Palouse Falls
An overcast but warm morning greeted us as we climbed into the Zodiacs to meet the bus that would take us to Palouse Falls. A coyote and six deer temporarily distracted us from the geologic landscape in route to the falls. Palouse Falls lies at the southern end of an eight mile wide scabland channel, the easternmost channel occupied by the Missoula floods as they spread across the plateau at the end of the ice age. The cataclysmic floods stripped up to 150 feet of loess from the land and removed considerable basalt as well, accentuating every fracture crossing the area. The Palouse River follows these eroded fractures until it makes a sharp turn and bursts into view and falls 185 feet to the plunge pool below. But this rather small stream is under fit to the large plunge pool and several mile-long gorge that was eroded back from the Snake River by these huge floods. Five flows of the Columbia River flood basalt are exposed in the 380 feet high walls of this gorge. As we enjoyed viewing this unique geological scene the sun appeared adding the final bit of pleasure to a very pleasant morning.
An overcast but warm morning greeted us as we climbed into the Zodiacs to meet the bus that would take us to Palouse Falls. A coyote and six deer temporarily distracted us from the geologic landscape in route to the falls. Palouse Falls lies at the southern end of an eight mile wide scabland channel, the easternmost channel occupied by the Missoula floods as they spread across the plateau at the end of the ice age. The cataclysmic floods stripped up to 150 feet of loess from the land and removed considerable basalt as well, accentuating every fracture crossing the area. The Palouse River follows these eroded fractures until it makes a sharp turn and bursts into view and falls 185 feet to the plunge pool below. But this rather small stream is under fit to the large plunge pool and several mile-long gorge that was eroded back from the Snake River by these huge floods. Five flows of the Columbia River flood basalt are exposed in the 380 feet high walls of this gorge. As we enjoyed viewing this unique geological scene the sun appeared adding the final bit of pleasure to a very pleasant morning.
