Washington Soil Atlas
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Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Open File Report
RECONNAISSANCE SURFICIAL GEOLOGIC MAPPING OF THE LATE CENOZOIC SEDIMENTS OF THE COLUMBIA BASIN, WASHINGTON by James G. Rigby and Kurt Othberg with contributions from Newell Campbell Larry Hanson Eugene Kiver Dale Stradling Gary Webster Open File Report 79-3 September 1979 State of Washington Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources Olympia, Washington CONTENTS Introduction Objectives Study Area Regional Setting 1 Mapping Procedure 4 Sample Collection 8 Description of Map Units 8 Pre-Miocene Rocks 8 Columbia River Basalt, Yakima Basalt Subgroup 9 Ellensburg Formation 9 Gravels of the Ancestral Columbia River 13 Ringold Formation 15 Thorp Gravel 17 Gravel of Terrace Remnants 19 Tieton Andesite 23 Palouse Formation and Other Loess Deposits 23 Glacial Deposits 25 Catastrophic Flood Deposits 28 Background and previous work 30 Description and interpretation of flood deposits 35 Distinctive geomorphic features 38 Terraces and other features of undetermined origin 40 Post-Pleistocene Deposits 43 Landslide Deposits 44 Alluvium 45 Alluvial Fan Deposits 45 Older Alluvial Fan Deposits 45 Colluvium 46 Sand Dunes 46 Mirna Mounds and Other Periglacial(?) Patterned Ground 47 Structural Geology 48 Southwest Quadrant 48 Toppenish Ridge 49 Ah tanum Ridge 52 Horse Heaven Hills 52 East Selah Fault 53 Northern Saddle Mountains and Smyrna Bench 54 Selah Butte Area 57 Miscellaneous Areas 58 Northwest Quadrant 58 Kittitas Valley 58 Beebe Terrace Disturbance 59 Winesap Lineament 60 Northeast Quadrant 60 Southeast Quadrant 61 Recommendations 62 Stratigraphy 62 Structure 63 Summary 64 References Cited 66 Appendix A - Tephrochronology and identification of collected datable materials 82 Appendix B - Description of field mapping units 88 Northeast Quadrant 89 Northwest Quadrant 90 Southwest Quadrant 91 Southeast Quadrant 92 ii ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. -
Lecture 21: Glaciers and Paleoclimate Read: Chapter 15 Homework Due Thursday Nov
Learning Objectives (LO) Lecture 21: Glaciers and Paleoclimate Read: Chapter 15 Homework due Thursday Nov. 12 What we’ll learn today:! 1. 1. Glaciers and where they occur! 2. 2. Compare depositional and erosional features of glaciers! 3. 3. Earth-Sun orbital parameters, relevance to interglacial periods ! A glacier is a river of ice. Glaciers can range in size from: 100s of m (mountain glaciers) to 100s of km (continental ice sheets) Most glaciers are 1000s to 100,000s of years old! The Snowline is the lowest elevation of a perennial (2 yrs) snow field. Glaciers can only form above the snowline, where snow does not completely melt in the summer. Requirements: Cold temperatures Polar latitudes or high elevations Sufficient snow Flat area for snow to accumulate Permafrost is permanently frozen soil beneath a seasonal active layer that supports plant life Glaciers are made of compressed, recrystallized snow. Snow buildup in the zone of accumulation flows downhill into the zone of wastage. Glacier-Covered Areas Glacier Coverage (km2) No glaciers in Australia! 160,000 glaciers total 47 countries have glaciers 94% of Earth’s ice is in Greenland and Antarctica Mountain Glaciers are Retreating Worldwide The Antarctic Ice Sheet The Greenland Ice Sheet Glaciers flow downhill through ductile (plastic) deformation & by basal sliding. Brittle deformation near the surface makes cracks, or crevasses. Antarctic ice sheet: ductile flow extends into the ocean to form an ice shelf. Wilkins Ice shelf Breakup http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUltAHerfpk The Greenland Ice Sheet has fewer and smaller ice shelves. Erosional Features Unique erosional landforms remain after glaciers melt. -
Geologic Map of the Simcoe Mountains Volcanic Field, Main Central Segment, Yakama Nation, Washington by Wes Hildreth and Judy Fierstein
Prepared in Cooperation with the Water Resources Program of the Yakama Nation Geologic Map of the Simcoe Mountains Volcanic Field, Main Central Segment, Yakama Nation, Washington By Wes Hildreth and Judy Fierstein Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 3315 Photograph showing Mount Adams andesitic stratovolcano and Signal Peak mafic shield volcano viewed westward from near Mill Creek Guard Station. Low-relief rocky meadows and modest forested ridges marked by scattered cinder cones and shields are common landforms in Simcoe Mountains volcanic field. Mount Adams (elevation: 12,276 ft; 3,742 m) is centered 50 km west and 2.8 km higher than foreground meadow (elevation: 2,950 ft.; 900 m); its eruptions began ~520 ka, its upper cone was built in late Pleistocene, and several eruptions have taken place in the Holocene. Signal Peak (elevation: 5,100 ft; 1,555 m), 20 km west of camera, is one of largest and highest eruptive centers in Simcoe Mountains volcanic field; short-lived shield, built around 3.7 Ma, is seven times older than Mount Adams. 2015 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Contents Introductory Overview for Non-Geologists ...............................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................2 Physiography, Environment, Boundary Surveys, and Access ......................................................6 Previous Geologic -
Flood Basalts and Glacier Floods—Roadside Geology
u 0 by Robert J. Carson and Kevin R. Pogue WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Information Circular 90 January 1996 WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENTOF Natural Resources Jennifer M. Belcher - Commissioner of Public Lands Kaleen Cottingham - Supervisor FLOOD BASALTS AND GLACIER FLOODS: Roadside Geology of Parts of Walla Walla, Franklin, and Columbia Counties, Washington by Robert J. Carson and Kevin R. Pogue WASHINGTON DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Information Circular 90 January 1996 Kaleen Cottingham - Supervisor Division of Geology and Earth Resources WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Jennifer M. Belcher-Commissio11er of Public Lands Kaleeo Cottingham-Supervisor DMSION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Raymond Lasmanis-State Geologist J. Eric Schuster-Assistant State Geologist William S. Lingley, Jr.-Assistant State Geologist This report is available from: Publications Washington Department of Natural Resources Division of Geology and Earth Resources P.O. Box 47007 Olympia, WA 98504-7007 Price $ 3.24 Tax (WA residents only) ~ Total $ 3.50 Mail orders must be prepaid: please add $1.00 to each order for postage and handling. Make checks payable to the Department of Natural Resources. Front Cover: Palouse Falls (56 m high) in the canyon of the Palouse River. Printed oo recycled paper Printed io the United States of America Contents 1 General geology of southeastern Washington 1 Magnetic polarity 2 Geologic time 2 Columbia River Basalt Group 2 Tectonic features 5 Quaternary sedimentation 6 Road log 7 Further reading 7 Acknowledgments 8 Part 1 - Walla Walla to Palouse Falls (69.0 miles) 21 Part 2 - Palouse Falls to Lower Monumental Dam (27.0 miles) 26 Part 3 - Lower Monumental Dam to Ice Harbor Dam (38.7 miles) 33 Part 4 - Ice Harbor Dam to Wallula Gap (26.7 mi les) 38 Part 5 - Wallula Gap to Walla Walla (42.0 miles) 44 References cited ILLUSTRATIONS I Figure 1. -
2017-2022 Comprehensive Scheme of Harbor Improvements – Port of Clarkston
Port of Clarkston 2017 – 2022 Harbor Improvements Comprehensive Scheme of PORT OF CLARKSTON COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME OF HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS (COMPREHENSIVE SCHEME) 2017 - 2022 Contributions by: Port of Clarkston Board of Commissioners Rick Davis, District 1, Chair Wayne Tippett, District 2 Marvin L. Jackson, District 3 Port Staff Wanda Keefer, Manager Jennifer Bly, Port Auditor Belinda Campbell, Economic Development Assistant Steve Pearson, Maintenance Lead Justin Turner, Maintenance Staff 849 Port Way Clarkston, WA 99403 (509) 758-5272 Port of Clarkston Comprehensive Scheme of Harbor Improvements Page i Port of Clarkston Comprehensive Scheme TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title Page Cover Page i Table of Contents ii Introduction Mission of the Port 1 The Comprehensive Scheme of Harbor Improvements 2 History of Washington Ports 2 General Powers 3 Transportation 3 Economic Development 4 The Port of Clarkston 4 Characteristics of Asotin County 4 Port Properties 6 Port Planning Documents 8 Asotin Marina 10 Goals, Policies and Objectives for Port Development 12 Economic Development Initiatives 18 Preface 18 Industrial and Commercial Infrastructure 19 A – Development Overview 19 B -- Recent Development 20 Transportation Infrastructure 21 A -- Marine Related 21 B -- Non-Marine Related 22 Communications /Security Infrastructure 22 A -- Telecommunications 22 B -- Port Security System 23 Recreation and Tourism 23 Capacity Building and Other Broader Economic Development Initiatives 24 Planned Improvements 26 Near Term Recommendations 26 Medium Term Recommendations -
Characterization of Ecoregions of Idaho
1 0 . C o l u m b i a P l a t e a u 1 3 . C e n t r a l B a s i n a n d R a n g e Ecoregion 10 is an arid grassland and sagebrush steppe that is surrounded by moister, predominantly forested, mountainous ecoregions. It is Ecoregion 13 is internally-drained and composed of north-trending, fault-block ranges and intervening, drier basins. It is vast and includes parts underlain by thick basalt. In the east, where precipitation is greater, deep loess soils have been extensively cultivated for wheat. of Nevada, Utah, California, and Idaho. In Idaho, sagebrush grassland, saltbush–greasewood, mountain brush, and woodland occur; forests are absent unlike in the cooler, wetter, more rugged Ecoregion 19. Grazing is widespread. Cropland is less common than in Ecoregions 12 and 80. Ecoregions of Idaho The unforested hills and plateaus of the Dissected Loess Uplands ecoregion are cut by the canyons of Ecoregion 10l and are disjunct. 10f Pure grasslands dominate lower elevations. Mountain brush grows on higher, moister sites. Grazing and farming have eliminated The arid Shadscale-Dominated Saline Basins ecoregion is nearly flat, internally-drained, and has light-colored alkaline soils that are Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and America into 15 ecological regions. Level II divides the continent into 52 regions Literature Cited: much of the original plant cover. Nevertheless, Ecoregion 10f is not as suited to farming as Ecoregions 10h and 10j because it has thinner soils. -
Canyon Formation Constraints on the Discharge of Catastrophic Outburst
PUBLICATIONS Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets RESEARCH ARTICLE Canyon formation constraints on the discharge of catastrophic 10.1002/2016JE005061 outburst floods of Earth and Mars Key Points: Mathieu G. A. Lapotre1, Michael P. Lamb1, and Rebecca M. E. Williams2 • A new model for canyon formation through waterfall retreat combines 1Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA, 2Planetary flood hydraulics and erosional mechanics Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, USA • The model is used as a paleohydraulic tool to estimate the discharge of megafloods on Earth and Mars Abstract Catastrophic outburst floods carved amphitheater-headed canyons on Earth and Mars, and the • Compared with previous estimates, steep headwalls of these canyons suggest that some formed by upstream headwall propagation through predicted discharges are lower, fl durations higher, and water waterfall erosion processes. Because topography evolves in concert with water ow during canyon erosion, volumes are similar we suggest that bedrock canyon morphology preserves hydraulic information about canyon-forming floods. In particular, we propose that for a canyon to form with a roughly uniform width by upstream headwall retreat, erosion must occur around the canyon head, but not along the sidewalls, such that canyon width is fl fl Correspondence to: related to ood discharge. We develop a new theory for bedrock canyon formation by mega oods based M. G. A. Lapotre, on flow convergence of large outburst floods toward a horseshoe-shaped waterfall. The model is developed [email protected] for waterfall erosion by rock toppling, a candidate erosion mechanism in well fractured rock, like columnar basalt. We apply the model to 14 terrestrial (Channeled Scablands, Washington; Snake River Plain, Idaho; Citation: and Ásbyrgi canyon, Iceland) and nine Martian (near Ares Vallis and Echus Chasma) bedrock canyons and Lapotre, M. -
Washington's Channeled Scabland
t\D l'llrl,. \·· ~. r~rn1 ,uR\fEY Ut,l\n . .. ,Y:ltate" tit1Washington ALBEIT D. ROSEWNI, Governor Department of Conservation EARL COE, Dlnctor DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY MARSHALL T. HUNTTING, Supervisor Bulletin No. 45 WASHINGTON'S CHANNELED SCABLAND By J HARLEN BRETZ 9TAT• PIUHTIHO PLANT ~ OLYMPIA, WASH., 1"511 State of Washington ALBERT D. ROSELLINI, Governor Department of Conservation EARL COE, Director DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY MARSHALL T. HUNTTING, Supervisor Bulletin No. 45 WASHINGTON'S CHANNELED SCABLAND By .T HARLEN BRETZ l•or sate by Department or Conservation, Olympia, Washington. Price, 50 cents. FOREWORD Most travelers who have driven through eastern Washington have seen a geologic and scenic feature that is unique-nothing like it is to be found anywhere else in the world. This is the Channeled Scab land, a gigantic series of deeply cut channels in the erosion-resistant Columbia River basalt, the rock that covers most of the east-central and southeastern part of the state. Grand Coulee, with its spectac ular Dry Falls, is one of the most widely known features of this ex tensive set of dry channels. Many thousands of travelers must have wondered how this Chan neled Scabland came into being, and many geologists also have speculated as to its origin. Several geologists have published papers outlining their theories of the scabland's origin, but the geologist who has made the most thorough study of the problem and has ex amined the whole area and all the evidence having a bearing on the problem is Dr. J Harlen Bretz. Dr. -
Washington State's Scenic Byways & Road Trips
waShington State’S Scenic BywayS & Road tRipS inSide: Road Maps & Scenic drives planning tips points of interest 2 taBLe of contentS waShington State’S Scenic BywayS & Road tRipS introduction 3 Washington State’s Scenic Byways & Road Trips guide has been made possible State Map overview of Scenic Byways 4 through funding from the Federal Highway Administration’s National Scenic Byways Program, Washington State Department of Transportation and aLL aMeRican RoadS Washington State Tourism. waShington State depaRtMent of coMMeRce Chinook Pass Scenic Byway 9 director, Rogers Weed International Selkirk Loop 15 waShington State touRiSM executive director, Marsha Massey nationaL Scenic BywayS Marketing Manager, Betsy Gabel product development Manager, Michelle Campbell Coulee Corridor 21 waShington State depaRtMent of tRanSpoRtation Mountains to Sound Greenway 25 Secretary of transportation, Paula Hammond director, highways and Local programs, Kathleen Davis Stevens Pass Greenway 29 Scenic Byways coordinator, Ed Spilker Strait of Juan de Fuca - Highway 112 33 Byway leaders and an interagency advisory group with representatives from the White Pass Scenic Byway 37 Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife, Washington State Tourism, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and State Scenic BywayS Audubon Washington were also instrumental in the creation of this guide. Cape Flattery Tribal Scenic Byway 40 puBLiShing SeRviceS pRovided By deStination -
Understanding Treaties: Students Explore the Lives of Yakama People Before and After Treaties by Shana R
A Treaty Trail Lesson Plan Understanding Treaties: Students Explore the Lives of Yakama People Before and After Treaties by Shana R. Brown (descendant of the Yakama Nation), Shoreline School District. Can be used to satisfy the Constitutional Issues Classroom-Based Assessment Summary: What are “Indian treaties” and what does that old stuff have to do with me today? This is not an uncommon response when students are challenged to investigate this complex topic. After completing these curricular units, students should be able to answer this basic question. These lessons involve active role-play of stakeholders in treaty negotiations. Students analyze the goals of the tribes and the U.S. government, to evaluate bias, and to emotionally connect with what was gained and lost during this pivotal time. Students will realize that the term ‘treaty rights’ refers to the guarantee, by treaty, of pre-existing Indian rights, as opposed to special rights given or granted to them. The first part, “Pre-Contact”, describes the lives of the Yakama people prior to contact with settlers and the United States government and emphasizes tribal relationships to the land and the daily life that existed prior to Euro-American settlement. The second part, “Understanding Treaties”, gives high school students the experience of losing places they hold dear and seeks to enrich their understanding of the treaties. This Clovis point is shown at actual In the third part, in order to satisfy the “Constitutional Issues” size (15 centimeters long). CBA, students will be asked to choose a contemporary debate Unearthed by archaeologists in over treaty rights in Washington state, take a position on that eastern Washington and dating back controversy, and write a persuasive paper. -
Soil Acidity and Aluminum Toxicity in the Palouse Region of the Pacific Northwest
Soil Acidity and Aluminum Toxicity in the Palouse Region of the Pacific Northwest WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION FACT SHEET • FS050E In the early 1980s, Dr. Robert Mahler of the University of in northern Idaho. Below these soil pH values, crop yields Idaho published several research articles and Extension declined dramatically. They also showed substantial yield bulletins on soil acidification on the Palouse (Mahler et responses to lime applications at sites with soil pH below al. 1985; Mahler and McDole 1985; 1987a,b; 1994). At these critical values (Mahler and McDole 1985). that time, Mahler and other researchers cited recent and archival data that indicated pH in the surface foot of soil Recent field trials involving lime applications across a range had declined from near neutral (7.0), before farming began, of Washington Palouse locations showed no response to to values below 6.0 in up to 65% of the fields surveyed lime in spring peas, wheat, or barley in fields with a pH as (Mahler et al. 1985). A large number of fields had a soil low as 5.0 in the first surface foot of soil (Brown et al. 2008; pH below 5.5 and a few fields were below 5.0. Soil pH has Koenig unpublished data). These studies were conducted at continued to decline throughout the Palouse, and practices sites historically covered by grass vegetation. An important such as conservation tillage have led to the development feature of these sites is that the soil’s base saturation is still of an intensified layer of acid soil at the depth of fertilizer relatively high and its exchangeable aluminum is low, even placement (Figure 1). -
Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: Putting Back the Missing Pieces
TECHNICAL BULLETIN NO. 01-15 IDAHO BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT AUGUST 2001 RESTORING PALOUSE AND CANYON GRASSLANDS: PUTTING BACK THE MISSING PIECES Compiled and Edited by Bertie J. Weddell Restoring Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: Putting Back the Missing Pieces A. Restoration of Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: A Review. B.J. Weddell and J. Lichthardt B. Soil Biological fingerprints from Meadow Steppe and Steppe Communities with Native and Non-native Vegetation. B.J. Weddell, P. Frohne, and A.C. Kennedy C. Experimental Test of Microbial Biocontrol of Cheatgrass. B.J. Weddell, A. Kennedy, P. Frohne, and S. Higgins D. Experimental Test of the Effects of Erosion Control Blankets on the Survival of Bluebunch Wheatgrass Plugs. B.J. Weddell Complied and edited by Bertie J. Weddell dRaba Consulting 1415 NW State Street Pullman, WA 99163 March 2000 for the Bureau of Land Management Cottonwood Field Office Route 3, Box 181 Cottonwood, ID 83522 Table of Contents Contributors ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iii Acknowledgments ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iv Overview --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- v 1. Restoration of Palouse and Canyon Grasslands: A Review, B.J. Weddell and J. Lichthardt -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.1 Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------