Echo Basin Column [Frenchman Coulee]

Rock hammer

Ellensburg Chapter
of the Ice Age Floods Institute

The Ellensburg Chapter emphasizes informality, optional membership dues, and a hearty welcome to anyone interested in the dramatic story of the Ice Age Floods and other geologic tales of central Washington.

Howdy Ellensburg Ice Age Floods group -

Beautiful weather and outstanding flood features in the Palouse River drainage led to a spiffy day for our field trip. Sunday, April 15, 2012. Karl Lillquist led our group of 55 folks. Thanks for a good trip, Karl!

April 2012 Field Trip to Palouse Falls State park

Ellensburg Ice Age Floods Institute field trip to Palouse Falls State Park.

Next up: Sunday, June 3 field trip to the Wenatchee area led by Nick Zentner. And an evening lecture in CWU's Hebeler Hall on Wednesday, June 6 by UW glacial geologist Terry Swanson. Details coming in mid May...

(Click for map to Hebeler Hall)

October 2011 - Frenchman Coulee field trip recap below.

Nick Zentner leads field trip on Frenchman Coulee - Echo Basin rim.

Nick Zentner leads a discussion overlooking Echo Basin and the Sunshine Wall.

Nick takes us to some great bars!

Ellensburg Ice Age Chapterites:

Thanks to the 55 folks who participated in our Frenchman Coulee trip - Sunday, October 30, 2011. Fine late fall weather was enjoyed by all at our four field sites.

Frenchman Coulee Sunset View

Frenchman Coulee and Echo Basin viewed at sunset from Kittitas County side of the Columbia River. The first stop on field trip was out of frame on top of Frenchman Hills. That location provided panoramic views of the Quincy Basin, Frenchman Coulee and the Columbia River south to Sentinel Gap.

Stop 2 Shown at top of coulee - actual lecture location was near Frenchman Coulee floor. Stop 3 amazing view of Echo Basin and Kittitas County features across the Columbia River. The trip concluded after a walk and short lecture on the massive gravel bar the coulee mouth.

April 2012 Forensic Geology and Osteology: the Ice Age Misfortunes of the Bishop Ranch Ground Sloth and Her Would-be Detectives
Steve Hackenberger(CWU)

February 2012 Great Earthquakes of the Pacific Northwest
Tim Melbourne(CWU)

December 2011 The Great Missoula Floods
Richard Waitt (USGS)

October 2011 Frenchman Coulee Field Trip
Nick Zentner (CWU)

Frenchman Coulee field trip.

Frenchman Coulee Field Trip
October 2011 Upper Kittitas County Groundwater Study
Matt Ely (USGS)

September 2011 Naches Landslides Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU)

Naches Landslide field trip.

Naches Landslide field trip. Nick Zentner Photo

June 2011 Icicle Creek Field Trip
Karl Lillquist(CWU)

Icicle Creek Geology field trip.

Icicle Creek field trip. Nick Zentner Photo

June 2011 Megaflood Paleohydrology
Vic Baker(UA)

April 2011 Yakima Field Trip
Nick Zentner (CWU)

Yakima Field Trip, Ellensburg Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute

Yakima Field Trip, Ellensburg Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute

Yakima Field Trip Orin Page Photo

April 2011 Pacific Northwest Megaflooding
Jim O'Connor (USGS)

February 2011 Glaciers from the Himalaya and Washington
Susan Kaspari (CWU)

December 2010 Paleoecology of the Northwest
Megan Walsh (CWU)

November 2010 Moses Coulee Field Trip
Nick Zentner (CWU)

Moses Coulee Field Trip, Ellensburg Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute

Moses Coulee Field Trip, Ellensburg Chapter Ice Age Floods Institute

Moses Coulee Field Trip Dale Brubaker Photo

October 2010 Mammoths of Temporary Lake Lewis
George Last (PNNL)

September 2010 Waterville Plateau Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU)

Waterville Plateau Field Trip Ice Age Floods Institute.

Waterville Plateau Field Trip Nick Zentner Photo

June 2010 Swauk Prairie Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU) and Nick Zentner (CWU)

Swauk Prairie Geology Field Trip.

Swauk Prairie Field Trip Nick Zentner Photo

June 2010 Cataclysms on the Columbia
Scott Burns (PSU)

April 2010 Manashtash Ridge Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU)

Manashtash Ridge Field Trip Orin Page Photo

April 2010 Is there evidence for Glacial Flood Deposition on the Continental Margin seaward of the Columbia River Mouth
Marie Ferland (CWU)

February 2010 The Geology of Mars and the Scablands Connection
John Buchanan (EWU)

December 2009 The Columbia Basin Project: Expectations, Realizations and Implications
George Macinko (CWU Emeritus)

November 2009 Sentinel Gap Field Trip
Nick Zentner (CWU)

Sentinel Gap Field Trip, Ice Age Floods Institute.

Sentinel Gap Field Trip, Ice Age Floods Institute.

Sentinel Gap Field Trip Karl Lillquist Photo

October 2009 A Brief Overview of the Geologic Evolution of the Columbia River System
Terry Tolan (USGS)

September 2009 Blewett Pass Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU)

Blewett Pass Geology, Field Trip.

Blewett Pass Field Trip Nick Zentner Photo

June 2009 Dry Falls Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU)

Lower Grand Coulee, Ice Age Floods Institute Field Trip.

Lower Grand Coulee, Ice Age Floods Institute Field Trip.

Dry Falls Field Trip Nick Zentner Photo

June 2009 Ice Age Floods in the Cheney Area
Gene Kiver (EWU Emeritus)

April 2009 Drumheller Channels Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU)

Drumheller Channels Ice Age Floods Institute Field Trip.

Drumheller Channels Ice Age Floods Institute Field Trip.

Drumheller Channels Field Trip Nick Zentner Photo

April 2009 The Secret Life of Water in the Yakima Basin
Tom Ring (Yakama Nation)

February 2009 Landform Change in Kittitas County
Marty Kaatz (CWU Emeritus)

December 2008 Floods, Floods and Megafloods! Geologic and Climatic Signatures of Paleofloods in the Western U.S.
Lisa Ely (CWU)

November 2008
Potholes Coulee Field Trip
Nick Zentner (CWU)

Potholes Coulee
October 2008 Landscapes of Eastern Washington
Don Ringe (CWU Emeritus)

August 2008
Cooper Lake Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU) and Jack Powell (DNR)

Cooper Lake field trip
August 2008
History of CWU Geology Dept. and the Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute.
Nick Zentner (CWU)

June 2008 An Iceberg Graveyard: Ice Age Flood Deposits of the Vantage Area.
Ryan Karlson (WA State Parks)

June 2008
Table Mountain Field Trip
Karl Lillquist (CWU) and Jack Powell (DNR)

Table Mountain
Photo by Nick Zentner
April 2008
Fire, Ice, & Floods: Iceland as a Contemporary Analog for Columbia Plateau Landscapes.
Karl Lillquist (CWU)

April 2008
Crab Creek Field Trip
Nick Zentner (CWU) and Karl Lillquist (CWU)
Sentinel Gap Erratic, Crab Creek field trip.

Sentinel Gap Erratic, Crab Creek field trip.

Sentinel Gap Erratic
Fegruary 2008
The Geologic Evolution of the Columbia River System.
Steve Reidel (WSU)

December 2007
Ice Age Floods Features Wenatchee and Moses Coulee.
Brent Cunderla (BLM)

October 2007
Excavations at the Wenas Creek Mammoth Site.
Patrick Lubinski (CWU)

April 2007
Yakima Canyon Field Trip
Nick Zentner (CWU) Jack Powell (DNR)
Nick Zentner describes Yakima Canyon Geology

Nick Zentner describes Yakima Canyon geology
June 2007
"Geology Exposed by the Ice Age Floods"
Jack Powell (DNR)

April 2007
Vantage and Frenchman Springs Coulee Field Trip
Jack Powell (DNR) and Karl Lillquist (CWU)
Jack Powell explains Frenchman Springs Coulee basalt.

Jack Powell explains Frenchman Springs Coulee basalt
April 2007
Exploring the Ice Age Floods
Bruce Bjornstad (PNNL)

February 2007
NW geology and the Glacial Lake Missoula floods.
Tom Foster (TCF), Nick Zentner (CWU) and Karl Lillquist (CWU)

Not familiar with Frenchman Coulee? - Use map tools to navigate and explore the area. A short drive from I-90 between the towns of Vantage and George (Use Silica Road Exit).

View Larger Map

Membership E-mail from Nick:

Dear Ellensburg Ice Age Floods Institute folks -

Happy New Year! Here's hoping that 2012 is a good year for you and your family. As we enter the new year, I ask you to consider renewing your Ice Age Floods Institute - Ellensburg Chapter membership. Or to become a new member for 2012...

We are grateful for past Ellensburg Chapter IAFI memberships! The Ellensburg Chapter receives 50% of the cost of your membership. The remaining 50% goes to the IAFI as a whole. To learn of the IAFI's mission, please visit: http://www.iafi.org/about.html

Ellensburg Chapter Treasurer Tuck Forsythe reports that $1661.96 is our current balance. In 2011, we spent your membership dues on field trip handouts and speaker travel costs. Our Chapter emphasizes informality, optional membership dues, and a hearty welcome to anyone interested in the dramatic story of the Ice Age Floods and other geologic tales of central Washington.

To renew your IAFI membership for 2012, or to become a member for the first time, please click on: http://www.iafi.org/join.html

See you at our next lecture or field trip!

Thanks,
Nick

Nick Zentner
Department of Geological Sciences
Central Washington University
Ellensburg, WA 98926-7418
nick@geology.cwu.edu

Chapter meetings are held in Hebeler Hall room 121 (Click for map)

Ellensburg, Washington sits at a geological crossroads � making it a perfect place to study an intoxicating variety of geology and physical geography. Within an hour�s drive from the CWU campus, students of all ages can learn hands-on lessons of the Columbia River Basalts, Cascades volcanism, Ice Age Floods landforms, plant fossils of the tropical Eocene, Ellensburg blue agates, the Yakima Fold Belt, among other local wonders.

Clockwise from the Davidson tower:

West Bar giant current ripples-On display downstream from Wenatchee along the Columbia River, these photogenic ripples are well-known among Ice Age Floods experts around the world.
Ginkgo State Park-15 million-year-old petrified logs sit on basalt cliffs overlooking the Columbia River near the town of Vantage.
Columbia River Basalt-More than 300 basaltic lava flows flooded the Pacific Northwest time after time 7-15 million years ago - burying forests, changing river courses, and loading the crust of the region.
St. Helens-Awakening famously on May morning in 1980, the mountain woke again in 2004 building an impressive lava dome tucked inside its crater.
Rainier-Many geologists are concerned about Mt. Rainier-related natural hazards that threaten residents of the Puget Sound. Will there be volcanic mudflows flowing down river valleys in our lifetime?
Lahars (volcanic mudflows)-of the Ellensburg Formation perch above the Sunset Highway west of Ellensburg near the village of Thorp. Geologists continue to debate which extinct volcano is responsible for these deposits.
Central Cascades alpine peaks.(photo shows summit of Mt. Stuart)-93 million-year-old granodiorite dominates the geology of Mount Stuart - one of many peaks of the Central Cascades. Granodiorite forms when magma solidifies underground beneath volcanoes. So what happened to the volcano?

South of Ellensburg, the Yakima River has maintained its meandering course as the surrounding land uplifted and folded.

Karl Lillquist describes Columbia River Basalt and the Ice Age Floods in Frenchman Coulee.

The Columbia River Basalt Group, Ice Age Floods and Channeled Scablands are explained by Ellensburg Chapter Vice President Karl Lillquist. With classroom locations such as Frenchman Coulee (left), the material covered during brief field trip lectures is easily understood.

Ellensburg IAFI Chapter President
Hosts Geology Program

"Central Rocks", a geology talk show hosted by CWU Geologist Nick Zentner, has been in production since October of 2006. Broadcast in central Washington on KCWU-TV, the show regularly features faculty and staff at the Department of Geological Sciences at Central Washington University. Special episodes have featured visits from noteworthy regional geologists including Ice Age Floods author Bruce Bjornstad, Tsunami expert Brian Atwater, and Mount Rainier geologist Tom Sisson.

Nick Zentner interviews geologist/author Bruce Bjornstad.

Nick Zentner interviews geologist/author Bruce Bjornstad

Mount Stuart Panorama (1 Minute) -Click to Play

A few 'Central Rocks' videos related to local geology.

*Kittitas Valley geology lecture* CWU geologist Nick Zentner lectures on the complex geologic history of central Washington's Kittitas Valley. The valley's rock layers, folded ridges, ash deposits, and recent landforms are discussed.	*Mount Stuart Geology lecture* Taped on October 13, 2010 at Raw Space in downtown Ellensburg, Washington. CWU Geologist Nick Zentner offers this geology lecture on local landmark Mount Stuart.
*Kittitas Valley Hydrogeology* Central Washington University geology professor Carey Gazis discusses water, water, and more water in central Washington. Groundwater flow, well drilling, flow rates, geochemistry, and the science behind hydrogeology. In addition, Carey chats about a new Environmental Studies program at CWU under her direction - and analytical instrumentation that she supervises in CWU's Lind Hall.	*Ellensburg Blue Agates* Former Central Washington University geology professor Paul Hoskin discusses his research with our famous blue agates known the world over. Mineralogist Paul breaks down the formation of the agates - and comments on why our agates are blue. Paul also chats about his teaching of mineralogy using CWU Geology's Xray Diffractometer, his work in the North Cascades, and his upcoming project in Turkey near the Black Sea.
*Public Outreach in Ellensburg* Central Washington University geologist Nick Zentner presents "Public Outreach in Ellensburg". Nick discusses the beginnings of the Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute, the origin of the CWU geology talk show 'Central Rocks', and his outreach to alumni on the CWU Geology website.	*Mt. Rainier Geology* USGS Volcanologist Tom Sisson visits Ellensburg to present this lecture on Mt. Rainier's dangers and how they affect residents of the Pacific Northwest. Taped in CWU's Hebeler Hall Auditorium.

Ellensburg Chapter members interact with professionals of various specialties during field trips. A few shown above ... Zentner, Powell, Bjornstad (geologists) - Lillquist (geographer) - Mattocks (Ornithologist) - Smith (Archaeologist).

Ellensburg Ice Age Floods Institute members launch canoes and kayaks to explore Cooper Lake during a recent field trip.

Ellensburg Chapter members (and anyone else that wanted to tag along), launch watercraft to explore the Cooper Lake area. Field trip leaders Karl Lillquist (CWU) and Jack Powell (DNR) described general geology of the eastcentral Cascades, the glacial origins of the lake, impacts of global warming on present glaciers upstream of the lake, and recent modification of the lake by fire, flood, debris flow, and avalanche.

Ice Age Floods programming:

Geologist Bruce Bjornstad - Click to open video link.

Bruce Bjornstad
PNNL Geologist Bruce Bjornstad discusses the Missoula Floods and his popular 'On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods' guidebook series.

Geologist Jim O'Connor - Click to open video link.

Jim O'Connor
USGS Hydrologist Jim O'Connor discusses current research on Washington's Missoula Floods and Idaho's Bonneville Flood.

Nick Zentner interviews Ice Age Floods expert Dr. Victor R. Baker.

Vic Baker
UA Geology Professor Vic Baker discusses his distinguished career devoted to Washington's Channeled Scablands.

Geologist Nick Zentner - Click to open video link.

Nick Zentner

CWU Geology Professor Nick Zentner lectures on eastern Washington's unique landscapes (Floods of lava and floods of water).

	Ellensburg	Lake Missoula	Lake Lewis
Ice Age Blog	Ice Age Express	Feature of the Month	The Mystery	25 Features
Channeled Scablands	Ice Age Floods Videos	Columbia Gorge	Feature Types	Columbia River Basalt
The Pleistocene	Grand Coulee Project	Washington Wine	Ice Age Floods Inst.	The Bonneville Flood

Ellensburg Chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute