Free IAFI Presentation comes to the Colfax Library Wed. May 3, 6:30 p.m.
The Ice Age Floods Institute is partnering with Whitman County Library to bring you a talk by author John Soennichsen, who has literally written the book on J Harlen Bretz, the “rebel geologist” who answered the riddle of how the dramatic coulees, gullies, and deserts between Idaho and the Cascade Mountains in Eastern Washington came to be. -Our guest lecturer received his Bachelor’s degree in journalism University of Oregon and his Masters in Fine Arts, Creative Writing from Eastern Washington University. He has authored six books, including “Washington’s Channeled Scablands Guide,” which is a comprehensive guide to explore Washington’s Ice Age canyons of wonder, great trails, stunning scenery, and amazing history.
Join us as we cover a brief history of J Harlen Bretz and his scabland research, followed by an audiovisual presentation offering a photographic tour of Washington’s scablands and learn about the significance of our region's geology!
An Introduction to the Ice Age Floods
The Ice Age Floods Institute explains that during the last Ice Age (18,000 to 12,000 years ago), and in multiple previous Ice Ages, cataclysmic floods inundated portions of the PNW from Glacial Lake Missoula, pluvial Lake Bonneville, and perhaps from subglacial outbursts. Glacial Lake Missoula was a body of water as large as some of the USA’s Great Lakes. This lake formed from glacial meltwater that was dammed by a lobe of the Canadian ice sheet. Episodically, perhaps every 40 to 140 years, the waters of this huge lake forced its way past the ice dam, submerging parts of the PNW. Eventually, the ice receded northward far enough that the dam did not reform, and the flooding episodes ceased. These floods are a remarkable part of N. American natural heritage. They have profoundly affected the geography and ways of life in the region, but have until recently remained largely unknown to the general public.
For more information on the program contact the Whitman County Library at 509-397-4366, visit our events calendar or contact Lloyd Stoess from Ice Age Floods Institute at 509-954-3927 or visit iafi.org
No comments:
Post a Comment