# Ice Age Floods Institute > The source for information about the Great Missoula Ice Age Floods. ## Posts - [Free K-12 Educators Workshops: Ice Age Floods Curricula](https://iafi.org/k-12-educators-free-ice-age-floods-workshops/): Engaging students in Ice Age floods phenomena with Ripples that Continue thru Today Art by Beth Zalken, courtesy Yakima Valley Museum Free STEAM Workshops for K–12 Educators In-person with options to join us via Zoom: • The Dalles, OR: Sat., Mar. 14, 2026 • Spokane, WA: Mon., June 15, 2026 • Richland, WA: Mon., June 22, 2026 All workshops 9:00 am–4:00 pm (or half day) featuring: • Engaging classroom and field-based activities, including exciting ways to model Floods phenomena • Stories of the megafloods that transformed the Northwest 18,000–12,000 years ago at the end of the Last Glacial Period Description: - [Malaga Landslide: Ice Age Catastrophe Along the Columbia River](https://iafi.org/malaga-landslide-ice-age-catastrophe-along-the-columbia-river/): The east bank of the Columbia River near Malaga, Washington, is home to one of the largest and most visually striking landslides in the Pacific Northwest: the Malaga Slide. Covering an estimated 45 square miles, this massive slope failure poured weakened basalt and sediment into the Columbia River valley at the close of the last Ice Age. Today, it remains easily visible from State Route 28, making it an accessible outdoor classroom for geology enthusiasts and tour participants. The geologic story of the Malaga Slide is a tale of both slow preparation and sudden catastrophe. Layers of basalt from the - [The Bowl & Pitcher at Riverside State Park](https://iafi.org/the-bowl-pitcher-at-riverside-state-park/): The Bowl and Pitcher is a rock formation along the Spokane River and one of the most scenic sites in the area, with basalt cliffs rising 500 feet above the river and large blocks of basalt in the river causing large rapids. The “Bowl” is a circular depression in the river and the “Pitcher” is a large detached block of highly fractured basalt. The geology of Spokane’s Bowl and Picher features dramatic basalt cliffs carved out of the flows from the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG), which reached this area 16 million years ago. There are river and flood deposits - [Jan 5 at 7 PM Puget Lobe Lecture: Jim O Connor Jan 5 "The other flood"](https://iafi.org/jan-5-at-7-pm-puget-lobe-lecture-jim-o-connor-jan-5-the-other-flood/): The Bonneville Flood was one of the largest floods on Earth. First discovered by G.K. Gilbert in the 1870s during his inspection of the outlet at Red Rock Pass, Idaho, it was rediscovered in the 1950s by Harold Malde and coworkers, leading to mapping and assessment of spectacular flood features along Marsh Creek, Portneuf River, and Snake River for over 1100 kilometers between the outlet and Lewiston, Idaho. The cataclysmic flood – from the rapid 115-meter drop of pluvial Lake Bonneville from the Bonneville level to the Provo level – was nearly 200 meters deep in places and flowed at - [Introducing IAFI's K-12 Education Grant Program](https://iafi.org/k-12grants/): IAFI Grants Empowering Teachers to Share the Ice Age Floods Story with Students Mini-grants of up to $500 now available for K-12 educators Open Application Period  The Ice Age Floods Institute is proud and excited to announce a groundbreaking initiative to bring one of Earth’s most dramatic geological stories into classrooms across the Pacific Northwest. Our new K-12 Education Grant Program provides targeted funding to help teachers and students explore, understand, and share the remarkable Ice Age Floods narrative with their communities. The Challenge We’re Addressing The Ice Age Floods story may seem straightforward to those who’ve studied it, but explaining these - [2025 IAFICS Student Research Grant Guidelines](https://iafi.org/2025-iafics-student-research-grant-guidelines/): Introduction  The primary role of the Cheney-Spokane Chapter, Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFICS) student research grants program is to provide partial support of undergraduate senior thesis and graduate student thesis research on Ice Age floods in the Pacific Northwest at universities in the United States and Canada, by offering $500 grants to help defray field expenses. Students may receive a total of two IAFICS graduate student grants in their entire academic career, regardless of what program they are currently enrolled in.  In addition, graduate student research theses/dissertations focusing on Ice Age floods in the Pacific Northwest may also request partial - [Inspire New Generations](https://iafi.org/inspire-new-generations/): Inspire New Generations with the Ice Age Floods Story Help bring one of North America’s most dramatic geological events into Pacific Northwest classroomsJoin Us in Making an ImpactHelp students discover the powerful forces that shaped our region’s landscape The Ice Age Floods StoryThe Ice Age Floods carved spectacular landscapes across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana—creating the dramatic geology we see around us today. The landscape of the Pacific Northwest tells a powerful story of earth-shaking forces—but does our next generation know how to read it? The IAFI K-12 Education Grant ProgramThe Ice Age Floods Institute is launching a new K-12 Education - [IAFI K-12 Grant Program Donation Successful](https://iafi.org/k-12-donation-completed/): Congratulations! Your IAFI K-12 Grant Program donation completed successfully You will receive an email confirmation from PayPal Giving Fund Thank you for your generosity in helping K-12 students learn and share the remarkable story of the ICE AGE FLOODS with others - [IAFI K-12 Grant Program Donation Cancelled](https://iafi.org/k-12-donation-cancelled/): Your donation to IAFI K-12 Grant Program was cancelled before being completed If this was unintentional, please try again Donate to IAFI K-12 Grant Program - [Why Are Basalt Columns Mostly Hexagonal "Bestagons"](https://iafi.org/why-are-basalt-columns-mostly-hexagonal-bestagons/): The Giant’s Causeway is a rock formation that is so otherworldly that it seems like it was made by supernatural beings. But these incredible hexagonal columns of rock aren’t the result of giant masons. They formed through a quirk of volcanic activity that shows that hexagons really are the bestagons! Cooling lava naturally creates hexagonal cracks to evenly relieve stress When lava cools and turns into rock, it contracts and builds up tension, particularly when held in place by the surrounding landscape. Just as drying mud cracks, initial cracks in the rock are random, but quickly organize into a hexagonal - [Missoula Chapter Field Trip TV News Coverage](https://iafi.org/missoula-chapter-field-trip-tv-news-coverage/): Missoula chapter field trip – tv news coverage Recently the Montana Natural History Center identified a group of people new to the floods that wanted to do “something” outdoors, but not too early, or too long, or too strenuous, or too late. So IAFI’s Glacial Lake Missoula Chapter worked with the Center to put together a 4 hour, middle of the day field trip.  We saved money by using the History Center short bus and our History Center liaison as our driver. Bring your own lunch and water, dress for short hikes and variable weather. The short bus limited us - [Jeff Becklund](https://iafi.org/jeff-becklund/): Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter President Retired 42 yrs Licensed Coast Guard Captain. Retired Senior Captain Trilogy Excursions . Bellevue High School. Western Washington State College, 74-78, Recreation Park Management Program. Moved to NW in 2020 now resides in Wenatchee. Americorp Volunteer 2022-2025, serving at Wenatchee Valley Museum and Cultural Center as Program and Tours Coordinator. Coordinated tours for Ken Lacy and Brent Cunderla. Supported Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter tours since 2023 - [There IS such a thing as 'settled science'](https://iafi.org/there-is-such-a-thing-as-settled-science/): How bad-faith arguments sow doubt by weaponizing scientific humility Good advice to consider when either claiming or questioning scientific (and geologic) theories and hypotheses “Science is never settled” has become a go-to slogan for populists seeking to legitimize fringe scientific positions. In 2020, Representative Nancy Mace was asked whether she agreed that climate change is the result of humanmade greenhouse emissions. She responded: “My opponent has said that the science is settled on this. Well, the science is never settled. Scientists will tell you that.”   In February, Senator Roger Marshall argued more money should be spent on investigating widely debunked links between - [John Young](https://iafi.org/john-young/): Lake Lewis Chapter President John grew up in the Tri-Cities and lives in Richland, WA with his wife and three children. His fascination with the Ice Age Floods began at Kamiakin High School under the guidance of Gary Kleinknecht, whose passion for the Ice Age Floods left a lasting impression. He earned a B.A. in Geography from Central Washington University in 2010 and began his career as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) specialist supporting Hanford Site cleanup activities and other projects across the Pacific Northwest. Over the years, his work has included map development, technical graphics, field investigations, and data - [IAFI Store - Winter Inventory Reduction Sale](https://iafi.org/iafi-store-christmas-inventory-reduction-sale/): The IAFI Store is having a special Winter Inventory Reduction Sale to make room available to add new items and updated items as they become available. This is a great opportunity to get Floods-related presents for family, friends, and maybe yourself at (often) steeply reduced prices. And every order will include a free IAFI window decal you can use to let others know you’re passionate about the  features and the science behind the cataclysmic Ice Age Floods story. Share the Ice Age Floods story this Christmas! The IAFI Store’s Winter Inventory Reduction Sale is here – and it’s your chance - [Kititas Valley Historical Museum - Ellensburg](https://iafi.org/kititas-valley-historical-museum-ellensburg/): IN THE CITY OF ELLENSBURG… when you want to spend some time indoors, a great place to visit is the KITTITAS VALLEY HISTORICAL MUSEUM. It has about 30,000 items from which more than 50 exhibits and displays are chosen. The mission of the museum is to, “Collect, Preserve and Share the History, Heritage, and Culture of Kittitas County.” In experiencing it you feel a strong connection to the Pacific Northwest. Collection highlights include: Indigenous cultural items (especially from the K’tɨ́taas and Pshwánapam bands). Note the roots here for the local names of Kittitas and Wanapum. Geological specimens, including Ellensburg Blue - [Glacial erratics of the Puget Lowland](https://iafi.org/glacial-erratics-of-the-puget-lowland/): Strewn among the forests of the Puget Lowland are an impressive array of Glacial Erratics.  Although technically erratics include small pebbles and even sand grains in till, people tend to get the most excited by really big erratics- those the size of a house or building.  Whatever their size, glacial erratics often reveal the direction of the ice flow that ripped them from their source region and deposited them at their resting place. Erratics can also help determine the thickness of the ice sheet that deposited them. In the Seattle area, it is relatively straightforward to determine the provenance of - [Julie Bishop - Coeur du Deluge Volunteer](https://iafi.org/julie-bishop-coeur-du-deluge-volunteer/): Julie Bishop is a founding member of the Coeur du Deluge Chapter of the ice Age Floods Institute and the only continuous member of the Chapter. She has served as Treasurer of our chapter for at least 15 years.  Her service to the Coeur Du Deluge Chapter goes way beyond taking care of our financial needs.  Julie was and is always there supporting our chapter’s activities (public lectures, field trips and the distribution of IAF-related educational material).  She did and does this cheerfully and efficiently.  She somehow finds time for our chapter even though she has a full-time job with - [Yvonne Addington - Lower Columbia Volunteer](https://iafi.org/yvonne-addington-outstanding-lower-columbia-volunteer/): Lower Columbia Chapter/Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) is privileged to recognize our outstanding volunteer, Yvonne Addington, who has always been there for us, doing so much for our Chapter, and that’s been lots!  Yvonne Addington looks to the future and connects people to make things happen. Even before the Ice Age Floods Institute was formed Yvonne was an Ice Age fan and was storing the bones of a mastodon dug up in Tualatin, Oregon. Tualatin decided to become an ice age destination and Yvonne was one of the most enthusiastic supporters. In many instances she was the driving force or - [The first people in the Americas](https://iafi.org/the-first-people-in-the-americas/): The first people to arrive in the Western Hemisphere were Indigenous Americans, who were descended from an ancestral group of Ancient North Siberians and East Asians. They likely traveled along the Bering Land Bridge by land or sea. When the first Americans arrived is a source of ongoing debate. Several studies suggest that a series of fossilized human footprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico date to sometime between 21,000 and 23,000 years ago. That dates them to the coldest part of the last ice age, the last glacial maximum (which lasted from around 26,500 to 19,000 years ago), when the northern - [Hanford site can now transform nuclear waste](https://iafi.org/hanford-site-can-now-transform-nuclear-waste/): For much of the 20th century, a sprawling complex in the desert of southeastern Washington state turned out most of the plutonium used in the nation’s nuclear arsenal, from the first atomic bomb to the arms race that fueled the Cold War. Now, after decades of planning and billions of dollars of investment, the site is turning liquid nuclear and chemical waste at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation into a much safer substance: glass. State regulators on Wednesday issued the final permit Hanford needed for workers to remove more waste from often-leaky underground tanks, mix it in a crucible with additives, and heat - [Amazing Forensics Solve 150-Million-Year Pterosaur Mystery](https://iafi.org/amazing-forensics-solve-150-million-year-pterosaur-mystery/): Two tiny pterosaur fossils, each smaller than a mouse, have finally solved a puzzle that has mystified paleontologists for decades. The perfectly preserved hatchlings, nicknamed “Lucky I” and “Lucky II,” were discovered in Germany’s famous Solnhofen limestone formations and reveal both how they died and why juvenile flying reptiles dominate this fossil record. The Tragic Discovery Both Pterodactylus hatchlings, just one to two weeks old when they perished, share a telling characteristic: broken wing bones with identical fracture patterns. The clean, slanted breaks to their humerus bones suggest the same type of twisting force killed them both 150 million years - [Proposal for an IAFI K-12 Grant/Scholarship/Support Program](https://iafi.org/proposal-for-an-iafi-grant-scholarship-support-program/): IAFICS recently instituted a Student Research Grant Program to encourage undergraduate and graduate-level research into Quaternary flood geology. This is an excellent effort to encourage research that fits extremely well and is consistent with the IAFI Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.  Recognizing the vision and leadership of the IAFICS program and its consistency with our stated goals, I propose that the larger IAFI organization adopt an expanded program to additionally encourage education, scholarship and research throughout our larger four state area of interest. There are numerous advantages to the organization that can result from this program, such as: Providing much - [1954 Mystery Quake Came from 'Eerily Quiet' Cascadia Subduction Zone](https://iafi.org/1954-mystery-quake-came-from-eerily-quiet-cascadia-subduction-zone/): A new study finds a 1954 earthquake that rattled Northern California was likely caused by the infamous Cascadia Subduction Zone. The linking of the magnitude 6.5 quake with this particular seismic zone is important, because the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which stretches from northern California to Vancouver Island in Canada, is not known to give off many small or medium quakes. In seismology parlance, the fault is “locked,” or unmoving. The last known rupture was a massive magnitude 9 earthquake in 1700 that caused landslides and an enormous tsunami that was so powerful that waves over 16 feet high (5 meters) - [1925 PacNW Articles about J Harlan Bretz](https://iafi.org/1925-pacnw-articles-about-j-harlan-bretz/): In the course of writing her weekly “100 Years” column for the Ferry County View, Madilane Perry recently came across a couple of 1925 local newspaper articles about J Harlan Bretz and his work and theories from that time that she felt many of our members would find interesting. Click on each of the images to read the articles. We want to thank Madilane for sharing these interesting insights into the local perspectives of that time. Madilane Perry is a native of Ferry County WA with a long history in the area. Her byline is seen atop her weekly “100 - [DNR Releases Stunning Dry Falls Visualization](https://iafi.org/dnr-releases-stunning-dry-falls-visualization/): DNR’s Daniel Coe collaborating with Joel Gombiner has produced a stunning arial oblique visualization and poster showing incredible detail of the Dry Falls geologic complex. The DNR webpage announcing the release also shows additional materials like sliders illustrating differences in image capture resolution and grayscale vs. color representation, as well as Bretz’s scaled line drawing sketch comparing the Dry Falls Complex to Niagara Falls.   - [IAFI Cheney-Spokane College Student Research Grants Available](https://iafi.org/iafi-cheney-spokane-student-research-grants-available/): The Cheney-Spokane Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute is offering $500 grants to support geologic fieldwork on Ice Age flood research in the Pacific Northwest. Open to undergraduate and graduate students in the U.S. and Canada, proposals are due by April 15 and must focus on Quaternary flood geology. Applications are reviewed for scientific merit, practicality, and impact. Lab costs for dating techniques are eligible, but funding excludes equipment, salaries, tuition, and travel. Submit your proposal (up to 4 pages) to cheneyspokane@iafi.org Progress report & field photos due the following February. 2025 IAFICS Student Research Grant Guidelines - ["The Next Big One" - NOVA|PBS Short Video](https://iafi.org/the-next-big-one-novapbs-short-video/): NOVA|PBS is sharing a  short 5:16 min) video, THE NEXT “BIG ONE” – The Next Big Earthquake Could Sink Parts of the Pacific Northwest. It contains a brief explanation of the potential timing, causes, and some effects of the impending and widely-feared next Cascadia Earthquake Zone rupture. It’s worth a watch for most anyone in the PacNW. - [Greenland's Subglacial Surprises: How Subglacial Breakouts Might Have Shaped Ice Age Landscapes](https://iafi.org/greenlands-subglacial-surprises-how-subglacial-breakouts-might-have-shaped-ice-age-landscapes/): Recent discoveries in Greenland are reshaping our understanding of massive flood events beneath ice sheets, offering compelling new perspectives on the formation of some Ice Age Floods-related features. Two recent studies highlight an unprecedented sub-glacial flood in 2014, where a staggering 90 billion liters of meltwater unexpectedly burst through nearly 91 meters (300 feet) of solid ice. This previously undocumented phenomenon in Greenland involved a massive volume of water punching upwards, fracturing the surface, and creating a 2-square-kilometer (0.77 square-mile) crater 85 meters (279 feet) deep. Satellite data revealed that the ice surface dropped dramatically after having bulged from water - [Krystyna Wolniakowski - Volunteer Extraordinaire for Columbia River Gorge Chapter](https://iafi.org/volunteer-of-the-month-krystyna-wolniakowski-columbia-river-gorge-chapter/): It’s not every day you meet someone whose passion for conservation spans from local community efforts to international environmental policy. Krystyna Wolniakowski is one of those remarkable individuals, and the Columbia River Gorge Chapter is incredibly fortunate to have her as a dedicated volunteer. A Local Champion Krystyna is always ready to lend a hand, whether it’s a big project or a small task. She was a vital part of the team, alongside IAFI Membership Manager Lorrie DeKay and IAFI Store Manager Patty Hurd, that brought our “Gorge-ous Gathering” IAFI Membership Meeting to life last May. Beyond specific events, Krystyna - [Moses Coulee: An Ice Age Enigma](https://iafi.org/moses-coulee-an-ice-age-enigma/): Washington state is famous for its dramatic landscapes, many carved by the immense power of the Ice Age Floods. We know the stories of the Grand Coulee, Palouse Canyon, and the Potholes. But tucked away in north-central Washington, cutting a path from northeast to southwest across the Okanagan Plateau, lies Moses Coulee – perhaps the most mysterious of them all. Unlike its famous cousins, Moses Coulee doesn’t quite fit the standard narrative. Its head seemingly emerges from beneath the Wisconsin Withrow Moraine, and its very formation presents a fascinating puzzle for geologists. Flood Theories and Questions: An Enigma The Grand Coulees - [IAFI Gorge-ous Gathering 2025 Explored the Columbia River Gorge](https://iafi.org/gorge-ous-gathering-2025-explored-the-columbia-river-gorge/): The 2025 Gorge-ous Gathering, the annual membership meeting of the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI), was an unqualified success! Hosted by the Columbia River Gorge Chapter, this year’s event treated nearly 150 participants to an unforgettable experience filled with geological exploration, natural beauty, and engaging presentations. Attendees enjoyed a diverse and packed program of discovery that included: Five immersive field trips: These excursions offered unique perspectives on the region’s geology, ecology, and cultural heritage. A lively membership meeting and dinner: A chance for members to connect, reflect, and look ahead. A captivating presentation by Nick Zentner: The renowned geologist enthralled - [Palouse Falls State Park](https://iafi.org/palouse-falls-state-park-2/): Palouse Falls State Park, dedicated in 1951, is a 94-acre park showcasing the dramatic Palouse Falls and its unique geological history. The park is a popular destination for viewing the falls, which were formed by Ice Age floods and are a key part of the Ice Age Floods National Geological Trail. The falls were designated as Washington’s state official waterfall in 2014, thanks to the advocacy of schoolchildren from Washtucna. Palouse Falls is one of four of the last remaining year-round waterfalls on the Palouse River that once stood in the path of the ice age floods. It is rich in - [Hells Canyon Caves Reveal When it was Cut](https://iafi.org/hells-canyon-caves/): The origin story of Hells Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge, has long been unclear to scientists. But new research estimates it formed about 2.1 million years ago when a dramatic flood event likely created a river over the deep gorge. The researchers made the finding after studying clues hidden in the landscape and river deposits preserved in caves. They described their findings in a study published May 19 in the journal PNAS>. Hells Canyon borders Oregon, Idaho and Washington. It’s cut through by the Snake River and is North America’s deepest river gorge, at 10 miles (16 kilometers) wide and about - [Anthropoclastite - Rock Formed in 35 Years or Less](https://iafi.org/anthropoclastite-rock-formed-in-35-years-or-less/): New research reveals industrial waste can turn into rock in as little as 35 years, instead of the thousands or millions of years previously assumed. The finding challenges what scientists know about rock formation, revealing an entirely new “anthropoclastic rock cycle.” The scientists found that waste from seaside industrial plants turns into rock especially rapidly due to the ocean water and air, which activate minerals such as calcium and magnesium in the waste, or slag, cementing it together faster than natural sediments. For a couple of hundred years, we’ve understood the rock cycle as a natural process that takes thousands to - [The Earth - A Brief Overview](https://iafi.org/the-earth-a-brief-overview/): Background The 4.5 billion-year-old Earth is the only known astronomical object to harbor life, giving rise to billions of species of stunning diversity, including ours, Homo sapiens. It has formed the backdrop of an estimated 110 billion human lives. At 13.1 septillion pounds and 25,000 miles in circumference, the third planet from the sun long formed the horizon of all human experience and knowledge (watch overview). Recent discoveries have revealed our home planet’s relative size and location in the universe: a pale blue dot within the Orion Spur, located 26,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, one of 100,000 galaxies within the - [Tectonic Plate Subduction Contagion?](https://iafi.org/tectonic-plate-subduction-contagion/): Evidence from Earth’s deep past suggests dramatic subduction zones can spread like a contagion. Subduction zones, where one tectonic plate dives underneath another, drive the world’s most devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. How do these danger zones come to be? A study in Geology presents evidence that subduction can spread like a contagion, jumping from one oceanic plate to another — a hypothesis previously difficult to prove. Because subduction drags crust deep into the earth, its beginnings are hard to examine. The new study provides a rare ancient example of potential subduction “infection.” Its authors say they’ve discovered evidence that neighboring collisions triggered East Asia’s “Ring of Fire,” a colossal subduction - [Yellowstone Supervolcano's "Breathing" Cap Offers Eruption Insights](https://iafi.org/yellowstone-supervolcanos-breathing-cap-offers-eruption-insights/): Scientists have discovered a “breathing” magma cap beneath the Yellowstone supervolcano, offering new clues about its eruption potential. This layer, located about 2.6 miles below the surface, acts like a lid on the magma reservoir. While this cap traps significant heat and pressure, it’s not completely sealed. Researchers found it to be porous, allowing for a gradual release of pressure. This natural venting mechanism may explain why Yellowstone hasn’t experienced a major eruption in hundreds of thousands of years. Using seismic waves the team mapped the upper boundary of the magma system. Their analysis indicates the cap consists of molten minerals - [Our Pale Blue Dot](https://iafi.org/our-pale-blue-dot/): Background The 4.5 billion-year-old Earth is the only known astronomical object to harbor life, giving rise to billions of species of stunning diversity, including ours, Homo sapiens. It has formed the backdrop of an estimated 110 billion human lives. At 13.1 septillion pounds and 25,000 miles in circumference, the third planet from the sun long formed the horizon of all human experience and knowledge (watch overview). Recent discoveries have revealed our home planet’s relative size and location in the universe: a pale blue dot within the Orion Spur, located 26,000 light-years from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, one of 100,000 galaxies within the - [Melanie Bell Gibbs - Valuable Cheney-Spokane Chapter Volunteer](https://iafi.org/melanie-bell-gibbs-valuable-cheney-spokane-chapter-volunteer/): What would you say about a volunteer who has spent literally years advancing the mission of the Ice Age Floods Institute and still continues to do so, even in semi-retirement?  You would have to say she is the prime example of the committed, capable, enthusiastic, and gifted volunteer  every organization would like to have.  When she moved to the Spokane area from Northeast Texas, a proud Texan became a determined and  energetic citizen for the state of Washington–and eventually a valuable member of the Ice Age Floods Institute.  She became a member of the Ice Age Floods Institute and Cheney-Spokane - [Volunteer Profile - Sue Billings](https://iafi.org/volunteer-profile-sue-billings/): How would you like to have on your team a volunteer who embodies the following qualities: Enthusiasm – Support – Upbeat Attitude – Availability to help – Creative Ideas – Encouragement  The Ellensburg chapter has such a member in Sue Billings.  She has been involved in several meetings and projects over the last years. And she is almost always available to help out when called upon.  She and her husband, Tom Ring, live in the town of Selah—reflecting the wide spread area from which our members come. And she is able to do all this in addition to having a - [30 Years of IAFI’s Vision Helped Shape the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail](https://iafi.org/30-years-of-iafis-vision-helped-shape-the-ice-age-floods-national-geologic-trail/): This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI), a milestone that offers an opportunity to reflect on the Institute’s foundational role in bringing the story of the Ice Age floods to national prominence and in establishing the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. Founded in 1995, IAFI emerged from a collective recognition of the need to educate the public about the cataclysmic floods that shaped the landscapes of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Through persistent advocacy, community engagement, and educational initiatives, IAFI laid the groundwork for what would become the nation’s first National Geologic Trail. - [Discover A Landscape Carved by Ancient Mega-Floods at Fish Lake Regional Park](https://iafi.org/discover-a-landscape-carved-by-ancient-mega-floods-at-fish-lake-regional-park/): Just a short drive east of Cheney, Washington, lies Fish Lake Regional Park, a beautiful 76-acre space offering more than just typical park amenities. This area, easily accessible with parking, play areas, hiking trails, and a swimming beach, tells a dramatic story of a landscape shaped by immense Ice Age floods. You’ll find a paved parking lot at the northeast edge of the park, right by the Fish Lake trailhead. From here, you can hop onto the Columbia Plateau State Park Trail and start your adventure! What makes Fish Lake truly unique is its geology. It’s a double plunge pool, - [Whispers from a Frozen Past: “We Have The Bones” - McBones Mammoth Dig](https://iafi.org/whispers-from-a-frozen-past-we-have-the-bones-mcbones-mammoth-dig/): We know the story…a world gripped by ice. Some twenty thousand years ago, colossal glaciers sculpted the landscape, their icy fingers reaching down through the Idaho panhandle. They choked the ancient Clark Fork River, birthing a vast, temporary lake: Glacial Lake Missoula. Then, the inevitable happened. The icy dam buckled, unleashing unimaginable torrents of water that carved a dramatic path across the land in a series of cataclysmic floods. We see their scars today – stark strand lines etched into hillsides, the labyrinthine coulees, silent dry waterfalls, and the scattered, out-of-place “erratic” rocks, silent witnesses to a watery fury. But - [Ice Age Floods in Western WA](https://iafi.org/ice-age-floods-in-western-wa/): The Mossback’s Northwest production team met in Thurston County last week to research some geological history. We learned that the Missoula Floods that scoured Eastern Washington weren’t the only massive, earth-shaping floods at the end of the last Ice Age some 15,000 years ago. The retreating Puget Lobe — the last ice sheet’s southern extension, which stopped just south of Olympia — sent massive flows south and west as it melted. But while retreating, the ice also blocked rivers flowing from Mount Rainier, like the Carbon and Puyallup. This created a series of glacial lakes which, when unblocked, periodically let loose with - [2025 Columbia Gorge Naturalist Course](https://iafi.org/2025-columbia-gorge-naturalist-course/): The Oregon Naturalist Program at Oregon State University is partnering with the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum to offer a Columbia Gorge Naturalist field course about the geology, plants, animals, habitats, social and natural history of the Columbia Gorge. An application is required, anyone can apply but priority is given to Columbia Gorge residents. This course is also part of the requirements to become a Certified Oregon Naturalist. Cost: $350.00 (reduced fee options are available) About the Course Learn about the geology, plants, animals, habitats, social and natural history of the Columbia Gorge. Connect with other beginner and expert naturalists in your area. - [Order Your Service Recognition Gift](https://iafi.org/service-recognition-gift/) - [Where (and When) Will Yellowstone Erupt Next?](https://iafi.org/where-and-when-will-yellowstone-erupt-next/): New research indicates it likely won’t blow today, but one region on Yellowstone’s northeastern side is likely to host liquid magma in the long term, possibly fueling future eruptions hundreds of thousands of years from now. Yellowstone’s melted magma lurks in four separate reservoirs within the crust of the caldera. The western reservoirs do not touch the deep mantle rocks that would heat them from below so they will likely start to cool and solidify. But to the northeast, mantle rocks are heating the magma trapped in the crust keeping them liquid and eruptable. Using measurements of earthquake waves and - [International Old Rock Day - January 7](https://iafi.org/international-old-rock-day-january-7/): International “Old Rock Day” Celebrate Old Rock Day on January 7 every year. It’s a day to remember the Earth’s incredible history and to pay tribute to the amazing geologists who help us understand it. We’ve been dependent on rocks since we first walked the Earth, and today it’s no different, with rocks forming the foundation of our daily lives. History of “Old Rock Day” The study of rocks was first introduced by the Ancient Greek Theophrastus in his work, “Peri Lithon” (“On Stones”), and became the cornerstone of geology for other interested scientists. The study was advanced by Pliny - [IAFI 2024 BRIEF YEAR-IN-REVIEW](https://iafi.org/iafi-2024-year-in-review/): This is a very short summary of our 2024 Year-in-Review report prepared for you, our members, who provide most of our support and much of the reason for the various materials, activities and events we provide. You can read the entire detailed report on our website.  In 1996, we started with 11 members. At the end of 2024, we have 587 members in 20 US states, Canada and Germany. While we have over six hundred members, most of the work is done by a small number of people. All of your institute and chapter leaders are volunteers. We are always - [Discovering the Telford Tract: A Hidden Gem in the Channeled Scablands](https://iafi.org/discovering-the-telford-tract-a-hidden-gem-in-the-channeled-scablands/): Traveling east along Lake Roosevelt from the Grand Coulee brings you closer to an area steeped in geological and historical intrigue. This journey not only unveils the legacy of ancient Glacial Lake Columbia but also leads to one of the most captivating sections of the Channeled Scablands: the Telford Tract. A critical player in the narrative of Ice Age floods, the Telford Tract offers a striking example of the power and scope of these ancient cataclysmic events. The Role of Glacial Lake Columbia The current Lake Roosevelt occupies much of the previous western Glacial Lake Columbia area, a massive lake - [IAFI 2024 YEAR-IN-REVIEW](https://iafi.org/2024-the-iafi-year-in-review/): A summary of IAFI’s 2024 activities for our members and other interested people. This is our 8th year preparing a Year-in-Review report for you, our members.  We appreciate your continued support, friendship and membership.  Gary Ford – IAFI President, January 4, 2025 INSTITUTE MEMBERSHIP Our members provide most of our support and much of the reason for the various materials, activities and events we provide.  In 1996, we started with 11 members. At the end of 2024, we have 587 members (451 memberships). In addition to the members in the IAFI states (WA, OR, ID, MT), we have members in 16 - [Geologists predict an Undersea volcano off the Oregon coast could erupt this year](https://iafi.org/geologists-predict-an-undersea-volcano-off-the-oregon-coast-could-erupt-this-year/): Scientists say Axial, an undersea volcano off the coast of Oregon is probably going to erupt in 2025. The volcano, known as Axial, is a seamount 300 miles (480 kilometers) west of Cannon Beach, Oregon. The Axial seamount erupts regularly — it rumbled to life in 1998, 2011 and 2015, according to a blog by scientists monitoring the seamount — and it doesn’t pose a threat to people. But because of the seamount’s regular activity and its relative proximity to land, researchers made it the site of the world’s first underwater volcano observatory, known as the New Millennium Observatory. Now, the monitors at - [Ancient 'land bridge' that connected Siberia to US wasn't what it seems](https://iafi.org/ancient-land-bridge-that-connected-siberia-to-us-wasnt-what-it-seems/): The boggy landscape of the Bering land bridge may have allowed some ice age animals to cross easily, while others stayed in Asia. The Bering land bridge that spanned between Siberia and Alaska during the Ice Age was more of a Bering land bog, new research finds. The discovery could help explain why some animals, such as birds, easily crossed the land bridge, while others, like woolly rhinos (Coelodonta antiquitatis), didn’t make the migration. The land bridge, now submerged under the Bering Strait between Alaska and Russia, was above water from about 36,000 years ago to 11,000 years ago. Scientists thought it - [Explore Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area](https://iafi.org/explore-lake-roosevelt-national-recreation-area/): The Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area serves as a striking landmark that narrates a dramatic geological history shaped by colossal natural forces. Greatly influenced by the Missoula Floods, this area, part of the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, reveals not only stunning landscapes but also insights into the Earth’s geological story. Understanding this region offers a glimpse into the powerful events that occurred between 13,500 and 18,500 years ago, as well as the enduring environmental significance of these features. Lake Roosevelt and Grand Coulee Dam Lake Roosevelt, created by the Grand Coulee Dam in the 1930s, serves multiple purposes: - [Coyote Canyon Mammoth Dig](https://iafi.org/coyote-canyon-mammoth-dig/): The Coyote Canyon Mammoth Dig is an active paleontological excavation site in the Horse Heaven Hills near Kennewick, Washington. It’s a significant project that sheds light on the history of the Ice Age floods in the Tri-Cities area. The dig focuses on the unearthed remains of a Columbian mammoth that lived approximately 17,500 years ago. The mammoth’s carcass was buried in Touchet beds, a geological formation laid down by ancient floods. The site sits at an elevation of 1040 feet above sea level, which is considerably higher than the current elevation of the Columbia River, which is only 350 feet - [Volunteers Help Shape the IAFI!](https://iafi.org/volunteers-help-shape-the-iafi/): We’re reaching out to ask for your help. As we work toward our mission of promoting public awareness and education about the Ice Age Floods, our chapters have been facing a significant challenge: a shortage of active member volunteers willing to step into leadership roles or assist with essential chapter functions. Many of our current leaders are in their 70s and 80s, and the demands of their roles are becoming challenging. While our dedicated leaders works to maintain our organization’s momentum, we need support to ensure our continued growth and success. Your involvement will be crucial in helping to: Organize - [Bitterroot Valley Glacial Erratics](https://iafi.org/bitterroot-valley-glacial-erratics/): Two glacial erratics in the Bitterroot Valley, the Lone Rock School erratic and the Rome Lane erratic, were deposited during the last high stand of Lake Missoula about 13,000 years ago. Both these glacial erratics are easy to visit. At the extreme Southern end of the Bitterroot Valley is beautiful Lake Como named after its Italian alpine counter part by Father Ravalli a Jesuit Black Robe tasked with bringing literacy and Jesus to the native Salish people in 1845 via St Mary’s Mission in nearby Stevensville. Lake Como is a beautiful place for lunch and a hike/bike on the trail - [Was the 1700 Cascadia earthquake one or many ruptures?](https://iafi.org/was-the-1700-cascadia-earthquake-one-or-many-ruptures/): It’s generally accepted that a massive Cascadia earthquake occurred along the British Columbia-Washington-Oregon-N. California coast on January 26, 1700. The earthquake was a result of a rupture of the plate boundary between the North American plate overriding and subducting the Juan de Fuca plate. The evidence for the magnitude and precise timing of the quake includes tsunami deposits and dendrochronology dating at many places along that coastline, and records of a “ghost” tsunami at several locations in Japan. In a Sept. 24, 2024 presentation for Central Oregon Geoscience Society, Diego Melgar of University of Oregon explained earthquake modeling that is seeking to - [J Harlan Bretz - His Personal Memories](https://iafi.org/j-harlan-bretz-his-personal-memories/): Glenn Cruickshank recently met with Dean Kiefer. who shared a copy of J Harlan Bretz’s 4-volume memoirs in scanned .pdf format.  Glenn converted them to text that also made them searchable. They are a very interesting read, though a bit stream-of-Bretz-consciousness in some sections.  Still historically interesting, and a good add to our repository. Click the links below and enjoy! J Harlan Bretz Memories – Part 1 – 1972 J Harlan Bretz Memories – Part 2 J Harlan Bretz Memories – Part 3 J Harlan Bretz Memories – Part 4 – 1975 - [Video - How Earth Has Changed in 1.8 Billion Years](https://iafi.org/video-how-earth-has-changed-in-1-8-billion-years/): Among the planets in the Solar System, Earth is unique for having plate tectonics. Mapping our planet through its long history creates a beautiful continental dance — mesmerizing in itself and a work of natural art. This is the first time Earth’s geological record has been used to look so far back in time in an attempt to map the planet over the last 40% of its history. The work, led by Xianzhi Cao from the Ocean University in China, is now published in the open-access journal Geoscience Frontiers.  Our planets rocky surface is split into fragments (plates) that grind - [A New Class of Plate Tectonics - Lithospheric Dripping](https://iafi.org/a-new-class-of-plate-tectonics-lithospheric-dripping/): Crinkles and divots in the surface of Earth on Türkiye’s Central Anatolian Plateau are the smoking gun for a newly discovered class of plate tectonics. Beneath a depression called the Konya Basin, Earth’s crust is slowly dripping deeper into the planetary interior, a process that is gradually shaping the surface geology of not just the basin, but the plateau that surrounds it. It’s called lithospheric dripping, a phenomenon that has only recently been discovered here on Earth, and geologists are still figuring out the different ways it manifests. When the lower portion of Earth’s rocky crust is heated to a certain - [Earth's Climate - Much Warmer Over the Last 485 Million Years](https://iafi.org/earths-climate-much-warmer-over-the-last-485-million-years/): The Washington Post recently published an article about a scientific effort to understand the Earth’s climate over the past 485 million years. The study has revealed a history of wild shifts and far hotter temperatures than scientists previously realized. The study, published in the journal Science, is the most rigorous reconstruction of Earth’s past temperatures ever produced and reveals that the world was in a much warmer state for most of the history of complex animal life on Earth. At its hottest the Earth’s average temperature reached 96.8 degrees Fahrenheit (36 degrees Celsius) — far higher than the recent historic - [Juneau Glacial Outburst Floods - Missoula Floods Analog?](https://iafi.org/juneau-glacial-outburst-floods-missoula-floods-analog/): Around 3:30 in the morning on August 6, the first arrivals made their way into the emergency shelter officials had set up in a school gym in Juneau, Alaska. “We were getting people in that were covered in glacial silt and soaking wet in their pajamas,” says Robert Barr, Juneau’s deputy city manager. “It was folks who lived so far inland, so far away from the river, that they just weren’t expecting to get water.” Over the previous 24 hours, the Mendenhall River, which runs through Alaska’s capital city, had risen to a peak of about 16 feet above normal levels. - [Exploring Another Montana Flood](https://iafi.org/exploring-another-montana-flood/): One of Montana’s other floods has been tickling the curiosity of some of our members.. This grew into a desire to plan a trip over to the upper Missouri River to see the channels from the diversion damming and outburst of Glacial Lake Great Falls. Thus, a reconnaissance was planned for 4 people. As the word got out everyone wanted to go and we wound with 14 souls on a loosely planned ‘let’s go over and see what we can find’ trip. The map below portrays Lake Great Falls when the Keewatin lobe of the Laurentide  Continental Ice pushed the - [Discovery Park bluffs tell the story of Seattle's glacial history](https://iafi.org/discovery-park-bluffs-tell-the-story-of-seattles-glacial-history/): The cliffs at Discovery Park in Seattle offer a glimpse into the past, revealing layers of sediment left behind by advancing and retreating glaciers. This “layer cake” of rock tells the story of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet’s movement over the Seattle area during the most recent ice age. Before we dive into the specific layers, let’s rewind time. Over 100,000 years ago, Seattle’s climate was similar to today, with a river system flowing north. As the Earth’s climate cooled and became wetter, the Cordilleran Ice Sheet began to form in what is now southeast Alaska and British Columbia. Fast forward - [The Advance and Retreat of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet Revealed in the Bluffs at Discovery Park, Seattle](https://iafi.org/the-advance-and-retreat-of-the-cordilleran-ice-sheet-revealed-in-the-bluffs-at-discovery-park-seattle/): During his time teaching in Seattle, J Harlen Bretz noted the extensive array of glacial features present in the Puget Sound area.  The Puget Lowland is an extensive glacial outwash plain of highly elongated drumlin topography adorned with kames, eskers, kettle lakes, glacial erratics, and other glacial features indicative of continental glaciation.  The Seattle Basin is filled with a layer cake of distinctive sedimentary layers that reveal the advance and retreat of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet during the most recent (Wisconsin) glacial advance.  South Beach at Discovery Park in Seattle offers visitors an easily accessible exposure of the stratigraphic layers - [Hike to Large Erratics in Gingko Petrified Forest State Park](https://iafi.org/hike-to-large-erratics-in-gingko-petrified-forest-state-park/): In the approximate center of the state of Washington is the Gingko Petrified Forest State Park. And within the park is a trail, unnamed, which offers opportunities to view evidence of the terrific capabilities of the Ice Age Floods to transport huge boulders and leave huge deposits of rock material.   The trail is off I-90 at exit 136 to the town of Vantage. After exiting the freeway travel north through Vantage for almost a quarter mile and turn right onto Recreation Dr. There is a sign to “Rocky Coulee Recreation Area.” It’s the old Highway 10 leading down to - [Unearthing the Secrets of Spokane Valley: A Recap of the IAFI June Jamboree](https://iafi.org/unearthing-the-secrets-of-spokane-valley-a-recap-of-the-iafi-june-jamboree/): This year’s IAFI June Jamboree delved into the fascinating geological history of Spokane Valley, contrasting it with the iconic Grand Coulee and Dry Falls, explored during last year’s Jubilee. Challenging the Landscape: Unlike the open spaces of Dry Falls, Spokane Valley presented a unique challenge – showcasing evidence of Ice Age Floods within an urban environment. Our chapter tackled this brilliantly, organizing hikes and car caravans departing from convenient public parks and commercial areas. Evening Explorations: The program’s highlights included captivating lectures. Professor Emeritus Dean Kiefer shed light on J Harlen Bretz’s Spokane associates, while renowned naturalist Jack Nesbit brought - [There are 4 Pieces in Our "Big One" Puzzle](https://iafi.org/there-are-4-pieces-in-our-big-one-puzzle/): The ground beneath our feet could be more complex than we thought! The Cascadia subduction zone, a giant underwater fault line stretching from California to Vancouver Island, has the potential to unleash massive earthquakes along the Pacific Northwest. New research reveals this megafault isn’t one smooth piece, but rather several sections that could rupture independently. This means a future earthquake might impact different areas in very different ways. “For places like Seattle and Tacoma,” says study co-author Harold Tobin, a UW geophysicist, “it could be the difference between a scary jolt and a total disaster.” Unlike some subduction zones with - [Thank You from Ice Age Floods Institute](https://iafi.org/thank-you-from-ice-age-floods-institute/): Thank you for your Ice Age Floods Institute membership registration and or donation. Your membership dues are used to support public education, research, and public policy advocacy about Ice Age Floods related subjects and issues. Donations are used to support public education, research, and public policy advocacy about Ice Age Floods related subjects and issues unless you have specified a specific purpose for its use. NOTE: Ice Age Floods Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 91-1658221), and as such 100% of your membership fees and donations may be tax deductible. This notice confirms that your registration/donation has been - [Explore Historical Ice Age Floods Field Research with Google Maps and Google Earth](https://iafi.org/was-j-harlan-bretz-near-your-house/): Explore Historical Field Research with Google Maps Did J harlan Bretz (and Others) Do Field Work near You? Ice Age Floods Institute is now a repository for interactive Google Maps that show the travels and field locations/notes of J Harlan Bretz and other field researchers that led to, and continue to refine, Bretz’s of theories of massive floods having created the unique Ice Age Floods landscapes of the Pacific NW. These detailed Google MyMaps (geospatial database files), created by Glenn Cruickshank, are valuable contributions to the Ice Age Floods story in the PacNW. They enable users to locate individual field sites and associated field notes, and - [National Park Service Volunteer Gigs](https://iafi.org/national-park-service-volunteer-gigs/): National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration established in the U.S. in 1974. The National Park Service marked the occasion by recognizing those who already choose to spend their time volunteering in parks and urging others to consider doing so. Join Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) to support the National Park Service in its mission to preserve and protect our national parks. You can volunteer for a day or year-round; on your own or with friends and family; close to home or at a dream destination. Volunteer opportunities are available nationwide including in U.S. Territories. What Can Volunteers Do? The possibilities are as - [Museum of Natural History, University of Oregon](https://iafi.org/university-of-oregon-museum-of-natural-history/): Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon The museum offers a variety of seasonal and year-round programs for science and culture enthusiasts of every age. Delve into Oregon’s story, from the archaeology of the First Americans to the dynamic cultures of today’s Tribes. Experience the dynamic forces that shape Oregon’s landscapes, climate, and ecosystems. Meet giant salmon, Ice Age sloths, and other amazing animals from across the millennia. Museum initiatives steward Oregon’s past, present, and future. The museum is home to an invaluable record of Earth’s environments and cultures. As the state’s official repository for Oregon cultural and paleontological - [Mike Doran](https://iafi.org/mike-doran/): Ellensburg Chapter President My family history is rooted in the Columbia Basin, the Okanogan country and the Yakima Valley.  So, I very much identify with central Washington.  I was born in Ephrata and raised in Soap Lake.  Growing up in the lower Grand Coulee, I often wondered about those large cliff walls on the west side of the coulee.  What are they about?  How did they get there?  And why are they located here and not over there?   Upon graduating from Central Washington State College I put in a career teaching high school Special Education and Alternative Education in Tacoma.  - [Scabland - The Movie, A Google Earth Odyssey](https://iafi.org/scabland-the-movie-a-google-earth-odyssey/): “Scabland” – the Movie, A Google Earth Odyssey “Scabland” is a media complement to CWU Professor Nick Zentner’s 2023-2024 A-Z YouTube geology series that re-treads the ice age floods and the work of Professor J Harlen Bretz and others. In this short animation, viewers virtually fly to a selection of locations visited by geologist Dr J Harlen Bretz, with quotes from his original field notes, geolocated in Google Earth and animated with Google Earth Studio. To see more of these locations, visit https://www.geology.cwu.edu/facstaff/nick/gBRETZ/ This video was done as an experiment/prototype by the authors, Glenn Cruickshank and Eric Larson, to showcase - [New Membership/Donation Form Test](https://iafi.org/new-membership-donation-form-test/) - [Dan Foster and the Ice Age Floods story](https://iafi.org/dan-foster-and-the-ice-age-floods-story/): In my “Tales from the Trail” I usually highlight a place important to our story. This time, I would like to highlight someone important to our story. On December 31st of 2023, Dan Foster, long-time Superintendent of Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, and Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail retired after over four decades of public service. While he worked on many efforts over the years with multiple state and federal natural resources programs, Dan’s time supporting Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail is something we should all be grateful for. Since 1992, Dan has worked for the National Park - [Moses Coulee: Unveiling the Mystery of a Colossal Ice Age Scar](https://iafi.org/moses-coulee-an-ice-age-floods-enigma/): Moses Coulee, a Washington state wonder, has puzzled geologists for over a century. This massive canyon, carved into solid basalt, stands as a testament to some powerful force.  The culprit? The Ice Age Floods, a series of catastrophic deluges that reshaped the landscape. If you’ve ever visited, or even just passed through Moses Coulee, you may not have been aware that this awe-inspiring coulee has been an Ice Age Floods conundrum since the time geologist J Harlen Bretz first noted it in 1922. The problem? Moses Coulee doesn’t quite fit the picture. As Bretz described it, “The head of Moses Coulee - [First Grader Fascinated By Floods Story](https://iafi.org/first-grader-fascinated-by-floods-story/): Max Vuletich, a first grader at Jefferson Elementary in Spokane, Washington, exhibited at a STEM Event in March 2024. He prepared a display and shared the Floods story to the many attendees that stopped by his table. He became interested in the Great Missoula Floods when he saw a Public Television video in Kindergarten. He went to a Library and began reading about The Floods and googling topics. His mother, Mariah, reported that he loves the Floods story and continues to be passionate about learning all he can. Perhaps he is destined to be a geologist! - [Visit Wenatchee, Washington - Explore Ice Age Flood Features](https://iafi.org/visit-wenatchee-washington-explore-ice-age-flood-features/): Wenatchee, Washington is often called the “Apple Capital of the World” or the “Buckle of the Power Belt of the Pacific Northwest”.  Today the Wenatchee vicinity is known for the fruit industry, wineries, power generation, tourism and outdoor recreation.  When you visit and look around the Wenatchee Valley, even today, much of the landscape was formed by Ice Age Flooding. Visit the Wenatchee Valley area to explore some of the interesting Ice Age Flood features found there.  Toward the end of the Pleistocene Ice Ages (17,000-12,000 years ago) much of the landscape in the Wenatchee area was changed substantially by - [Field Trip to Dam Site](https://iafi.org/field-trip-to-dam-site/): A field trip to Sandpoint ID to visit geologic sites related to the ice dam(s) that blocked the Clark Fork River and caused the formation of Glacial Lake Missoula multiple times is planned by the Glacial Lake Missoula Chapter in cooperation with Tony Lewis of the Coeur de Deluge Chapter.   An all day bus trip  is planned for April 18th followed by a car caravan to Farragut State Park and other downstream sites the next day.  Registration for the event  is limited and is being handled by the Montana Natural History Center at https://events.humanitix.com/ice-dam-field-trip Discounted lodging reservations are available at the - [IAFICS Waikiki Hike Registration](https://iafi.org/iafics-waikiki-hike-registration/) - [IAFICS Palisades Hike Registration](https://iafi.org/iafics-palisades-registration-03-2024/) - [Rock Map of Scotland](https://iafi.org/rock-map-of-scotland-deleted/): An interesting geology tidbit featured today in Nice News: @Jefferies_ Harry Jefferies shared this photo of his grandfather on X, explaining that the 85-year-old has been working on his rock map of Scotland since 1992 and wanted it to go viral on social media. The post garnered over 100,000 likes and millions of views in just a few days, so we’d say he’s succeeded. “He collected rocks during amateur geology trips over 30 years. He says it had to be geologically correct and also aesthetically pleasing,” Jefferies wrote, adding that his grandpa is now “over the moon” by the internet’s - [IAFICS Escure Ranch / Towell Falls Hike Registration](https://iafi.org/iafics-escure-registration-2024/) - [Puget Lobe Chapter Newsreels - A Continental Ice Sheet Background Perspective](https://iafi.org/puget-lobe-chapter-newsreels-a-continental-ice-sheet-background-perspective/): (27Jan2024)  This post contains the newsreels shown at the bginning of our Chapter meetings.  Newsreels oroginally contain:  the current presenter, future presenter, Chapter/IAFI current information, and the “newsreel” of selected technical information germane to Continental Ice Sheets. The newsreel after the meeting is then parsed to show just the selected technical information about Continental Ice Sheets.   Each chapter describes a certain facet of the history of the ice sheets.  These chapters are an exact copy of what was shown at the meeting and are designed to fill the 10-15 minutes prior to the meeting start.  Subsequently, the chapters will be - [Postmortem on the southern Cordilleran Ice Sheet](https://iafi.org/postmortem-on-the-southern-cordilleran-ice-sheet/): (21Feb2024) On 18 March 2924 at 7:00pm the Puget Lobe Chapter io the IAFI will have Dr Ralph A Haugerud give his presentation “the Postmortem on the Southern Cordilleran Ice sheet.  Death of an ice sheet can have many causes, as shown by retreat of the southern Cordilleran ice sheet about 15,000 years ago. East of the Cascades, the margin of active south-flowing ice retreated north as less snow fell and more melted.  West of the Cascades, the Juan de Fuca lobe of the ice sheet appears to have floated away in response to rising sea level, perhaps without a - [Sarah Nance - Geologic Data Artist](https://iafi.org/sarah-nance-geologic-data-artist/): I’m an artist using scientific data as an artistic medium − here’s how I make meaning As an artist working across media, I’ve used everything from thread to my voice to poetically translate and express information. Recently, I’ve been working with another medium – geologic datasets. While scientists use data visualization to show the results of a dataset in interesting and informative ways, my goal as an artist is a little different. In the studio, I treat geologic data as another material, using it to guide my interactions with Mylar film, knitting patterns or opera. Data, in my work, functions expressively and - [Woolly Mammoths's Steps Retraced Based on Chemistry of 14,000-year-old Tusk](https://iafi.org/woolly-mammothss-steps-retraced-based-on-chemistry-of-14000-year-old-tusk/): New analysis of a 14,000-year-old woolly mammoth tusk has pieced together the life of a female mammoth that likely died at the hands of hunters close to Alaska’s oldest archaeological site. Scientists have retraced the journey of a female woolly mammoth from her birthplace in present-day Canada to eastern central Alaska, where she met her end around 14,000 years ago at the hands of hunter-gatherers. The mammoth, whose name Élmayuujey’eh translates to “hella lookin” in the aboriginal Kaska language, was likely killed by early Beringian hunter-gatherers when she was 20 years old. Her existence is known thanks to a complete tusk discovered - [IAFI 2023 YEAR-IN-REVIEW](https://iafi.org/iafi-2023-year-in-review/): A summary for our members and other interested people By Gary Ford, IAFI President, January 12, 2024 This is our 7th year preparing a Year-in-Review report for you, our members. We appreciate your continued support, friendship and membership. INSTITUTE MEMBERSHIP Our members provide most of our support and much of the reason for the various materials, activities and events we provide. In 1996, we started with 11 members. At the end of 2023, as we continue to recover from the pandemic, we have 648 members (489 memberships) from 20 states, British Columbia, Canada and Germany. INSTITUTE BOARD PROJECTS IAFI work - [Hello from the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail](https://iafi.org/hello-from-the-ice-age-floods-national-geologic-trail-2/): Hello from the Trail. Congress created Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail to educate visitors on the story of massive flooding towards the end of the last Ice Age in the Northwest. Its primary function is to grow connections between like-minded organizations and to increase public awareness and understanding across the four-state region. The Trail made progress during 2023, and some of the highlights include the development of our web-based interactive map, including an additional 70 flood site locations in our GIS database. Last year, we also joined fellow floods enthusiasts at multiple events, including the Ice Age Floods Institutes - [NORTH AMERICA’S FIRST PEOPLE MAY HAVE ARRIVED BY SEA ICE HIGHWAY](https://iafi.org/north-americas-first-people-may-have-arrived-by-sea-ice-highway/): NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS SOME EARLY AMERICANS MAY HAVE TRAVELED ON WINTER SEA ICE DOWN THE COAST FROM BERINGIA AS LONG AS 24,000 YEARS AGO One of the hottest debates in archeology is how and when humans first arrived in North America. Archaeologists have traditionally argued that people walked through an ice-free corridor that briefly opened between ice sheets an estimated 13,000 years ago. But a growing number of archeological and genetic finds — including human footprints in New Mexico dated to around 23,000 years old — suggests that people made their way onto the continent much earlier. These early Americans - [A TRIP TO THE MOUNTAIN TOP](https://iafi.org/a-trip-to-the-mountain-top/): Saddle Mountain is an asymmetrical anticline of the Yakima Folds which starts south of Othello, WA and extends west across the Columbia River. During the last glacial period, the diverted Columbia River worked its way south, west of Othello through the Drumheller Channels to the mountain and then flowed west along its base to its preflood location at Sentinel Gap. Periodic Missoula Floods roared down the Drumheller Channels and crashed head on, undercutting the north side of the mountain and then diverting around both ends of it. This undercutting along with tilted basalt layers and intersedimentary beds led to multiple - [Megaflood’s Impact on Spokane Valley](https://iafi.org/megafloods-impact-on-spokane-valley/): Views from Palisades and High Bridge Parks Palisades Park  The Palisades Conservation Area encompasses 700 acres and provides a spectacular overview of the main Missoula floodpath through the Spokane Valley, which was then occupied by glacial Lake Columbia.  The Park is at the top of a basalt bench historically referred to as rimrock and characterized by large boulders of fractured basalt undermined by the megaflood which widened Spokane Valley.  In the far distance, well above the flood debacle, is Mt Spokane, highest peak in the Selkirk Range.  This park’s trail system consists of a mixture of converted road bed and - [Geographia: An Ancient Blueprint for Mapmaking](https://iafi.org/geographia-an-ancient-blueprint-for-mapmaking/): Many of history’s major breakthroughs were made by great thinkers standing on the shoulders of other intellectual giants, and Ptolemy’s Geographia, which builds on the scientific advancements of ancient Greek scholars, is no exception. The ancient Greeks were particularly skilled at understanding the world around them. By the fifth century BCE, the famous mathematician Pythagoras understood that the Earth was round, and it wasn’t long before Eratosthenes, another Greek scholar, accurately calculated the planet’s circumference. Centuries later, the Egyptian Greek scholar Ptolemy channeled all these scientific advancements into his masterwork, a collection of maps known as Geographia. Created around the - [The Bretz Journals and Google Earth](https://iafi.org/the-bretz-journals-and-google-earth/): If you have been following Professor Nick Zentner (CWU) on YouTube, you may know that one of the treasures he has uncovered with the help of collaborators are the Bretz journals from field research done from 1919 through 1929. After Bretz’s death in 1981, his family donated his papers to the University of Chicago Library and though they were available to the public, access was very limited. Just recently Professor Zentner was able to obtain whole-hearted permission from Bretz’s family to share them more widely. Because of this, scans have been made of the journals and PDF’s are now available - [Ice Age Floods A to Z Series](https://iafi.org/ice-age-floods-series/): Ice Age Floods A to Z by Nick Zentner Our good friend Professor Nick Zentner (Central Washington University) recently started a new series on his YouTube channel called ICE AGE FLOODS A-Z. It is being live-streamed Thursday at 12:00 pm and every Sunday at 9:00 am Pacific Time. The series is also being recorded so that it can be watched anytime. Sessions A-H (streamed and recorded in November and December) have set the stage leading up to the time of J Harlen Bretz, covering Bretz’s predecessors and mentors (Israel C. Russell, Bailey Willis) and some of Bretz’s journey from starting - [Test Elementor Post](https://iafi.org/test-elementor-post/): Add Your Heading Text Here [auto-iframe link="https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vSFsSoQRGsaPifqMIFC9LgIY7lTKGeNHF0vzFnAryTvvsC9LPV7NX-BrJ5VjkuKXamUrhavtG2igR_l/pub" width=400 height=1000 autosize=yes] style=”height:1000px !important;” - [Linda McCollum](https://iafi.org/linda-mccollum/): Cheney-Spokane Chapter President We welcome Linda McCollum as the new president of the Cheney-Spokane Chapter. Linda is a professor emeritus with the Department of Geology at Eastern Washington University. Education & Employment: Linda completed her BS and MS at University of California at Davis in the early 1970’s, and then worked for a year as an assistant geophysicist for the California Geological Survey in Sacramento.  In 1980, she received her PhD from the State University of New York at Binghamton, and spent the 1979-1980 academic year teaching at Sul Ross State University in west Texas.  For the next three years, she headed ## Pages - [IAFI Education Grant Programs](https://iafi.org/grants/): Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) has established two education grant programs, one for K-12 educators and one for college student research. IAFI K-12 Education Grant Program Empowering K-12 Educators and Students Our K-12 Education Grant Program is designed to bring the fascinating story of the Ice Age Floods into K-12 classrooms and student projects across the Pacific Northwest.  Starting in January 2026, our pilot program will provide grants up to $500 to support 4th grade educators exploring with their students one of North America’s most dramatic geological events, the Ice Age Floods (aka, Missoula Floods and Bretz Floods) that carved - [Thank You from Ice Age Floods Institute](https://iafi.org/thank-you-from-ice-age-floods-institute/): Thank you for your Ice Age Floods Institute membership registration and or donation. Your membership dues are used to support public education, research, and public policy advocacy about Ice Age Floods related subjects and issues. Donations are used to support public education, research, and public policy advocacy about Ice Age Floods related subjects and issues unless you have specified a specific purpose for its use. NOTE: Ice Age Floods Institute is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 91-1658221), and as such 100% of your membership fees and donations may be tax deductible. This notice confirms that your registration/donation has been - [Membership/Donation Transaction Canceled](https://iafi.org/membership-transaction-canceled/): You have chosen to cancel your membership/donation transaction  before payment was complete. You May receive an automatic email that your form was submitted. but because you cancelled before payment was completed, your membership/donation transaction is not yet complete. If you wish to complete your transation you’ll need to start over again and complete payment through our PayPal link, or you can contact us at iafimembership@gmail.com for other payment options. Return to New/Renew Membership/Donate - [Register](https://iafi.org/register/): [em_register] - [Login](https://iafi.org/login/): [em_login] - [Performers](https://iafi.org/performers/): [em_performers] - [Registration Confirmation](https://iafi.org/registration-confirmation/) - [Events Calendar](https://iafi.org/events-2/): IAFI EventsIAFI EventsIAFI Events Learn About, Explore and Discover Our Amazing Region! Field Trips, Presentations and Other Events are designed to educate, entertain and leave you with a sense of “wow” along with providing fascinating information about the Ice Age Floods. IAFI Upcoming Events Calendar Hikes Lectures Talks Field Trips Festivals Conventions Installations Video Productions Ice Age Floods Institute Events encourage exploration, inspire curiosity, offer friendship, involvement and ideas Most of all, we have FUN!  BECOME A MEMBER – JOIN TODAY! September 2025 Sep 18 18 September 2025 9/18-Mega Floods, Ice Ages, Earthquakes, Volcanic Eruptions, and other Major Earth Events. A - [Store Transaction Canceled](https://iafi.org/transaction-canceled/): You have chosen to cancel your transaction before it was completed. If you wish to complete the transaction we regret that you’ll need to start over again Return to the IAFI Store Return to New/Renew Membership - [Ice Age Floods Video Playlist](https://iafi.org/ice-age-floods-videos/): Explore the Ice Age Floods through Videos The Ice Age Floods is such a large and varied subject it is often difficult to understand through the written word alone. So we’ve put together a playlist of videos that can help you better visualize and understand the story. They may also give you some visual perspectives and some idea of things you might wnt to see for yourself.And if you want to delve deeper into Pacific NW topics (geology, Ice Age Floods and other topics), please check out our YouTube Playlists. Playlist 15 Videos Glacial Lake Missoula 18:52 The Channeled Scablands - [Terms and Conditions](https://iafi.org/terms-and-conditions/): TERMS OF SERVICE OVERVIEW This website is operated by Ice Age Floods Institute. Throughout the site, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Ice Age Floods Institute. Ice Age Floods Institute offers this website, including all information, tools and Services available from this site to you, the user, conditioned upon your acceptance of all terms, conditions, policies and notices stated here. By visiting our site and/ or purchasing something from us, you engage in our “Service” and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”, “Terms”), including those additional terms and conditions and policies - [Refund and Returns Policy](https://iafi.org/refund_returns/): Overview Our refund and returns policy lasts 30 days. If 30 days have passed since your purchase, we can’t offer you a full refund or exchange. To be eligible for a return, your item must be unused and in the same condition that you received it. It must also be in the original packaging. Several types of goods are exempt from being returned. Perishable goods such as food, flowers, newspapers or magazines cannot be returned. We also do not accept products that are intimate or sanitary goods, hazardous materials, or flammable liquids or gases. Additional non-returnable items: Gift cards Downloadable - [Form A New IAFI Chapter](https://iafi.org/form-a-new-iafi-chapter/): So You Want To Organize A New IAFI Chapter? The Importance of Chapters We now have eleven chapters established as of September 2015. We have found that local chapters are the best way to promote activities that reach the largest number of people to best serve and represent the region as a partner in the presentation of the floods story. Get Help From The Institute The Board has approved a statement of requirements and guidelines to help local groups in the initial stages of organizing chapters. The requirements (revised April 26, 2002) and the Institute’s Bylaws (amended Oct. 18, 2002) - [From Our Archives](https://iafi.org/from-our-archives/): Relive Important Archive Articles A large number of important articles get buried over time as new articles are added to our website. So here’s a chance to review and relive some of our most important articles. We think you might enjoy reviewing these timeless features. - [Oregon](https://iafi.org/go-do/oregon/): OREGON PLACES To Go, Things To DoCOLUMBIA GORGE – WILLAMETTE VALLEY – PATH TO THE OCEAN - [Montana](https://iafi.org/go-do/montana/): MONTANA PLACES To Go, Things To DoGLACIAL LAKE MISSOULA – WHERE IT ALL BEGAN - [Washington](https://iafi.org/go-do/washington/): WASHINGTON PLACES To Go, Things To DoICE SHEETS – COULEES – THE CHANNELED SCABLAND - [Idaho](https://iafi.org/go-do/idaho/): IDAHO PLACES To Go, Things To DoPURCELL TRENCH – THE FLOODS BREAK-OUT AREA - [Places to Go! and Things to Do!](https://iafi.org/go-do/): GO PLACES! DO THINGS! Along the ICE AGE FLOODS NATIONAL GEOLOGIC TRAIL The Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail covers some 16,000 square miles (41,440 km2) in present day Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. We have hand picked some of the best of the best places along the Trail and present them here for you enjoy and explore! Check back often, we will be adding new and wonderful destinations for your entire Family to enjoy! MONTANA – IDAHO – WASHINGTON – OREGON SOME PLACES TO GO and THINGS TO DO in MONTANA Montana – Places to GO and Things to DO Click HERE - [IAFI Documents](https://iafi.org/iafi-docs/): Ice Age Floods Institute Newsletters and Documents Newsletters IAFI Newsletters are published quarterly (Jan., Apr., July, Oct.) and distributed to current IAFI members. We welcome your items and ideas Documents IAFI was established in 1995 to promote and educate the public about the Ice Age Floods. IAFI is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationEIN 91-1658221 Board Minutes The Ice Age Floods Board of Directors meets regularly to establish and discuss Priorities, Strategic Plans and Accomplishments. Members are welcome to attend Contact us for details. - [Resources](https://iafi.org/resources/): Resources to Explore the Ice Age Floods The Ice Age Floods Story A Brief Introduction to the Ice Age Floods During the most recent Ice Age (18,000 to 13,000 years ago), and probably in previous Ice Ages, cataclysmic floods inundated portions of the Pacific Northwest. Huge Ice Age glacial-outburst floods have occurred in other parts of the world, as well. Even in our own times much smaller outburst floods have occurred in several areas. Could huge floods on this scale happen again?With global warming now a serious concern, there is also concern that failures of the Antarctic Ice Sheet may produce - [IAFI Store](https://iafi.org/store-v2/): Ice Age Floods Institute – Online Store Apparel – Books – Prints & Posters – Videos & DVD’s – General Merchandise Be the “coolest cat” on the block with IAFI gear, prints and more!Have your “swag” on when traveling theIce Age Floods National Geologic Trail! IAFI Members get free shipping, so if you haven’t done so already,…Become an IAFI Member TODAY! QUICK ACCESS!ApparelBooksMapsPrints & PostersVideos & DVD’sMerchandise BOOKS FOR SALE! PRINTS & POSTERS FOR SALE! MAPS FOR SALE! APPAREL FOR SALE! VIDEOS & DVD’s FOR SALE! GENERAL MERCHANDISE FOR SALE! - [Technical Terms](https://iafi.org/terms/): Geologic Terminology The following images depict some Basic Geologic Terms you might encounter along throughout Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail.For a more comprehensive list check our Glossary of Technical Terms. Basic Geologic Terms BASALTA dark igneous volcanic rock composed of primarily two minerals: plagioclase and pyroxene. Over a period of 11 million years (17 to 6 million years B.P.) hundreds of flows of Columbia River basalt were extruded from long, linear vents in southeastern Washington, northeastern Oregon and west-central Idaho and traveled for hundreds of miles before cooling and solidifying to form the Columbia Plateau. NPS Photo BUTTEA conspicuous, - [Links](https://iafi.org/links/): Useful Floods Resources Glacial Lake Missoula Aerial Photography – Dave Bennett has been a pilot for more than 50 years logging over 5,000 hours in flight time and honing his skills as an aerial photographer.  Snapping photos and flying an airplane at the same time makes it more challenging to frame a shot as the plane is constantly moving. The stunning photos he’s taken are a testament to the grandeur of the Ice Age Floods, and to his skills as an aerial photographer. Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail – NPS – Too Huge to Believe – “At the end - [General Resources](https://iafi.org/general/): Ice age floods general resources Ice Age Floods Videos       Useful Maps for Exploring       IAFI Website Articles Online Floods Resources      Technical Articles      Glossary of Geologic Terms General Resources Pause your mouse over any item title to see a short description IAFI Website Articles A growing list of IAFI articles to help you explore the Ice Age Floods useful maps for exploring A growing list of map resources that can help when you go exploring the Ice Age Floods.Pause your mouse over any item to see a short description of the item Online Floods resources A - [Geology Corner](https://iafi.org/geology-corner/): Welcome to IAFI’s “Science Corner”!find interesting Science articles and answers here Do you have an science-related question? We might have an answer! Use the form at the bottom of the page to ask a question, submit a short article, field trip description, or to share some science information. We’ll love to help you share it (anonmously) with others! Science Corner Articles The Grand Coulee – A Floods Poem THE GRAND COULEE – A Floods Poem THE GRAND COULEE Older than legends,Younger than mountains,The earth remembersThe Great Inland Sea. And that Sea emptiedIn torrential furyNever imaginedEven in dreams. Down through the - [My account](https://iafi.org/my-account/) - [Checkout](https://iafi.org/checkout/) - [Cart](https://iafi.org/cart/) - [Shop](https://iafi.org/shop/): BOOKS MAPS DVDsPRINTS & POSTERSAPPARREL NOVELTIES We have what you need to learn about, explore and share the Ice Age Floods experiences and stories with others - [National Geologic Trail](https://iafi.org/nps-iafi/): Prints available in IAFI Store. Travel the ICE AGE FLOODS NATIONAL GEOLOGIC TRAIL Imagine the greatest floods on earth crashing across and sculpting the lands of the northwestern United States. This incredible true story is recorded in rock, sediments and spectacular landscapes that you can explore all along the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. At the end of the last Ice Age, 15,000 to 13,000 years ago, an ice dam in northern Idaho created Glacial Lake Missoula stretching 3,000 square miles around Missoula, Montana. The dam burst and released flood waters across central Washington and down the Columbia River to - [News](https://iafi.org/news-2/): Explore! Intro to the Ice Age Floods Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail NPS Teacher’s Curriclum Guide Places to Go! and Things to Do! Montana Idaho Washington Oregon Ice Age Floods Interactive Map Explore Ice Age Floods Videos News & Events IAFI News IAFI Events Activities Presentations Other Events IAFI Archives More News From Our Archives Join IAFI About IAFI IAFI Board of Directors Become a New Member! Renew Membership IAFI Chapters All Chapters Home Page About IAFI Explore the Ice Age Floods with IAFI Chapter Brochures Cheney-Spokane Coeur du Deluge Columbia River Gorge Ellensburg Glacial Lake Missoula Lake Lewis - [Home](https://iafi.org/): Ice Age Floods Institute4 States – 11 ChaptersBecome a Member!Ice Age Floods Institute4 States – 11 ChaptersBecome a Member!Ice Age Floods Institute4 States – 11 ChaptersBecome a Member! Welcome to IAFIThe Ice Age Floods Institute Ice Age Floods Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to publicly sharing and promoting public awareness and education relating to the significance of the Ice Age Floods.All article images on this website are used under Creative Commons license for educational purposes only and no profit is derived. IAFI News and Events Latest IAFI News Articles Upcoming IAFI Events May 14 6:00 pm – 7:30 pmHow Do - [Contact](https://iafi.org/contact/): Our Email isIAFInstitute@gmail.com Leave us a message or send us a text at(541) 716-1311 If you have Questions, Comments or Suggestions, we would love to hear from you!To Contact Us, email to IAFInstitute@gmail.com, phone or text to 541-716-1311, or complete the Contact Us form below.Someone will contact you promptly. Thank You! - [Field Guides](https://iafi.org/field-guides/): field guides Field Guides offer a way of going on a self-service Geological Adventure! Our History is rich with excitement and waiting for you to discover! Most of the field guides listed below have been prepared for non-geologists to help the general public  recognize and better understand the Ice Age Floods. The information contained in those field guides has been contributed by the authors as a service to the public and may not be peer reviewed, so they should not be cited for scientific purposes. Use these Field Guides to explore and better understand the Ice Age Floods - [Join](https://iafi.org/join-iafi/): BECOME A MEMBER join the Ice age floods institute 4 states – 11 chapters A Flood of New Experiences Click To Join Click To Renew About IAFI Membership When you become a member, we encourage you to join one of our IAFI Local Chapters. For more information explore our Local Chapters Page.We welcome your support and participation! For general membership questions, please Contact Us. Our Chapters Cheney-Spokane Chapter Cheney/Spokane, WA Coeur Du Deluge Chapter Sandpoint, ID Columbia River Gorge Chapter Columbia Gorge OR & WA Ellensburg ChapterEllensburg, WA Glacial Lake Missoula Chapter Missoula, MT  Lake Lewis Chapter Tri-Cities, WA  Lower Grand - [Intro](https://iafi.org/intro/): Ice Age Floods intro During the most recent Ice Age (18,000 to 13,000 years ago), and probably in previous Ice Ages, cataclysmic floods inundated portions of the Pacific Northwest. These Ice Age Floods originated primarily from Glacial Lake Missoula, but also from Lake Bonneville and perhaps as sub-glacial outbursts from under the continental ice sheet. When part of that Cordilleran Ice Sheet pushed into the Lake Pend Oreille area of the Idaho Panhandle, it created an ice dam over 40 miles wide and 3000 feet thick, that blocked the Clark Fork River drainage and impounded Glacial Lake Missoula. At its largest, the - [About](https://iafi.org/about/): About Ice Age Floods Institute The Ice Age Floods Institute (IAFI) was founded in 1995 as an educational nonprofit. Major accomplishments since inception include: Formation of eleven chapters across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana with a large and diverse membership.  The chapters, operating at the local level, offer monthly opportunities for members and the public to learn about the Ice Age Floods. Instrumental in the 2009 passage of the federal designation legislation authorizing the National Park Service to establish the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail (IAF-NGT). This significant milestone elevates the IAFI role as a primary private sector partner - [Privacy Policy](https://iafi.org/privacy-policy/): Who we are The Ice Age Floods Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to being the recognized advocate, educator and marketer of the Ice Age floods experience as a significant international natural and cultural heritage phenomenon. Our mission is to become the foremost provider of Ice Age floods scientific advice and marketing communications through member, partner and direct public collaborations. Our vision is to: Promote the ice Age Floods Story to a local, national and international audience through a partnership of economic, educational, conservation and community interests. Strategize physical learning center, educational processes, and visitor information opportunities that will - [Wenatchee Valley Erratics Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/wenatchee-valley-erratics-chapter/): Wenatchee Valley Erratics Where the Floods Came Early and Late Saddle Rock Wenatchee R.-Columbia R. Confluence Lake Wenatchee Wenatchee Clovis Points Babcock Bench Apparently, some of the earliest and some of the latest of the Ice Age Floods roared along the Columbia River through the Wenatchee area. They left fields of giant megaripples on massive point bars along the river, and back-flooded the tributary rivers that fed into the Columbia. At places like West Bar on the Columbia, it’s easy to recognize where the field of megaripples deposited by the massive early Floods have been cut into by later, smaller - [Puget Lobe Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/puget-lobe-chapter/): Puget Lobe Chapter A Different Ice Age Story Glacier Calving into Puget Sound Mt Erie Streamlining Cap Sante Glacial Grooves Glacial Grooves Mima Mounds Nat’l Preserve Subglacial Meltwater Discovery Park In addition to presenting programs and activities about the Ice Age Floods, the Puget Lobe Chapter explores aspects of the geology and natural history of the Puget Basin and Western Washington that are complementary to the principal Floods story. It was in this region that J Harlen Bretz, as a Seattle resident over 100 years ago, began his serious examination of the large-scale effects of lowland glaciation and de-glaciation. Glacial - [Palouse Falls Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/palouse-falls-chapter/): Palouse Falls Chapter A River Redirected, Fertile Islands in a Barren Scabland Landscape Palouse Falls – Photo Glenn Traver Palouse Island – Nat’l Geographic Upper Palouse Falls Palouse Islands Divided Bonneville Flood Slackwater Beds Palouse Coulee Long before the Ice Age Floods rampaged south through the scabland tracts, the Palouse River followed a southwesterly path. But the Floods overwhelmed the old river path, gouging a new southward path along a major fracture zone and forever capturing the Palouse River in an almost arrow straight path along the fracture zone. Over the course of many Floods spilling over the basalt cliffs - [Lower Grand Coulee Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/lower-grand-coulee-chapter/): Lower Grand Coulee Chapter Lower Grand Coulee Chapter Steamboat Rock Sunset Million Dollar Mile, Upper Grand Coulee Springtime at Steamboat Rock by George Kuzminsky Gehrke Windmill Garden Northrup Cnyn Flood Deposits Northrup Cyn Quarry Rhythmites Dry Falls Dry Falls Plunge Pool – Ominski Lower Grand Coulee Blue Lake Rhino Cave MonsterRock-EphrataFan As the combined flood waters from Glacial Lakes Missoula and Columbia surged westward on the path of the Columbia River the rampaging floods were deflected south by the eastern margin of the Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. As the concentrated flood waters spilled over a monoclinal fold - [Lower Columbia Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/lower-columbia-chapter/): Lower Columbia Chapter Temporary Lake Allison Was 400+ Feet Deep Over Portland Ages End – Stev Ominski Temporary Lake Allison Bellevue Erratic – Stev Ominski Tualatin Mastodon Willamette Meteorite Willamette Falls Portland 400+ Feet Under Lake Allison Floods Filled the Portland Basin When the Ice Age Floods roared into the Portland Basin they deposited gravel bars and scoured around topographic highs like the ‘Boring’ volcanoes (Powell Butte, etc.) and the Portland Hills. As they flowed on toward the ocean they were obstructed downstream at Kalama Narrows, which caused the flood waters to back up in temporary Lake Allison that filled - [Lake Lewis Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/lake-lewis-chapter/): Lake Lewis Chapter More Depostion than Erosion Twin Sisters – Wallula Gap Wallula Gap Burlingame Canyon Rhythmites The Reach Museum Chief Timothy Story Circle Columbian Mammoths in the Horse Heaven Hills Twin Sisters – Wallula Gap Lake Lewis – Then and Now White Bluffs at Hanford Reach Where the Floods left more than they carried away When the Ice Age Floods reached Wallula Gap there was far too much water to pass through that sole gap in the Horse Heaven Hills. The gap became a hydraulic dam that caused the flood waters to back up even as the floods poured - [Glacial Lake Missoula Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/glacial-lake-missoula-chapter/): Glacial Lake Missoula Chapter The Source of Bretz’s Floods Wave-cut benches above Missoula, MT Camas Prairie Megaripples Camas Prairie Basin Aerial Photo Glacial Lake Missoula Rhythmites Joseph T. Pardee Glacial Lake Missoula at the Ice Dam Ice Dam – Stev Ominski Ice Dam Failure – Stev Ominski Eddy Narrows – Joseph Pardee Eddy Narrows Glacial Lake Missoula Marker at Mt. Jumbo, MT “the source” The source of the massive flood waters responsible for J Harlan Bretz’s 1922 “Outrageous Hypothesis” of catastrophic floods having carved the central Washington basin, was not generally recognized until Joseph Pardee’s 1940 publication of his research - [Ellensburg Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/ellensburg-chapter/): Ellensburg Chapter Spectacular Coulees and Channels Frenchman Coulee At Ginkgo Petrified Forest Visitor’s Center Basalt Tootsie Rolls Babcock Bench Drumheller Channels coulees, channels, petrified forests The Ellensburg Chapter includes the area of the Quincy Basin at the southwest end of the Grand Coulee and the Telford-Crab Creek Scabland Tract. The Floods flowing south across the Quincy Basin carved out the broad Drumheller Channels area, and those spreading west to the Columbia River carved out the Frenchman and Potholes Coulees. As the flood waters backed up behind the downstream constriction at Wallula Gap the waters of temporary Lake Lewis filled part - [Columbia River Gorge Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/columbia-river-gorge-chapter/): Columbia River Gorge Chapter Columbia River Gorge – Beauty Born in Mayhem Giant Whirlpools Create Kolks Rowena Kolk Pond Mosier Erratic in Massive Gravel Deposits Basalt Hoodoos Near John Day Dam Floods Undercutting Activated These Slump Blocks Columbia River Gorge Floods Denuded the Beacon Rock Cinder Cone Catherine Creek Erratic Floods Scabland at Dallesport Not Always So Serene The tranquil beauty of today’s Gorge belies the ~50 million years of volcanic and floods-induced mayhem that created this natural wonder. For well over 20 million years the Columbia River has slowly cut its valley through layers of basalt, taking many paths - [Coeur du Deluge Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/coeur-du-deluge-chapter/): Coeur du Deluge Chapter An Ice Dam Blocked the Clark Fork River The ice dam blocked the Clark Fork River Ice Dam – Stev Ominski Ice Dam Failure – Stev Ominski The Floods burst out through this area Floods deposits Spirit Lake dammed with Floods debris Ice Dam site at the Clark Fork River “ice dam on the clark fork” Near the end of the last Ice Age, a lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet over 40 miles wide and 3000 feet thick covered this area. It blocked the Clark Fork River, impounding over 500 cubic miles of water in - [Cheney-Spokane Chapter](https://iafi.org/chapters/cheney-spokane-chapter/): Cheney-Spokane Chapter Gateway to the Channeled Scabland “The Gateway” The Spokane area was the Ice Age Floods pathway to the Channeled Scabland Tracts and Coulees of Central Washington. The flood waters passing through the area from Glacial Lake Missoula undoubtedly carried large volumes of rock and iceberg debris. Much of the rock debris that was deposited along this Floods breakout path formed the Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer, an underground reservoir of water that is the source of drinking water for the citizens of Spokane. The greater Spokane area has its fair share of recessional cataracts, waterfalls, including Spokane Falls in downtown - [Interactive Map](https://iafi.org/features-map/): USE OUR INTERACTIVE MAP TO EXPLOREICE-AGE FLOODS AND GLACIAL FEATURES For an index of sites click the ‘Expand Index’ icon (map title bar, left side) or View Larger Map icon (map title bar, right side). This map is intended as an aid to help you explore importantice-age features in the Pacific Northwest area. Though we try to maintain accuracy, the Ice Age Floods Institute does not guarantee the accuracy of any information represented on this map. Use your scroll wheel to zoom, click-hold to drag the map around, click on markers for details, photos, and links to more information. This - [IAFI Chapters](https://iafi.org/chapters/):  ICE AGE FLOODS INSTITUTE 11 Chapters in 4 States (MT, ID, WA, OR) Exploring a vast, barren landscape carved thousands of year ago by gigantic floods…A perplexing scientific puzzle still being solved…The Ice Age Floods IAFI seeks to bring the Ice Age Floods story home to local communities through its 11 local chapters.When you Join IAFI, you can also join a local chapter. You may affiliate with any chapter you wish, regardless of where you live. Click Here or the Join menu above for more information about joining IAFI.  Our chapters and the areas they serve Cheney-Spokane Chapter – covering ## Products - [Geologic History of the Wenatchee Valley and Adjacent Vicinity, revised edition](https://iafi.org/product/geologic-history-of-the-wenatchee-valley-and-adjacent-vicinity-revised-edition/): A pictorial essay of the geologic history of the Wenatchee Valley with colorful pictures, GPS locations and a field map. Includes an introduction to the geologic processes that formed Washington State and particularly the Wenatchee areas, its rocks, features, and sediments, and the many reminders of the Ice Age Floods that covered and transformed the region. This new oversized softcover is signed by the author. Limited to stock on hand. - [IAFI 30th Anniversary Long-Sleeve T-Shirt](https://iafi.org/product/iafi-30th-anniversary-long-sleeve-t-shirt/): 30th anniversary commemorative long sleeve t-shirt, blue, with the IAFI logo emblazoned on the pocket and the 30th anniversary patch and text on the left arm. Limited edition item that must be pre-ordered by August 31, 2025. Note: sizes tend to run a bit large. - [Geology Underfoot in Western Washington](https://iafi.org/product/geology-underfoot-in-western-washington/) - [Bretz's Flood, soft cover edition](https://iafi.org/product/bretzs-flood-soft-cover-edition/): J. Harlen Bretz was the geologist to answer the riddle of how the dramatic coulees, gullies, and deserts between Idaho and the Cascade Mountains in eastern Washington came to be.  This is the story of his persistence against the odds and  his triumph over the conventional scientific thinking of his time. - [Gigaflood](https://iafi.org/product/gigaflood/): GigaFlood: The Largest of the Lake Missoula Floods In Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington The Ice Age Lake Missoula Floods affected four states and left much evidence of their passing. Most dramatic are the scablands of eastern Washington. With few exceptions all other books on the subject stop at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge. GigaFlood reveals the effects of the largest Lake Missoula Flood in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington with photos, maps and illustrations. This much neglected area has more subtle features from these floods that inundated the Portland/Vancouver area, Willamette and other valleys with up - [Ice Age Floods + Glacial and Temporary Lakes Paired Maps Offer](https://iafi.org/product/paired-maps-offer-ice-age-floods-glacial-and-temporary-lakes/): For a limited time we are offering two maps together, the “Ice Age Floods of the Pacific Northwest” and the “Glacial and Temporary Lakes – Ice Age Floods of the Pacific Northwest”, for a combined reduced price. Our classic “Ice Age Floods of the Pacific Northwest” map has long been recognized as an important and widely used resource for understanding and sharing the Ice Age Floods story. Now our new “Glacial and Temporary Lakes – Ice Age Floods of the Pacific Northwest” is an informative companion piece graphically illustrating an important part of the Ice Age Floods story. Both maps - [Glacial and Temporary Lakes - Ice Age Floods of the Pacific NW](https://iafi.org/product/glacial-and-temporary-lakes-ice-age-floods-of-the-pacific-nw/): This beautiful new, full color map of the Ice Age Floods Glacial and Temporary Lakes shows the locations and maximum extents of Glacial Lake Missoula, Glacial Lake Columbia, and the several temporary lakes (Lake Lewis, Lake Condon, Lake Allison and others) that formed for only a couple of weeks at any one time along the path of the several Ice Age Floods. The glacial and temporary lakes are shown as overlays on the area inundated by the Ice Age mega-floods. The map also shows the general outline of the shoreface exposed by the lowered sea level during the glacial maximum, - [The Great Ice Age Floods – Double DVD Video](https://iafi.org/product/the-great-ice-age-floods-double-dvd-video/): In a geologic heartbeat, cataclysmic floods containing 10 time the flow of all the world’s rivers thundered across the Pacific NW. The Great Ice Age Floods – Catastrophic Transformation of the West 2 video programs on one DVD! “IN A GEOLOGIC HEARTBEAT, CATACLYSMIC FLOODS CONTAINING TEN TIMES THE FLOW OF ALL THE WORLD’S RIVERS THUNDERED ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.” VIDEO ONE—THE GREAT FLOODS – CATACLYSMS OF THE ICE AGE. The Pacific Northwest was the state for one of the 20th century’s great mysteries. The unlikely evidence: a maze of enormous empty river canyons, boulder-strewn valleys, giant ripple marks, and the skeletal - [Sculpted by Floods – DVD Video](https://iafi.org/product/sculpted-by-floods-dvd-video/): Tells a story of the earth’s power, scientific discovery and human nature—the greatest story that is still just barely told. SCULPTED BY FLOODS: The Northwest’s Ice Age Legacy A story of the earth’s power, scientific discovery and human nature—the greatest story that is still just barely told. This DVD tells the story of cataclysmic floods that swept across the Pacific Northwest when ancient lakes burst through their glacial dams 15,000 years ago. Producer-director Alison Kartevold worked with USGS scientist Richard Waitt to document terrestrial evidence of the floods and with USGS scientist Bill Normark to discuss where the floodwaters went - [Mystery of the MegaFlood – DVD Video](https://iafi.org/product/mystery-of-the-megaflood-dvd-video/): The Washington State “Scablands”, covering 16,000 square miles and one of the earth’s weirdest landscapes, poses a giant scientific riddle. Mystery of the MegaFlood – Examining the World’s Most Catastrophic Flood In the Washington State “Scablands,” covering 16,000 square miles, one of the earth’s weirdest landscapes poses a giant scientific riddle. What could have scoured out huge potholes, torn out enormous rips and scars, scattered massive boulders as if dropped by giants, and carved out a “waterfall” five times wider than Niagara, but without any water? A maverick geologist became convinced he had the answer: the biggest flood unleashed anywhere on - [Killer Floods](https://iafi.org/product/killer-floods/): A PBS video production telling stories of floods around the world and from the distant past, including the Ice Age Floods.A PBS video production telling stories of floods around the world and from the distant past, including the Ice Age Floods. All over the world, scientists are discovering traces of ancient floods on a scale that dwarfs even the most severe flood disasters of recent times. What triggered these cataclysmic floods and could they strike again? Over a vast expanse of Washington State called the Channeled Scablands, the level prairie gives way to bizarre, gargantuan rock formations: house-sized boulders seemingly - [“Inundation at Beacon Rock” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/inundation-at-beacon-rock-print-by-stev-ominski/): “Inundation at Beacon Rock – The approaching flood waters slam into the side of Beacon Rock, in the central Columbia River Gorge. As this is a wide section of the gorge. The waters never topped Beacon Rock.” Stev’s description: “Inundation at Beacon Rock – The approaching flood waters slam into the side of Beacon Rock, in the central Columbia River Gorge. As this is a wide section of the gorge. The waters never topped Beacon Rock.”   The view depicts the scene looking north across the Columbia River from its south bank.  The print itself measures 17 inches wide and - [“The Bellevue Erratic” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/the-bellevue-erratic-print-by-stev-ominski/): This erratic (a van-sized piece of Belt Rock/Schist) sits today as the largest found in the Willamette Valley. The print itself measures 17 inches wide and 11 inches high, is mounted on a cream-colored backer and encased in a clear protective sleeve, with finished measurements of 22 1/4 wide and 15 1/4 high. It is signed by the artist. - [“The Icebergs at Ginko” – Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/the-icebergs-at-ginko-print-by-stev-ominski/): Icebergs float in the backwaters that cover the present-day Ginko Park. This print is from the perspective on the southwest bank of the bluffs above the Columbia river, looking to the northeast. The print itself is 17 inches long and 11 inches high, is mounted on a cream-colored backer and covered by a clear sleeve, with finished measurements of 22 1/4 inches long and 15 1/4 inches high. Stev has signed each print. - [“Plunge Pool/Dry Falls” – Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/plunge-pool-dry-falls-print-by-stev-ominski/): “The iconic waterfall feature along the Grand Coulee during mid flood” is how Stev describes this scene, which can so vividly be imagined as one stands at the Visitor Center at Dry Falls gazing across the plunge pool. This print is 17 inches long and 11 inches high, mounted on a cream-colored backing and covered by a clear plastic sleeve. The finished measurements are 22 1/4 inches long and 15 1/4 inches high. Dimensions: 22.25″ × 15.25″ - [“Age’s End” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/ages-end-print-by-stev-ominski/): “Ages End – The classic viewpoint seen a zillion times on calendars around the world over the years, but viewed here back during the Ice Age Floods. Note: Beacon Rock can be seen, out in the left side of the river, in the distance. Prior to the end of the days event the river would have topped where you, the viewer, is standing at around 800’ above the normal river level.” Stev Ominski’s artistic rendition of one of the Ice Age Floods crashing through the Columbia River Gorge. The view is looking east from the Women’s Forum, east of Portland, - [“The Ice Dam” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/the-ice-dam-print-by-stev-ominski/): This is a depiction of the terminus end of the dam at the end of the Purcell Trench. The print measures 17 inches wide and 11 inches high, is mounted on a cream-colored backer, and covered by a clear sleeve, with the finished measurements at 22 1/4 inches wide by 15 1/4 inches high. Stev’s signature appears on each print. Dimensions: 22.25″ × 15.25″ - [“Inundation at Dry Falls” – Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/inundation-at-dry-falls-print-by-stev-ominski/): With the ice sheet perched above it to the north, Dry Falls is transformed time and time again by the retreating action of flood water erosion. This print is only the third that is meant to be hung vertically. It measures 11 inches long and is 17 inches high, is mounted on a cream backer and encased in a clear plastic sleeve, and hung as is measures 15 1/4 inches long and 22 1/4 inches high. Each print has been signed by the artist. - [“Beginning of the End” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/beginning-of-the-end-print-by-stev-ominski/): The artist describes this as “a study of several ways in which the dam may have begun to fail.” The scene overlooks the terminus of the ice dam, and depicts two small streams of water beginning to flow from the dam, shortly before the cataclysmic failure of the entire structure. The print measures 17 inches wide by 11 inches high, is mounted on a cream-colored backing encased in a clear sleeve, giving it final measurements of 22 1/4 inches wide by 15 1/4 inches high, and has been signed by Stev. - [“The Deluge” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/the-deluge-print-by-stev-ominski/): Palouse Falls as it looked with diminishing floodwaters rushing down the Palouse River Canyon. This print measures 11 inches wide and 17 inches high, is mounted on a cream-colored backer and encased in a clear sleeve, giving final measurements of 15 1/4 inches wide and 22 1/4 inches high. It is signed by Stev. This picture, though beautiful by itself, is a natural companion to another available art print “Palouse” which depicts Palouse Falls today. - [“Palouse” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/palouse-print-by-stev-ominski/): Although immersing himself in flood studies, Stev couldn’t resist painting beautiful Palouse Falls as they appear today and making the print available to the public. This print is sold by itself, but makes a lovely companion to “Deluge”, which depicts the same site as it might have appeared with torrents of water raging down the Palouse Canyon to the Snake River. “Palouse” measures 11 inches wide and 17 inches tall, is mounted on a cream-colored backer, encased in a clear sleeve, and has finished measurements of 15 1/4 inches wide and 22 1/4 inches high. It is, of course, signed - [“The Rowena Incident” Print by Stev Ominski](https://iafi.org/product/the-rowena-incident-print-by-stev-ominski/): “An imaginary event based on two facts; 1) that the approaching waters in the scene approached the Rowena Gap narrows, and 2) numerous Columbia Mammoth dig sites have been found nearby, within a mile or so of the present day site of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in The Dalles.” In the scene, the viewer sees a small family of panicked mammoths flee from the rising floodwaters rushing from Wallula Gap to the Columbia River Gorge constriction at Rowena Gap. The Ice Age Floods Institute chose this print as the frontispiece for its general brochure. We now offer two sizes - [Lake Missoula Floods Path - Poster](https://iafi.org/product/lake-missoula-floods-path/): A collection of Rick Thompson’s stunning panorama photographs from along the Ice Age Floods trail in a single poster ready for framing. - [Where the Great River Bends](https://iafi.org/product/where-the-great-river-bends/): The Ice Age Floods, Native Americans, fur trappers, railroads and more have made Wallula Gap an important historical and cultural landmark in the West’s awesome landscape. Where the Great River Bends – A natural and human history of the Columbia at Wallula Edited by Bob J. Carson Keokee Books, 2009, 240 pages, softcover Where the Great River Bends highlights Wallula Gap, a National Natural Landmark in south central Washington State where geography has defined history, marked by the narrowing of the mighty Columbia River halfway between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Loaded with more than 200 black-and-white and - [Many Waters – Walla Walla Natural History](https://iafi.org/product/many-waters-natural-history-of-the-walla-walla-valley-and-vicinity/): Many Waters is a testament to the beauty of an extraordinary place. From the Blue Mountains to the Columbia River, southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon, in particular the Walla Walla Valley, is a remarkable region, one that American Indians called Wallah Wallah, or Many Waters. And for good reason. It’s always been a bountiful place with its rich soils and streams teeming with fish. Included are more than 40 paintings by noted Northwest landscape artist Leslie Cain to illustrate the Walla Walla River, Mill Creek and the Touchet River as they make their way from the Blue Mountains through fertile - [Roadside Geology of Idaho](https://iafi.org/product/roadside-geology-of-idaho/): Idaho is a big state, thus has a LOT of Geology, which you will enjoy reading all about here! - [Living with Thunder](https://iafi.org/product/living-with-thunder-exploring-the-geologic-past-present-and-future-of-the-pacific-northwest/): By Ellen Morris Bishop – The Pacific Northwest is a region defined by its geology as much as its rugged coastline, drippy westside forests, fertile farms, and canyoned eastside grasslands. These landscapes have been forged by volcanoes, crumpled by faults and sculpted by water and ice. - [Roadside Geology of Oregon](https://iafi.org/product/roadside-geology-of-oregon/): Author, photographer, and geologist Marli Miller has written a completely new second edition based on the most up-to-date understanding of Oregon’s geology. Spectacular photographs showcase the state’s splendor while also helping readers understand geologic processes at work. Roadside Geology of Oregon, Second Edition, is a must-have for every Pacific NW resident, student, and rockhound. When the first edition of Roadside Geology of Oregon was published in 1978, it was revolutionary—the first book in a series designed to educate, inspire, and wow nongeologists. Back then, the implications of plate tectonic theory were only beginning to shape geologic research and discussion. Geologists hadn’t yet learned that Oregon’s Klamath and Blue - [Roadside Geology of Montana, 2nd Edition](https://iafi.org/product/roadside-geology-of-montana-2nd-edition/): Over 30 years after the first Roadside Geology of Montana, with this completely revised full-color second edition by Don Hyndman and Robert Thomas as your guide, you’ll discover a panorama of world-class geologic features around every bend of the road throughout Montana. - [Idaho Rocks](https://iafi.org/product/idaho-rocks/): To discover the unworldly geologic novelties of the Gem State, all that is required is a good map, a sense of adventure, and Idaho Rocks!, a guide to 60 of the most compelling geologic sites in Idaho. The well-chosen destinations span the state’s geologic history from the 2.6-billion-year-old gneiss in the Panhandle to 2,000-year-old lava at Craters of the Moon, and from gold and silver deposits hidden in Idaho’s mountains to visible scars from recent earthquakes and landslides. With its beautiful photographs and informative figures and maps, this guidebook will get you up to speed on every aspect of Idaho’s - [Geology Underfoot in Southern Idaho](https://iafi.org/product/geology-underfoot-in-southern-idaho/): Southern Idaho Geology explained in detail. - [Cataclysms on the Columbia](https://iafi.org/product/cataclysms-on-the-columbia/): Follow the geological research that challenged early 20th century geology and discovered the powerful prehistoric floods that shaped the Pacific Northwest - [Bretz's Flood, hard cover edition](https://iafi.org/product/bretzs-flood/): J Harlen Bretz was the geologist to answer the riddle of how the dramatic coulees, gullies, and deserts between Idaho and the Cascade Mountains in Eastern Washington came to be.  This is the story of his persistence and eventual triumph over the conventional scientific thinking of his time. - [Glacial Lake Missoula](https://iafi.org/product/glacial-lake-missoula/): The gripping tale of a huge Ice Age lake that drained suddenly—not just once but repeatedly—and reshaped the landscape of the Northwest. - [Terra Tempo](https://iafi.org/product/terra-tempo/): Ride along with the time travel kids as they tour the changing landscapes from the back of a mythic Thunderbird and work together to survive the dangers of the Ice Age Cataclysm! - [Washington Rocks! (Geology Rocks!)](https://iafi.org/product/washington-rocks-geology-rocks/): Active volcanoes, like Rainier and Baker, dominate Washington’s western half, and Columbia flood basalt covers much of the eastern half, but scattered here and there are other equally amazing rocks and features that make the Evergreen State one of the most geologically interesting places in the entire country. With this book as your guide, you can find limestone caves, billion-year-old gneiss, glacial moraines, petrified forests, fossilized palm leaves, upside-down sandstone beds, and ancient landslides. Or you can explore the mind-boggling canyons, waterfalls, and scabland carved by the torrential Missoula Floods, check out the glacially carved granite of the North Cascades, - [Roadside Geology of Washington](https://iafi.org/product/roadside-geology-of-washington/): Washington is alive with geologic activity: It’s home to the most active volcanoes in the Lower Forty-Eight, earthquakes rattle the populated Puget Sound region, the potential of landslides increases with each soaking rain, and tsunami evacuation routes alert tourists in Olympic National Park to the active plate boundary just off the coast. With the help of this completely revised second edition by Pacific Northwest geologists, you can appreciate the many spectacular geologic features along more than forty of Washington’s highways. - [Washington’s Channeled Scablands Guide](https://iafi.org/product/washingtons-channeled-scablands-guide/): Use this comprehensive guide to explore Washington’s Ice Age canyons of wonder, great trails, stunning scenery, and amazing history. - [On The Trail of the Ice Age Floods – Vol. 2](https://iafi.org/product/the-northern-reaches-on-the-trail-of-the-ice-age-floods-vol-2/): Explore the Ice Age Floods from where they originated at the Idaho-Montana border through Washington’s Channeled Scabland. - [On The Trail of the Ice Age Floods – Vol. 1](https://iafi.org/product/on-the-trail-of-the-ice-age-floods-vol-1/): This Ice Age Floods guidebook covers the Mid-Columbia Region: Moses Lake to Palouse Falls to Wallula Gap to Yakima. - [Glacial Geology Maps of North Idaho](https://iafi.org/product/glacial-geology-maps-of-north-idaho/): This two-sided geologic map includes a GLACIAL GEOLOGIC MAP OF NORTH IDAHO on one side and a SHADED RELIEF MAP OF NORTHERN IDAHO AND PARTS OF WESTERN MONTANA AND EASTERN WASHINGTON on the other side.The maps are 33.75” x 21.5” in size and are available as both flat and folded versions at a price of $9.95 + tax and shipping. The GLACIAL GEOLOGIC MAP OF NORTH IDAHO is a color map produced at the scale of approximately 1/175,000 that represents over 30 years of research and field work by Dr. Roy Breckenridge, former Idaho State Geologist and VP of the - [Ice Age Floods in the Pacific Northwest – Map](https://iafi.org/product/ice-age-floods-in-the-pacific-northwest-map/): This beautiful full color map of the Missoula Floods has been updated by IAFI. This new map shows the locations of the glaciers during the last glacial cycle, Glacial Lake Missoula and Glacial Lake Columbia, the area inundated during the mega-floods of the Ice Age, and the location of the greatly reduced sea level during the glacial maximum. We have added considerable details of topography, roads, and numerous towns and cities. Details of topography, roads, and numerous towns and cities are also shown for reference. THE IAFI MAP IS AVAILABLE THREE FORMATS: 11″ x 17″ – $12.00 11″ x 17″ laminated - [IAFI CHAPTER BROCHURES](https://iafi.org/product/ice-age-floods-chapter-brochures/): Mix & Match – Your choice from our collection of 11 IAFI Chapter Brochures for $3 each, or a packaged Full Set of all 11 for $20, shipping included. - [IAFI Tee Shirts](https://iafi.org/product/iafi-tee-shirts/): Make others aware of your interest in the Ice Age Floods and the Institute when you wear one of these 100% cotton classic men’s style t-shirts, emblazoned discretely or prominently with the IAFI logo or Steve Ominski’s “Bellevue Erratic” illustration. - [IAFI Ball Caps](https://iafi.org/product/cap/): Size-adjustable ball-cap with embroidered IAFI logo. These durable caps are 100% cotton and adjustable to any hat size. They’re the perfect compliment for almost anything, from field work to hikes, or just gardening around the house. Be easily recognized as someone who can share the story of the Ice Age Floods, it’s a great icebreaker. Also available in Husky purple and Cougar orange. [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)