Ice Age Floods Explorer

Medical Lake Bluff, Diving into the Geology

Looking at the beauty of Medical Lake is very relaxing, especially seeing the stoic bluffs or cliffs at the south end of the lake next to Waterfront Park. But have you ever wondered what kind of…

The Joso High Bridge

By Josh M Bliesner

Around 1910 when construction began on this massive span, it was still the golden age of railroads. The Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company planned a new track between Portland, Oregon,…

Mammoth Undertaking for Cheney Students

By Larry Cebula

In the early 1990s, second-graders in Mrs. Sara Jane Aebly's class at Windsor Elementary School discovered that Washington State did not have an official state fossil. Encouraged by their teacher,…

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Balancing Rock near Omak Lake

By Kirsten Brudevold

Precarious boulders are peculiar naturally occurring geological formations that showcase large rocks resting on another rock. This particular balanced rock rests upon a small slope overlooking Omak Lake on the Colville Indian Reservation in…

The Joso High Bridge

By Josh M Bliesner

Deciphering the Black Rock of Rock Lake

By Jessica Blackwood

On a class field trip we stopped at Rock Lake to have lunch. While there, we were talking about the steep basalt walls of the coulee that was formed by the Missoula floods. Dr. Chad Pritchard and I thought it might be cool to figure out what kind of…

Still Standing

By Angel L. Rios

Only a few brick building remain to recall what was once a prosperous commercial district in Starbuck. One red brick building that still stands has a painted sign on its brick front, informing passersby that it was once home to the Starbuck Drug…

Lyons Ferry

By Ronald E. Scheck

Prior to the construction of automobiles and immense bridges, people used ferries to cross bodies of water such as the Palouse River. Ferries were important; they allowed for people to travel to the opposite bank without having to take long and…

Granite Boulder in the Scablands: Mountain Top or Glacial Erratic?

By Justin Luppens

Due to the ice age floods, when a large granitic rock is found near the Spokane Airport it can be hard to determine if it is an old mountain top surrounded by younger geological features or rafted in on glaciers during the ice age floods. This may…

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Ice Age Floods Explorer

Ice Age Floods Explorer is a web and mobile platform for telling stories of the Missoula Floods and is an ongoing endevour focusing on student research. Ice Age Floods Explorer is a project of the Public History program and Department of Geology at Eastern Washington University. Most of the stories were created by EWU students. Co-editors are Drs. Chad Pritchard, Larry Cebula, and Paul Lindholdt from Eastern Washington University. Dr. Chad Pritchard is an Assistant Professor in the Geology Department. Dr. Larry Cebula is Editor of Spokane Historical. He is a Professor of History at Eastern Washington University and the Assistant Digital Archivist for the State of Washington. Dr. Paul Lindholdt is a Professor or English. Assistant Edit... Read more About Us