Margins of the Eastern Cascades Field Trip
Margins of the Eastern Cascades Field Trip
Margins of the Eastern Cascades: Western Kittitas Basin—Lower Teanaway—Lower Swauk Loop Topics will include volcanism, tectonics, alpine glaciation, landslides, and stream channel changes in the area between Ellensburg, Cle Elum, and Lauderdale Junction. Here’s the schedule and the topics to be covered: 9:30 Meet at CWU Parking Lot O-5 9:45 Depart 10:00 Stop 1—WA Highway 10 Along Yakima River—Climate transitions; Yakima River Watershed; Ellensburg Formation origin & age; 10:45 Depart 11:00 Stop 2—Hayward Hill Road—Thorp Gravels origins & age; Alpine glaciation; Outwash terraces 11:45 Depart 12:00 Stop 3—Teanaway River Floodplain—Columbia River Basalts; Teanaway River floodplain, discharge & flooding; Lookout Mountain landslide 12:45 Depart to find restrooms in Cle Elum 1:30 Stop 4—Swauk Prairie—Teanaway Formation flow origin & age; Glaciers & climate; Glacier impacts on Teanaway & Swauk paths 2:15 Depart 2:30 Stop 5—Horse Canyon Overlook—Horse Canyon enigma; Wrap-up 3:15 Depart 3:30 Arrive in Ellensburg Logistics: This trip is free and open to the public. Plan on carpooling. We have, at most, about 30 parking spots at Stop 1. There will be very little hiking associated with this field trip. On all stops, we will be within a couple of hundred feet of our automobiles. There are no restroom or picnic facilities along our field trip route. Therefore, we will break briefly so you can make a very quick trip to Cle Elum between Stop 3 and Stop 4. Plan on eating lunch/snacks on the road or at the stops. There won’t be a formal lunch stop given the lack of facilities and time. Dogs and kids are fine to bring as long as they are well-behaved. Dress for the weather. Early April here can vary from sunny and warm to windy & chilly, all in a day! A windbreaker is a really good idea. I will post a pdf of the field guide by 19 March 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 “Margins of the Eastern Cascades”. 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 ~$12). I hope you can join us on Saturday April 5th. Karl Lillquist
