DrumHeller Channels

The Channeled Scablands are unique geological erosion features in the U.S. state of Washington. They were created by the cataclysmic Missoula Floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene epoch. Geologist J Harlen Bretz coined the term in a series of papers in the 1920s. Debate over the origin of the Scablands raged for forty years and is one of the great battles in the history of geologists. DrumHeller Channels; East edge of the Royal Slope in the Columbia Valley south of the Pot Holes Resviour by 10 miles; the lake I believe is Black Lake. ... DrumHeller Channels; East edge of the Royal Slope in the Columbia Valley south of the Pot Holes Resviour by 10 miles; the lake I believe is Black Lake. ... State nickname: The Evergreen State Other U.S. States Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire (D) Official languages None Area 184,824 km² (18th)  - Land 172,587 km²  - Water 12,237 km² (6. ... Glacial Lake Columbia (west) and Glacial Lake Missoula (east) are shown south of Cordilleran Ice Sheet. ... The Washington towns of Spokane, Vantage, Yakima and Pasco, and the Oregon town of Pendleton, lie on the Columbia River Plateau. ... The Pleistocene Epoch is part of the geologic timescale, usually dated as 1. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America as the Roaring Twenties. // Events and trends Technology John T. Thompson invents Thompson submachine gun, also known as Tommy gun John Logie Baird invents the first working mechanical television system (1925) Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to... A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology. ...

Geology

River valleys formed by erosion normally have a 'V' cross section, and glaciers leave a 'U' cross section. The Channeled Scablands have a rectangular cross section and are spread over immense areas of eastern Washington State. They exhibit a unique drainage pattern that appears to have an entrance in the northeast and an exit in the southwest. The eroded channels also show an anastomosing, or braided appearance. When first studied, no known theories could explain the origin of these features. Mouth of the glacier Schlatenkees near Innergschlöß, Austria. ... State nickname: The Evergreen State Other U.S. States Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire (D) Official languages None Area 184,824 km² (18th)  - Land 172,587 km²  - Water 12,237 km² (6. ...

Bretz conducted meticulous research and published many papers during the 1920's describing the Channeled Scablands. His theories of how they were formed required short but immense water flows, for which Bretz had no explanation (the source of the water was never the focus of his research). Bretz's theories met with vehement opposition from geologists of the day, who tried to explain the features with uniformitarianism theories. Within scientific philosophy, uniformitarianism is the principle in which one assumes that the same processes that shaped the Universe occurred then as they do now, unless there is good evidence otherwise. ...

J.T. Pardee first suggested in 1925 to Bretz that the draining of a glacial lake could account for flows of the magnitude needed. Pardee continued his research over the next 30 years, collecting and analyzing evidence that eventually identified Lake Missoula as the source of the Spokane Floods and creator of the Channeled Scablands. In geology, a proglacial lake is a lake formed by the damming action of a moraine or ice dam during the retreat of a melting glacier. ... 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. ...

Research on open channel hydraulics in the 1970s put Bretz's theories on solid scientific ground. This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ...

Pardee's and Bretz's theories were accepted only after decades of painstaking work and fierce scientific debate. It is worth noting that many of the most vocal critics of Bretz and Pardee never studied the Channeled Scablands with their own eyes.

See also

• Coulee

A coulee (or coulée) is a deep steep-sided ravine formed by erosion, commonly found in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. ...

References

• Bretz, J Harlen (1923), The Channeled Scabland of the Columbia Plateau. Journal of Geology, v.31, p.617-649.
• Bretz, J Harlen (1925), The Spokane flood beyond the Channeled Scablands. Journal of Geology, v.33, p.97-115, 236-259.
• Bretz, J H.; Smith, H.T.U.; and Neff, G.E., (1956) Channeled Scabland of Washington -- new data and interpretations. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v.67, p.957-1049.
• Allen, John Eliot; Marjorie Burns; and Sam C. Sargent. (1986) Cataclysms on the Columbia. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, ISBN 0881922153

1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...

External links

• Historical Discussion
• 3D relief map (left eye-red lens, right eye-blue lens)
• PBS's NOVA (TV series): Mystery of the Megaflood