Sharing the Fascinating Ice Age Floods Story Since 1995
Thursday, April 4, 2024. 7:00 pm. What Happened to the Spokane Ice Sheet? Friday, April 5, 2024. 7:00 pm. The Missoula Floods versus Bretz's Spokane Flood Saturday, April 6, 2024. 7:00 pm. Was Moses Coulee Carved by Subglacial Floods? Doors open at 6:30 pm each night. 700 seats. Open seating. Free. Will be filmed for YouTube. Morgan Auditorium. 400 E 1st Ave. Ellensburg, Washington, USA.
Dear Members, Former Members, and Friends, I trust this message finds you in good health and spirits. I'm Mike Doran, a fellow member of the Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute, and I'm reaching out to you with an important invitation. Our chapter has a storied past filled with enriching field trips, captivating lectures, and engaging speakers. However, it's time for us to refocus our efforts and ensure that we're set for continued growth and success in the future. To achieve this, a dedicated group of us has been actively discussing strategies and ideas. Now, we're eager to invite you to join us for a special meeting where we can gather your invaluable input, ideas, and concerns. Your participation, in any capacity you choose, is vital as we navigate our path forward. We're fortunate that Karl Lillquist has arranged for us to convene on Friday, April 5th, at 4:30 PM in a meeting room at Dean Hall on the Central campus. (Please note that parking restrictions on campus ease after 4:30 PM as there is no cost then. Use parking lot O-5. Just be sure to park in General Parking slots and not Staff slots. ) The meeting time aligns perfectly with Nick's Bretz lectures, providing an ideal opportunity for us to meet before attending his 7:00 PM talk. During our gathering, we'll create an open forum for discussion and have light refreshments available. Additionally, we will be conducting elections for the following officer positions: Secretary, Vice-President, and President. This is an excellent opportunity for members to get involved and help shape the future direction of our organization. Whether you're interested in taking an active role in the organization, standing for election, or simply wish to share your thoughts, your presence will be immensely valued. Together, we aim to bolster Karl and Nick's efforts and ensure the sustained success of our chapter. We're genuinely excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and eagerly anticipate seeing you there. Should you have any questions or concerns beforehand, please feel free to reach out to me at 253-278-3470. Warm regards, Mike Doran
The Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will host a field trip that covers the Vantage Highway corridor between Ellensburg and Vantage on Saturday 18 May 2024. We will meet at Wildhorse Wind and Solar Facility and Renewable Energy Center parking lot at 11:00am on the 18th. The trip will include stops at: 1) Renewable Energy Center for a big picture view of geology and physical geography of the area; 2) Pumphouse Road to see impacts of past and current erosion (including that from the 2022 Vantage Highway Fire); 3) Ginkgo State Park Trees of Stone Interpretive Trail for ancient Ginkgo trees and the upper limit of Ice Age flooding in the area; and 4) Ginkgo State Park Interpretive Center for a more complete view of the petrified forest plus impacts of Ice Age flooding along the present-day Columbia River channel. Given that we will be field tripping on the 44th anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, that story will also be woven into several field trip stops. And if the weather stays somewhat cool and wet into May, we should see plenty of wildflowers in the shrub steppe. We will have several short (<0.5 mile) hikes on this trip. Make sure to wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots, dress for the weather, and bring plenty of drinks. As on past Ellensburg IAFI trips, this is an automobile trip. We will provide a hardcopy field guide for the trip at Stop 1. I will also send out a pdf of the field guide several days before the trip. If you have questions, feel free to contact Karl Lillquist at lillquis@cwu.edu. Hope you can join us!
The Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will host a field trip that covers the Vantage Highway corridor between the Wild Horse Wind & Solar Facility & Renewable Energy Center (east of Ellensburg) and Vantage on Saturday 18 May 2024. We will meet at Wildhorse Wind and Solar Facility and Renewable Energy Center parking lot at 11:00am on the 18th. The trip will include stops at: Ginkgo Petrified Forest Renewable Energy Center for a big picture view of geology and physical geography of the area; Pumphouse Road to see impacts of past and current erosion (including that from the 2022 Vantage Highway Fire); Ginkgo State Park Trees of Stone Interpretive Trail for the upper limit of Ice Age flooding in the area; and Ginkgo State Park Interpretive Center for discussion on the petrified forest plus impacts of Ice Age flooding along the present-day Columbia River channel. Given that we will be field tripping on the 44th anniversary of the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helens, that story will also be woven into several field trip stops. And if the weather stays somewhat cool and wet into May, we should see plenty of wildflowers in the shrub steppe. The weather prediction for Vantage on Saturday is sunny with a high of 75°F. We will have several short (<0.75 mile) hikes over uneven ground on this trip. Make sure to wear sturdy hiking shoes or boots, dress for the weather, wear a shade hat, slather on sun screen, and bring plenty of drinks. You might want to bring hiking sticks if uneven ground poses problems for you. I will wear long pants as we will be walking through weedy areas (esp. cheat grass) at Stop 2 and Stop 3. As on past Ellensburg IAFI trips, this is an automobile trip. No need to sign up—just show up! You will need a Discover Pass to park at three of the sites. I will bring a limited number of hardcopy field guides. You can also download or print out the field guide at https://www.cwu.edu/academics/geography/directory/_documents/east-of-ellensburg-field-trip.pdf. If you have questions, feel free to contact Karl Lillquist at lillquis@cwu.edu. Hope you can join us!
The Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) will host a field trip that covers the western portion of the Swauk Watershed including Teanaway Ridge north of Ellensburg in the Wenatchee Range on Saturday 21 September. We will meet near the cabin on USFS road 9738 just off US 97 at 11:00am on the 21st. The trip will include stops at: along Blue Creek to examine Teanaway Formation dikes; the east side of Teanaway Ridge to explore recent landslides; Red Top Mountain atop Teanaway Ridge to examine Teanaway Formation flows, forests, fire, landscape change, and the Red Top fire lookout. The trip should conclude at about 4pm. Ellensburg IAFI field trips are free and open to the public. There’s no need to pre-register—just show up! We typically car pool on these trips. We will drive USFS roads 9738 and 9702 from US 97. USFS road 9702 is potholed and rough in places but very passable for passenger cars (as of July 2024). Several of the stops will include short (<0.5 mile hikes) over sometimes steep and uneven terrain. Pets are OK if leashed and well-behaved. If you have questions, feel free to contact Karl Lillquist at lillquis@cwu.edu. Click here for a pdf of the field trip guide. I will also provide a limited number of hard copies of the field guide at Stop 1. Lets hope for good weather and smoke-free skies for the trip! Hope you can join us!
Celebrating Ice Age Floods Institute's 30th Anniversary The annual IAFI Membership Meeting is coming to the Columbia Gorge this May 2-3, 2025, and all our members and their guests are cordially invited to come experience some of the best and most interesting features the Gorge has to offer. There’ll be opportunities to explore storied Gorge wildflowers and native plants, geology and winery field trips, whitewater rafting, a membership meeting/dinner and a presentation by the ever-entertaining Nick Zenter. Friday, May 2nd, will be action packed with activities during the day. Choose between a guided Spring Wildflower Walk, a Journey Through Terroir field trip, an Unveiling the Gorge field trip (repeated on Sunday, May 4). There are also opportunities available every day for full-day or half-day adventure whitewater raft trips on the Klickitat or White Salmon Rivers with Wet Planet Rafting, a local world-class rafting company. Friday evening will feature our members meeting and dinner, followed by an entertaining and informative presentation by the inimitable Nick Zenter exploring and geolocating J Harlan Bretz’s field notes. Jim O'Connor Richard Waitt Saturday, May 3rd, will feature the main Ice Age Floods Gorge Geology Field Trip – Explore evidence of the Ice Age Floods in the Columbia Gorge led by USGS expert geologists Jim O’Connor and Richard Waitt. This field trip will examine the geology of the Columbia River Gorge with emphasis on the effects of the Ice Age Missoula floods, examining key sites and discussing the latest research. Learn more about the Missoula Floods, explore dramatic flood landforms, and enjoy beautiful vistas, lunch at the Deschutes River Park (order a box lunch or bring your own), and a no-host afternoon recap at Maryhill Winery. Check-in begins each day at 8:00 AM at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center Find more detailed information here There is also plenty to see and do in the Gorge to keep you fascinated and engaged if you can stay another day. Visit iconic Multnomah Falls (I-84 access only) and spectacular Vista House at Crown Point overlook. Visit Timberline Lodge, a stunning 1930’s CCC project, on the snowy upper flanks of Mt. Hood. Travel the Hood River Fruit Loop or ride the Mt Hood Railroad Hike one (or more) of the innumerable and spectacular Gorge hiking trails Take Windsurfing and Kiteboarding lessons or just watch the action Enjoy fine dining, artisan wineries, breweries, museums and shops throughout the Gorge. There’s so much more to see and do that we can’t even begin to list it all.
Joseph T. Pardee Bill Burgel will be speaking on the career and contributions of Joseph Pardee to our understanding of the Ice Age Floods. Joseph T. Pardee was a USGS Field Geologist who, for 32 years (1910-1941), focused on a variety of geologic issues throughout the country. His geologic acumen was vigorously sought after by nearly every department within the USGS. Pardee is most widely known for quipping that “he knew where Bretz’ water was.” As retirement approached, Pardee used his intense observational skills and his incredible patience to finally devote himself to his secret love of Glacial Lake Missoula (GLM)when he published his “Unusual Currents.” It made clear that GLM drained catastrophically fast and flowed at incredible speeds. He thus provided a possible source for the catastrophic flood that Bretz had been postulating. Doors will open at 3:30 pm with the presentations beginning at 4:00pm. This event will offer an opportunity to browse and purchase such Ice Age Floods items as books, maps, posters and baseball caps. All purchases must be with cash or check only please. Bill Burgel, Professional Geologist Registered in Oregon and Idaho, retired in 2015 after a successful 45-year career in the railroad industry. He worked for several railroads nationwide in both the engineering and operating departments. While working for the railroad, his interest and training in geology was often called upon to resolve landslide issues and rerouting studies, implement early earthquake warning strategies, and conduct numerous long railroad tunnel analyses. Bill has given numerous presentations on rail issues as well as earthquake preparedness and topics pertaining to regional geology to local audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest and on cruise ships.
Based on behavior of the Lower Sugarloaf Fire and air quality, the Lower Lake Wenatchee Area field trip scheduled for September 6 is now rescheduled for first Sunday, October (5th).
Retired CWU Geographer Karl Lillquist will lead a field trip to the lower Chiwawa River Valley near Plain, WA. Plan on gathering in the vicinity of Plain at about 10am. Quick description: Topics will center around alpine glaciation from various sources in the Eastern Cascades near the lower Lake Wenatchee Area. Trip will begin on the beach in the southern portion of Lake Wenatchee State Park (map).
Stephen Angster, +one Our speaker, Steven Angster, scheduled for October 11th is going to have to be rescheduled as he is a federal employee with the USGS and is not allowed to do any work related activities during the shutdown. We are tentatively looking at a new date in late June of 2026. We are still working on the details of that. Stephen Angster, a research scientist at the Seattle Field Office of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Earthquake Science Center, focuses on characterizing and integrating upper-plate fault source parameters for probabilistic seismic hazard analysis in the Pacific Northwest. He employs a multidisciplinary approach—emphasizing paleoseismic trenching as a tool alongside geophysical and geological investigations—to better understand the spatial and temporal patterns of prehistoric large earthquakes. Doors will open at 3:30 pm with the presentations beginning at 4:00pm. This event will offer an opportunity to browse and purchase such Ice Age Floods items as books, maps, posters and baseball caps. All purchases must be with cash or check only please. Steve currently leads active research projects on both sides of the Cascades. On the west side, he has identified new fault scarps along the Seattle fault zone and the Canyon River fault. East of the Cascades, his work focuses on constraining the nature and extent of back-arc deformation. Understanding strain accommodation across the Kittitas Valley is a key component to that research. He will present new data from studying several strands of a fault trace that spans many kilometers of the northern Kittitas Valley. Stephen holds a B.S. from Western Illinois University, an M.S. from the Colorado School of Mines, and a Ph.D. from the University of Nevada, Reno.
Karl Lillquist will lead "East of Coulee City" field trip on the day after Halloween. We will meet at the Coulee City Campground at 10am. Stops will include: 1) Coulee monocline; 2) Hartline Basin expansion bar; 3) top of Hartline Hill; 4) mid-slope Hartline Hill; and 5) Hartline Basin scablands. Quick description: Topics will center around Ice Age flooding associated with Glacial Lake Missoula in the area east of Coulee City. Trip will begin on the peninsula on the north end of Coulee City Community Park. Detailed schedule and the topics to be covered: 10:00 Stop 1—Coulee City Community Park—Topics: Bedrock & structural geology; weather & climate; General patterns of Glacial Lake Missoula floods and the Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran Icesheet; Banks Lake. 10:45 Depart 11:00 Stop 2—Coulee Monocline —Topics: Monoclines & homoclines; Age of Coulee Monocline and its relationship to Ice Age floods & Hartline Basin; Historical orchards, highways & railroads. 11:45 Depart 12:00 Stop 3—Hartline Basin Expansion Bar—Topics: Bretz in the Hartline Basin; Expansion bars; Soils atop expansion bar. 12:45 Depart 1:00 Stop 4—Top of “Hartline Hill”—Topics: Maximum flood limit; Loess-based soil characteristics, origins & age; Water erosion & loess; 1:45 Depart 2:00 Stop 5—Mid-slope on “Hartline Hill”—Topics: Unnamed canyon & fan; Possible floodwaters over “Hartline Hill”. 2:45 Depart 3:00 Stop 6—Hartline Basin Scablands—Topics: Scablands & Bretz; Floods, erosion & scablands; Giant pendant bars; Other possible floodwater sources in Hartline Basin 4:00 Depart for home Logistics: This trip is free and open to the public. There is no need to register. After Stop 1, we will drive on a mix of paved and good quality gravel roads. Passenger cars should be fine on these roads. I encourage you to consider carpooling. This will reduce the time it takes to get us all together at each stop plus will reduce our carbon footprint. We will take short walks at Stops 2, 3 and 6. By short, I mean 0.25 mi or less at each stop. There will be a bit of somewhat steep, uneven terrain at each of the stops. We will also need to cross a barbed wire fence at Stops 2 and 6. No restroom or picnic facilities are available along our field trip route after Stop 1. Therefore, you will need to use the great outdoors if you need to go. Plan on eating lunch/snacks on the road or at the stops. There will not be a formal lunch stop. Dogs and kids are fine to bring as long as they are well-behaved. Dress for the weather. November weather here can be sunny and mild to rainy, windy & chilly. Our first two stops will be especially exposed to a possible north wind. A field guide is posted on my CWU website at https://www.cwu.edu/academics/geography/_documents/karl-lillquist.php. Scroll down the page to “Field Guides”. You will find it under “East of Coulee City”. Feel free to download and bring it on the field trip in digital format or print it out. The Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute will also provide ~40 hard copies of the field guide for the trip. There is no cost for the field guides. However, if you are not a member of the Ellensburg Chapter, please consider making a donation to the chapter to help cover the costs of the field guides (each cost ~$15/each). Field Trip Liability Form Please print and fill out the attached field trip liability release form, and give it to one of the Ellensburg Chapter IAFI officers at the field trip. We will also have hardcopies of the liability release form if you need them. Thank you! Questions? Email me at lillquis@cwu.edu or leave a phone message at 509 963-1184. Emails are best as I only check that phone a couple of times each week. A heads up: I may be away from phone & email between 29 October to 1 November. I hope to see you Saturday 1 November! Karl L.