cities area.
In addition, this Institute is committed to working with Congress to support the National Park Service's effort to form the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail which would essentially be a network of marked touring routes extending across parts of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, with several special interpretive centers located across the region.
Proposed Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail
Ice Age Floods Study of Alternatives and Environmental Assessment
The Ice Age Floods Study of Alternatives and Environmental Assessment examines various
ways public and private sector entities throughout the northwestern United States can work collaboratively to tell
the fascinating story of the cataclysmic floods of the region to the American people.
Kid's Cosmos - Science Education
Kid's Cosmos, based in Spokane, is a dedicated group of amateur astronomers, teachers, parents, and sponsors who hope to maintain student interest in science throughout their school years and beyond. They created Cosmos, the Research Robot, who will help you find out how the geology of Mars compares to Washington with a Field Trip to Mars. In addition, they have an educational resource page about Glacial Lake Missoula and the Floods. Kid's Cosmos also has a catalog of videos related to the Ice Age Floods to order from.
Missoula Flood Virtual Tour
Northwest Creation Network has created the Missoula Flood Virtual Tour that shows the Missoula Flood and geological points of interest near Vantage, George, and Quincy, WA. The tour uses Google Earth to show the geological features. The tours are based on descriptions from "On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods - A geological guide to the Mid-Columbia Basin" by Bruce Bjornstad and "Fire, Faults, and Floods - A Road & Trail Guide Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin" by Marge & Ted Mueller.
Mystery of the Megaflood
NOVA Science Programming On Air And Online provides information on the Mystery of the Megaflood with topics that include Fantastic Floods, Ice Age Lake, and Explore the Scablands.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have several publications related to the Ice Age Floods that include:
- Aftermath of the Ice-Age Floods: A Bird's Eye View (PDF 12.7 MB)
- Ice-Age Floods Features in the Vicinity of the Pasco Basin and the Hanford Reach National Monument (PDF 4.8 MB)
- Ice-Age Floods Near Richland, Washington, (PDF 11.3 MB) describes two routes to explore near Richland that pass through geologic features formed by the Ice Age floods.
Travels with Terry
Terry Richard, from The Oregonian, posted a story about Ice Age Floods: a tour back in time in Washington's colorful coulee country.
U.S. Geological Survey
Columbia Plateau Columbia River Basalt Group
U.S. Geological Survey - Columbia Plateau Columbia River Basalt Group provides references to information on the Columbia Plateau and the Columbia River flood basalts.
Glacial Lake Missoula and the Missoula Floods
U.S. Geological Survey - Glacial Lake Missoula and the Missoula Floods describes the formation of the Glacial Lake Missoula and the effect the Missoula flood had on the different land transformations in this region.Note: Lyn Topinka, listed as the technical point-of-contact for the two geological survey references above, also created a wonderful photo essay titled The Columbia River - A Photographic Journey that explores Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later." According to Lyn, the journey "includes over 2,500 images of geographic areas and interesting items along 330-plus miles of the Columbia River, covering the area seen by Lewis and Clark in 1805 and 1806."
Maps and Books
The Northwest Map and Travel Book Center, based in Spokane, offers geologic books and maps of Washington.
The Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) has a mail-order store
that has the best books, DVDs, and videos available on the Ice Age Floods. Payment is by check or money order only.
Buying from the IAFI helps its mission to educate the public and increase appreciation for the floods story.
On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods: A Geological Field Guide to the Mid-Columbia Basin by Bruce Bjornstad, a research scientist from
the Tri-Cities, shows the best places to hike, bike, drive and fly to see the unique and awesome geologic features in this region.
Where the Great River Bends, edited by Robert J Carson, is a book
about the natural and human history of the Columbia at Wallula. This book covers the geography, geology, biology and history of
an area symbolized by a unique geologic feature, the Twin Sisters. Here the Ice Age floods rushed through,
Native Americans lived, fur trappers traded and railroads thrived, making it an important historical and cultural landmark
in the West’s awesome landscape.