Palouse Falls

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Palouse Falls
The Palouse Falls at high flow, as seen from the west side of the canyon

The Palouse Falls at high flow, as seen from the west side of the canyon

Coordinates 46 ° 39 '49 "  N , 118 ° 13' 25"  W Coordinates: 46 ° 39 '49 "  N , 118 ° 13' 25"  W
Palouse Falls (Washington)
Palouse Falls
place Franklin County / Whitman County , Washington , USA
height 60 m
edge of fall :  221  m
Number of fall levels 2
Falling watercourse Palouse River

The Palouse Falls are located on the Palouse River , approximately 4 mi (6.4 km) upstream from the confluence with the Snake River in southeast Washington state . The falls total 198 ft (60 m) high. The falls consist of an upper case with a fall of approximately 20 ft (6 m), which is 1,000 ft (305 m) north-northwest of the main fall, and a lower case with a fall of 198 ft (60 m).

geology

The canyon with the falls is 115 m deep; it shows a large cross-section of the Columbia River Basalt Group . The falls and the downstream canyon are a significant feature of the Channeled Scablands . They were created by the massive Missoula Floods that periodically spilled over what is now eastern Washington and the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene .

The prehistoric Palouse River flowed through the now dry Washtucna Coulee to the Columbia River . The Palouse Falls and the surrounding canyons were created when the Missoula Floods crossed the southern valley wall of the prehistoric Palouse River and eroded its course into what is now the Snake River by digging a new river bed.

The area is characterized by interconnected and overhanging structures created by the floods. These include coulees , cataracts, pools , from potholes formed depressions (Engl. "Potholes"), ledges and peaks as well as for Badlands (Engl. "Scablands") typical rock needles. The Palouse Falls State Park is located on the falls and protects this part of a uniquely beautiful area.

Suggestions for economic use

In 1984, the Franklin County's Public Utility District (a type of county public service) proposed the construction of a 30-meter high dam above the Falls that would generate a significant amount of electrical power through the use of hydropower . It was supposed to generate more than a third of the electricity needed in the county, which would have resulted in substantial cuts in electricity prices. However, the majority of homeowners in the county turned it down, thereby preserving this geologically remarkable site.

Palouse Falls State Park

In the Palouse River Canyon just below the Palouse Falls: you can see the Sentinel Bluffs Flows of the Grande Ronde Basalt (below), which were covered by the Ginkgo Flow of the Wanapum Basalt .
The Palouse Falls on the Palouse River.

The falls are located within Washington's Palouse Falls State Park, which has entrances to the falls and information panels about the area's unique geology. Historical ties can also be explored: the Palouse tribe and Mullan Road took advantage of easy access to the plateau surrounding the falls.

Kayaking

On April 21, 2009, Tyler Bradt kayaked the falls, setting an unofficial world record for the highest waterfall used. Bradt's media and press agent forwarded the video of his ride to Sports Illustrated , which posted it on their website. The magazine also featured a double-sided photo in its May 18 issue. The photos were also published in the international edition of the Spanish magazine Hola on September 23, 2009.

Height of falls

In the aftermath of the unofficial world record of the highest waterfall traveled, questions were raised about the correctly determined height of the main fall. Having an interest in establishing the record, Tyler Bradt's team measured the height of the main fall to be 186 ft (57 m) from the top pool just above the waterfall to the impact zone immediately below. A local newspaper, The Spokesman Review , investigated with the Washington State authorities and found that the height measurement previously taken in 1945 had been carried out using the technology at the time; the state was not prepared to perform a remeasurement with laser-based equipment. However, a geology professor at Whitman College had a team of students take the measurement who determined:

  • Both the height of the impact zone and that of the upper pool vary with the flow regime, but not uniformly.
  • The discharge peak for 2009 was 240 m³ / s on January 9th - at the time the height of the upper pool was 12 ft (3.7 m) higher than when it was measured on August 18.
  • The estimated difference in height of the impact zone between January and August was 7 ft (2.1 m).
  • Thus there was a 5 ft (1.5 m) variability in height over this period.
  • The likely height difference at the main fall at the time of the record attempt was between 175 ft (53.3 m) and 180 ft (54.9 m).

Official landmark

On February 12, 2014, the Washington House of Representatives unanimously passed Bill HB 2119 to make Palouse Falls an official Washington landmark. The proposal for the law came about when a group of elementary school students from the nearby town of Washtucna asked the legislature to do so.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Park Features . Washington State Parks. Archived from the original on July 16, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  2. ^ A b c Robert J. Carson, Kevin R. Pogue: Flood Basalts and Glacier Floods: Roadside Geology of Parts of Walla Walla, Franklin, and Columbia Counties, Washington . Washington State Department of Natural Resources (Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 90), 1996.
  3. ↑ David Alt: Glacial Lake Missoula & its Humongous Floods . Mountain Press Publishing Company ,, ISBN 0-87842-415-6 .
  4. ↑ a b Bjornstad, Bruce: On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods: A Geological Guide to the Mid-Columbia Basin . Keokee Books, Sand Point, Idaho 2006, ISBN 978-1-879628-27-4 .
  5. ^ David Alt, Donald Hyndman: Roadside Geology of Washington . Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1984, ISBN 0-87842-160-2 .
  6. ↑ Palouse Falls . Washington State Parks. 2009. Archived from the original on May 8, 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
  7. ↑ Fall Guy: Paddling Over Palouse Falls . In: Sports Illustrated , May 13, 2009. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009. 
  8. ↑ - The Sunday Oregonian, May 31, 2009 - accessed June 8, 2009
  9. ^ Rich Landers: Measuring up to Palouse Falls . In: quoted by tricityherald.com from The Spokesman-Review , tricityherald.com, September 12, 2009. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. 
  10. ↑ House passes Palouse Falls bill . The Spokesman Review. Retrieved February 12, 2014.

Web links

Commons : Palouse Falls  - collection of images, videos and audio files