Buried by Enormous Lava Floods

Buried by Enormous Lava Floods (HM1KAU)

Location: Vantage, WA 98950 Kittitas County
Buy Washington State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 46° 57.284', W 119° 59.297'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 661 views
Inscription
Millions of years ago, some of the largest lava flows on earth poured over this area again and again. Enormous floods of molten lava flowed out from long, parallel vents, burying the area in more than 5,000 feet of basalt.

In all, more than 300 individual lava flows inundated parts of the Columbia Basin. One of these, called the Gingko flow, buried ancient Vantage Lake under a thick layer of basalt. Water-soaked logs in the lake were slowly petrified, forever preserving them as stone.

Setting the Stage
The cake-like layers of basalt built the foundation of the region. When the Ice Age floods swept across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River, they carved long, steep-walled flood channels deep into the basalt bedrock.

(Map Caption)
More than 40,000 cubic miles of basalt lava covered parts of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

(Photo Caption)
Several layers of basalt are visible in the cliffs along both sides of the Columbia River.
Details
HM NumberHM1KAU
Tags
Placed ByWashington State Parks
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, May 2nd, 2015 at 6:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11T E 272629 N 5204468
Decimal Degrees46.95473333, -119.98828333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 46° 57.284', W 119° 59.297'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds46° 57' 17.04" N, 119° 59' 17.82" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)509
Closest Postal AddressAt or near Recreation Dr, Vantage WA 98950, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?