NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Moses Coulee

Moses Coulee cuts into the Waterville plateau in Douglas County, Washington. It is to the west of and roughly parallel to the more famous Grand Coulee. The mouth of Moses Coulee discharges into the Columbia River at the Great Gravel Bar of Moses Coulee, a National Natural Landmark which was designated a landmark because it is one the largest examples of bars created by outburst floods of Lake Missoula over the Channeled Scablands of Washington. (Coordinates: lower coulee-47°22′30″N, 120°00′00″W middle coulee 47°27′30″N, 119°48′00″W upper coulee - 47°37′30″N, 119°42′00″W ). Douglas County is the name of several counties in the United States: Douglas County, Colorado Douglas County, Georgia Douglas County, Illinois Douglas County, Kansas Douglas County, Minnesota Douglas County, Missouri Douglas County, Nebraska Douglas County, Nevada Douglas County, Oregon Douglas County, South Dakota Douglas County, Washington Douglas County, Wisconsin This... Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area Ranked 18th - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,824 kmÂ²) - Width 240 miles (385 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 6. ... The Grand Coulee The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. ... Columbia River Gorge, Washington or North side The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river situated in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... Caverns of Sonora National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmark (NNL) program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the United States natural history. ... Glacial Lake Columbia (west) and Glacial Lake Missoula (east) are shown south of Cordilleran Ice Sheet. ... Glacial Lake Missoula was a prehistoric proglacial lake in western Montana that existed periodically at the end of the last ice age between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago. ... DrumHeller Channels The Channeled Scablands are unique geological erosion features in the U.S. state of Washington. ...

Geologic History

The plateau

Moses Coulee cuts into the Waterville Plateau, which lies in the northwest corner of the Columbia River Plateau. The plateau is formed on top of the Columbia River Basalt Group a large igneous province that lies across parts of the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the United States of America. During late Miocene and early Pliocene times, one of the largest flood basalts ever to appear on the earth's surface engulfed about 163,700 km² (63,000 mile²) of the Pacific Northwest, forming a large igneous province with an estimated volume of 174,300 km3. Eruptions were most vigorous from 17—14 million years ago, when over 99% of the basalt was released. Less extensive eruptions continued from 14—6 million years ago. The Washington towns of Spokane, Vantage, Yakima and Pasco, and the Oregon town of Pendleton, lie on the Columbia River Plateau. ... The Columbia River Basalt Group encompasses portions of 3 states. ... A large igneous province (LIP) is an extensive region of basalts resulting from flood basalt volcanism. ... Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area Ranked 18th - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,824 kmÂ²) - Width 240 miles (385 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 6. ... Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area Ranked 9th - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 kmÂ²) - Width 260 miles (420 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 2. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Miocene epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23 to 5. ... The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts) is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5. ... A flood basalt is a giant volcanic eruption that coats large stretches of land with basalt lava. ... Earth (IPA: , often referred to as the Earth, Terra, the World or Planet Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth largest. ... A large igneous province (LIP) is an extensive region of basalts resulting from flood basalt volcanism. ...

These lava flows have been extensively exposed by the erosion resulting from the Missoula Floods, which laid bare many layers of the basalt flows on the edges of the plateau along the course of Moses Coulee.^[1]^[2] ^[3]^[4]^[5] Glacial Lake Columbia (west) and Glacial Lake Missoula (east) are shown south of Cordilleran Ice Sheet. ...

The glacial history

Two million years ago the Pleistocene epoch began and Ice age glaciers invaded the area. They scoured the Columbia River Plateau, reaching as far south as the middle of the Waterville Plateau highlands above the Grand Coulee and south to the head of Moses Coulee. In some areas north of the Grand Coulee they were as much as 3 km (10000 feet) thick. Grooves in the exposed granite bedrock are still visible in the area from the movement of glaciers and numerous glacial erratics in the elevated regions to the Northwest of the coulee. The south terminus of the Okanogan lobe is clearly marked by an abrupt south limit of lumpy, rocky moraines which can be seen while driving thorough the area or from satellite photography. The ice-dammed Columbia River backed up to form Glacial Lake Columbia and Lake Spokane, larger lakes than Lake Roosevelt, which is currently backed up in the same location behind the Grand Coulee Dam. The overflow of these glacial lakes created Moses Coulee.^[6]^[1]^[2]^[7] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (515x697, 127 KB) Figure adapted from works of the United States Government, which are in the w:public domain combined with data from references. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (515x697, 127 KB) Figure adapted from works of the United States Government, which are in the w:public domain combined with data from references. ... The Pleistocene epoch (IPA: ) is part of the geologic timescale. ... Variations in CO2, temperature and dust from the Vostok ice core over the last 400 000 years For the animated movie, see Ice Age (movie). ... Austrias longest glacier, the Pasterze, winds its 8 km (5 mile) route at the foot of Austrias highest mountain, the Grossglockner A glacier is a large, long-lasting river of ice that is formed on land and moves in response to gravity. ... A Glacial erratic is a piece of rock carried by glacial ice some distance from the rock outcrop from which it came. ...

Creation of Moses Coulee

A precursor to glacial-flood-cut Moses Coulee existed prior to the glacial floods as a drainage basin with a number of side stream, draining the southern portion of the plateau. These streams had combined into a canyon that drained to the Columbia near the current mouth of Moses Coulee. These side drainages are still visible today along the coulee walls as truncated streambeds, interspersed with gable-like highlands.^[8]

The Okanogan lobe of the Cordilleran Glacier moved down the Okanogan River valley, covering 500 mi² of the Waterville Plateau and blocked the ancient route of the Columbia River, backing up water to create Glacial Lake Columbia and Lake Spokane. Initially water discharged from Lake Columbia by running up through the head of Grand Coulee and down through Foster Coulee to rejoin the Columbia River. As the glacier moved further south, Foster Coulee was cut off and the Columbia River then discharged through Moses Coulee, which runs southward slightly to the east of the ancient and current course of the Columbia. As the Okanogan lobe grew, it blocked Moses Coulee as well; the Columbia found the next lowest route through the region which was eroded to become the modern Grand Coulee. Flowing across the current Grand Coulee & Dry Falls regions, the ice age Columbia then entered the Quincey Basin & joined Crab Creek, following Crab Creek’s course southward past the Frenchman Hills and turning west to run along the north face of the Saddle Mountains & rejoin the previous and modern course of the Columbia River just above the main water gap in the Saddle Mountains, Sentinel Gap. The Cordilleran ice sheet was a major ice sheet that covered, during glacial periods of the Quaternary, a large area of North America. ... The Okanogan River (called the Okanagan River in its upper reaches in Canada) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia in Canada and north central Washington in the United States. ... The Grand Coulee The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. ...

Although the Columbia River flowed only for a short period through Moses Coulee, this period included one or more do the tremendous flows from the Missoula Floods.^[7] Glacial Lake Columbia (west) and Glacial Lake Missoula (east) are shown south of Cordilleran Ice Sheet. ...

After the glacier

As the Okanogan lobe melted, the upper portions of Moses Coulee were littered with clear evidence of its passing in the Withrow Moraine. The glacier left behind a blanket of glacial till, up to 50 feet thick in places. This glacial till, comprised of clay, silt, sand, gravel, cobblestones, and erratic boulders, covers most of the upper coulee. ^[8] The Withrow Moraine erratic on glacial till at the terminus of the Okanogan lobe. ... An erratic is a fragment of glacial till carried by ice, sometimes for hundreds of miles, and deposited on rocks of a different geologic composition. ...

Today Moses Coulee supports an excellent example of a shrub-steppe ecoregion. Vegetation includes sagebrush, rabbitbrush, greasewood, hopsage, bitterbrush, bunchgrass, buckwheat and other vegetation once common to most of the Colubia Plateau.^[8] Shrub-steppe is low rainfall natural grassland ecoregion extending from southeastern Washington and eastern Oregon, through Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, and into western Wyoming and Colorado. ... Binomial name Artemisia tridentata Nutt. ... Species see text Chrysothamnus, common name Rabbitbrush, is a member of the Asteraceae family. ... Species See text. ... Species See text. ... Any grass of the poaceae family that grows in clumps or tufts may be called bunch grass. ... Binomial name Fagopyrum esculentum Common Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a plant in the genus Fagopyrum (sometimes merged into genus Polygonum) in the family Polygonaceae. ...

Moses Coulee Preserve

The Nature Conservancy has established the Moses Coulee Preserve, which is a 3,588 acre contiguous, intact shrub-steppe habitat. It is located 2 miles south of Jameson Lake near the head of Moses Coulee. It provide habitat for a rich variety of birds (Lazuli Bunting, Common Goldeneye, Sage Thrasher, Sage Sparrow, Poorwill, Mountain Bluebird, Loggerhead Shrike, Canyon Wren, White-Throated Swift, Golden Eagle), plants (Sagebrush Buttercup, Shooting Star, Sulphur Lupine, Serviceberry, Mock Orange, Slender Cryptantha, Tiehm's Rush, Big Sagebrush, Bluebunch Wheatgrass and Sego Lily) and animals (Mule Deer, Least Chipmunk, Bats, and Marmot).^[9] Shrub-steppe is low rainfall natural grassland ecoregion extending from southeastern Washington and eastern Oregon, through Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, and into western Wyoming and Colorado. ... Binomial name Odocoileus hemionus (Rafinesque, 1817) The Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is a deer whose habitat is in the western half of North America. ... Binomial name Tamias minimus (Bachman, 1839) The Least Chipmunk, Tamias minimus, is a small squirrel-like rodent, the smallest North American member of the chipmunk genus, Tamias. ... Suborders Megachiroptera Microchiroptera See text for families. ... Species See text. ...

See also

The Grand Coulee The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. ...

External links

References

A work of the United States Government is, as defined by United States copyright law, a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that persons official duties. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Photo gallery

Exploring Ice Age Floods in the Pacific Northwest

| Glacial Lake Missoula | Missoula Floods | Channeled scablands | Grand Coulee | Dry Falls | Drumheller Channels | Columbia River Plateau | Wallula Gap | Touchet Formation | Lake Lewis | Columbia River Gorge | Columbia River Basalt Group | Palouse Falls | Sims Corner Eskers and Kames | Moses Coulee | Withrow Moraine Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1339x1786, 716 KB) Wallula Gap, Washington state, USA. The Sisters: a scab residual of the Missoula Floods on the east bank of the Columbia Rivenr in the Wallula Gap. ... The Pacific Northwest from space This page is about the region that includes parts of Canada and the US. For the US only region, see Northwestern United States The Pacific Northwest (abbreviated PNW, or PacNW) or Cascadia is a region in the northwest of North America. ... Glacial Lake Missoula was a prehistoric proglacial lake in western Montana that existed periodically at the end of the last ice age between 15,000 and 13,000 years ago. ... Glacial Lake Columbia (west) and Glacial Lake Missoula (east) are shown south of Cordilleran Ice Sheet. ... DrumHeller Channels The Channeled Scablands are unique geological erosion features in the U.S. state of Washington. ... The Grand Coulee The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. ... In Central Washington at the opposite side of the Grand Coulee from the Columbia River resides a three and a half mile crescent shaped precipice known as Dry Falls. ... Drumheller Channels Drumheller Channels National Natural Landmark showcases the Drumheller Channels, which are the most significant example in the Columbia Plateau of basalt butte-and-basin channeled scablands. ... The Washington towns of Spokane, Vantage, Yakima and Pasco, and the Oregon town of Pendleton, lie on the Columbia River Plateau. ... // Lake Lewis formed as a result of the restricted flow of waters[1] from cataclysmic floods from Glacial Lake Missoula, pluvial Lake Bonneville, and perhaps from subglacial outbursts through the constriction of the Wallula Gap in the Horse Heaven Hills (southern Washington state). ... The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... The Columbia River Basalt Group encompasses portions of 3 states. ... A Glacial erratic called Yeager Rock, Waterville Plateau, Washington, USA The Sims Corner Eskers and Kames National Natural Landmark includes excellent examples of Pleistocene ice stagnation landforms including numerous Glacial erratics terminal moraines, eskers and kames. ... The Withrow Moraine erratic on glacial till at the terminus of the Okanogan lobe. ...

Contents

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