1IdahoBasementRock 2BeltSupergroup 3Rifting&PassiveMargin 4AccretedTerranes 5ThrustBelt

6IdahoBatholith 7NorthIdaho&Mining 8ChallisVolcanics 9BasinandRange 10ColumbiaRiverBasalts

11SRP&Yellowstone 12PleistoceneGlaciation 13Palouse&LakeMissoula 14LakeBonnevilleFlood 15SnakeRiverPlainAquifer

LakeMissoulaFloods VocabularyWords
icedam
ByLauraDeGreyandPaulK.Link,IdahoStateUniversity. paleoshorelines
channeledscabland
ThePleistoceneIceAgeandtheCordilleranIceSheet esker
Jokulhlaups
AncientLakeMissoulaandtheMissoulaIceAgeFloods varves
loess
LastingEffectsoftheMissoulaIceAgeFloods
Flythroughs
PDFSlideshows:MatthewWilson,2005"Studies&GraphicsoftheMissoulaFlood",

Palouse,andGlacialLandscapebyJimCash

Flythroughs:Salmon,BigLostRiver,TetonValley

ThePleistoceneIceAge
ThePleistoceneandlatePlioceneEpochsincludedaseriesofglacialadvancesIceAgethatbeganabout2.5millionyears
agoandlasteduntil10,000yearsago(ybp).Duringthistime,cyclicclimatefluctuationscausedglaciersandcontinental
scaleicesheetstoadvanceandretreatintothemidlatitudesofthenorthernhemisphere.VasticecapscoveredmuchofNorth
AmericaandEurasiaAsmuchasathirdofEarth'slandsurfacewasperiodicallycoverediniceduringthistime(Ray,1993).
FourmajorglacialperiodsarerecognizedinNorthAmerica:theNebraskan,Kansan,Illinoisan,andWisconsinanglaciations.
Minorfluctuationsoccurredwithineachperiod.Interglacialperiodswereperiodicallywarmerthanthepresentclimate(Ray,
1993).MajorinterglacialperiodsincludetheAftonian,Yarmouth,andSangamonperiods.TheformationofglacialLake
MissoulaoccurredduringthePinedale(Wisconsinan)Glaciation,whichbegan80,000ybp,andlasteduntil10,000ybp,with
itsmaximumextentatabout20,000ybp.

CordilleranIceSheet

 Figure1.MapshowingtheextentoftheCordilleran
IceSheet,includingthethreelobes,atitsmaximum
duringthePinedaleglaciation.

DuringthePinedaleGlaciation,Canadaandthe
northernUnitedStateswereglaciatedbytwolarge
continentalicesheets.TheCordilleranIceSheet,the
smallersheet,coveredsouthwesternCanadaandthe
northernareasofWashington,Idaho,andMontana
(Figure1).Attimes,theCordilleranIceSheet
coalescedwiththeeasternLaurentideIceSheet
(Boothetal.,2003).Itwasapproximately1150
metersthickandcontainedthreemainlobes.The
westernlobewascalledthePugetLobeandscoured
outPugetSoundinnorthwesternWashington.The
centrallobewascalledtheOkanoganLobe.It
blockedtheColumbiaRiveratthelocationofthe
currentGrandCouleeDam,formingGlacialLakeColumbia.ThePurcellTrenchLobe,theeasternlobe,dammedtheClark
ForkRiverseveraltimestoformglacialLakeMissoula.MaximumvolumeforlakeMissoulahasbeenestimatedtobeas
muchas2500km3(Booth,etal.,2003).

ThePalouseLandscapeofNorthernIdaho
NorthofLewiston,towardCouerd'Alene,theMioceneColumbiaRiverbasaltsaremantledwithwindblownsilt,knownas
loess(Loessisageologicallyrecentdepositofsiltormaterialwhichisusuallyyellowishorbrownincolorandconsistingof
tinywinddepositedparticles).MostofthiswasdepositedafterthePleistoceneglaciersreceded.Thisdistinctivelandscapeis
illustratedintheaccompanyingslideshow byJimCashofMoscowHighSchool.

Thesoilisrichinnutrientsderivedfromthebasaltfromwhichitwaseroded.WithabundantwintermoistureinnorthIdaho,
theareaisarichwinterwheatgrowingarea.Thegreengrainfieldsmantlethegentlewavytopography,creatingagentleand
charminglandscape.

Theloessblanketisnotofeventhickness,asitaccumulatedmorethicklyinduneshapedlandforms.Manyoftheseare
influencedbyunderlyinghillsandstreamvalleysthathadbeenerodedintothebasaltflows.

 AncientLakeMissoulaandtheMissoula
IceAgeFloods
LakeMissoulaformedbehindanicedam,whichformedwhenafingerof
thePurcelllobeoftheCordilleranIceSheetadvancedintotheIdaho
PanhandleintheareawhichnowisoccupiedbyPendeOrielleLake
(Figure2).ThislargeicedamblockedtheClarkForkRiver,allowingwater
tobuildupbehindit,extendingeastwardsome200milesintowestern
Montana.LakeMissoulawasasdeepas2000feetatthedam,andheld
morethan500cubicmilesofwateratitsfullest.Thisismorewaterthan
LakeErieandLakeOntariocombined.

Waterpooledbehindtheicedamuntilacritical
pointofwaterheightandpressurewasreached.
Eventually,theicedamofLakeMissoulabeganto
failwhenhydrostaticpressurewedgedthewater
betweentheiceandtherock.Thiscontinueduntilthe
icecouldbecomebuoyantandthewatercouldflow
throughsubglacialtunnels.Whentheroofoftheice
tunnelscollapsedthedamfailedandsuddenlyLake
Missoulaflooded.Thishappenedatawaterdepthof
about2000feet,whenthedamfailed
catastrophically.WaterfromLakeMissoulaburst
throughthebaseofthedam,atarateoftentimesthecombinedflowofalltheriversintheworld!Calculatedfloodspeeds
reachedalmost65milesperhour.Atthisrate,thelakewouldhavedrainedinonlyacoupleofdays.

Figure2.GlacialLakeMissoulaandpathwayofthefloods.

Floodwater,ice,andglacialdebristhunderedwestthroughthepanhandleofnorthernIdaho,andthenwestandsouth
througheasternandcentralWashington,wideninganddeepeningtheColumbiaRiverGorge,astheypassed.Thefloodwater
followedanddeepenedtheColumbiaRiverchanneluntilitbecamerestrictedatanarrowgapnearVancouver,Washington.
Here,thefloodspilledsouthwardintoOregon'sWillametteValley,andformedalakethatextendedasfarsouthasEugene,
Oregon.Finally,backalongthepathoftheColumbiaRiver,thefloodwatersmadetheirwayintothePacificOceanatthe
mouthoftheColumbiaRiver,havingtravelledatotalof430miles.
 Oncetheinitialicedamformedandsubsequentlyfailed,continuedsouthwardglacialadvanceoftheCordilleranIceSheet
causedtheicedamtoreturn,andGlacialLakeMissoulatofill,resultinginanotherfloodingevent.Overanestimated2,500
yearsthesequenceoftheicedamforming,thelakefilling,thedamfailing,andcatastrophicflooding,wasrepeateddozensof
times.Thiscollectivesequenceiswhatisconsideredthe"IceAgeFloods".

LastingEffectsoftheMissoulaIceAgeFloods

ThefloodsofGlacialLakeMissoulaleftlastingscarsonthelandscape.Thefloodshadbotherosionalanddepositional
features.
 WhenLakeMissoulawasfilled,wavesalongtheshoreerodedawayatthesurroundingmountains.Paleoshorelinesare
carvedoutofthehillsidejustoutsideofMissoula,Montana.Thehighestshorelinesarefoundat4200feetelevation,which
woulddrownthecityofMissoulaunderneathapproximately2000feetofwater.

ThefloodwatersofLakeMissoulaalsocreatedgiantgravelripplemarksontheCamasPrairieinnorthwesternMontana.
TheseripplemarksarefoundonthebottomofwhatwasonceGlacialLakeMissoula.Theseripplemarksarealmost50feet
highandhaveawavelengthofalmost500feet.Ripplemarksofsuchgiganticproportionscouldonlyhavebeenmadeby
incrediblypowerfulcurrentsoverthelakebottom.

GiantripplemarksproducedbytheMissoulaFlood.

OtherdepositionalfeaturesoftheLakeMissoulaFloodincludehugebarsof
currenttransporteddebrisanderraticboulders.Massivebouldersembedded
intheCordilleranIceSheetwerecarriedwiththefloodwhenthedamfailed.
BoulderswhichtravelledfromMontanaandBritishColumbiacanbefound
alongtheflood'spathevenintotheWillametteValley.

AsthefloodsthunderedthroughtheColumbiaPlateauofeasternandcentral
Washington,theyscouredawaymuchofthelandscapebystrippingaway
topsoil,pickingapartthebedrock,andcarvinganimmensechannelsystem
intotheland.ThisareaisthefamousChanneledScablands,oneofthelargest
floodscarredlandscapesonearth.Muchofthebedrockofthislandisthe
ColumbiaRiverBasalt.Thisbasaltcontainedfractureswhichprovidedareasofeasyerosionforthefloodwaters.

ThemainfeaturesoftheScablandsincludeaneroded,interconnectednetworkofstreamlinedloessislands,floodchannels,
coulees,cataracts,andplungepools,whichhavebeenscouredintothebasalt.Alsoworthnotingarethegiantwaterfalls
whichwereproducedbytheflood,suchasGrandCoulee,DryFalls,andPalouseFalls.DryFallsisthelargestwaterfallin
NorthAmerica,althoughwaterdoesnotflowthroughitanymore.ComparedtoNiagaraFalls,DryFallsisabout3timesas
wideand2andahalftimesashigh.

ContinuetoModule14LakeBonnevilleFlood

Websites
TheIceAgeFloodInstitute:http://www.iceagefloodsinstitute.org/index.htm

MontanaNaturalHistoryCenter:http://www.glaciallakemissoula.org/story.html

U.S.GeologicalSurvey:
http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/observatories/cvo/Historical/LewisClark/Maps/map_missoula_floods.shtml
 "TheMissouaFlood",byKeenanLeeColoradoSchoolofMines,2009:
http://inside.mines.edu/UserFiles/File/Geology/Missoula.pdf

References
Booth,D.B.,Troost,K.G.,Clague,J.J.,andWaitt,R.B.,2003,TheCordilleranIceSheet:DevelopmentsinQuaternary
Science,v.1,p.1743.

Breckenridge,RoyM.,1989,LowerGlacialLakesMissoulaandClarkForkIceDams,inBreckenridge,RoyM.,editor,
GlacialLakeMissoulaandtheChanneledScabland:Missoula,MontanatoPortland,Oregon:AmericanGeophysicalUnion,
28thInternationalGeologicalCongress,FieldTripGuidebookT310,pp.1321.

Breckenridge,RoyM.,1989,PleistoceneIceDamsandGlacialLakeMissoulaFloodsinNorthernIdahoandAdjacent
AreasinChamberlin,V.E.,Breckenridge,R.M.,andBonnichsen,Bill,eds.GuidebooktotheGeologyofNorthernand
WesternIdahoandSurroundingarea:IdahoGeologicalSurveyBulletin28,pp.516.

Carrara,PaulE.,Kiver,EugeneP.,andStradling,DaleF.,1996,TheSouthernLimitofCordilleranIceintheColvilleand
PendOreilleValleysofNortheasternWashingtonduringtheLateWisconsinGlaciation.CanadianJournalofEarthSciences.
V.33,p.769778.

Chambers,RichardL.,1984,SedimentaryEvidenceforMultipleGlacialLakesMissoula.MontanaGeologicalSociety,Field
ConferenceNorthwesternMontana,pp.189199.

Lee,Keenan,ProfessorEmeritus,DepartmentofGeologyandGeologicalEngineering,ColoradoSchoolofMines.Thanks
forthemanypicturesfeaturedintheslideshowpdfatthebeginningofthismodule.

NationalParkService,2001,IceAgeFloodsStudyofAlternativesandEnvironmentalAssessment:Followingthepathways
oftheGlacialLakeMissoulaFlood:JonesandJones,ArchitectsandLandscapeArchitects,Seattle,Washington
http://www.nps.gov/iceagefloods/

Ray,L.L.,1993,TheGreatIceAge:U.S.GeologicalSurvey,GeneralInterestPublicationsoftheU.S.GeologicalSurvey,
1993352783,15p.

Waitt,Jr.,RichardB.,1985,Caseforperiodic,colossaljkulhlaupsfromPleistoceneglacialLakeMissoula.Geological
Societyof