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47-397: Two National Natural Landmarks were established in 1986 for features, notable as the best examples of their kind, in and around Moses Coulee. The Great Gravel Bar of Moses Coulee , on the western edge of Moses Coulee where US Highway 2 crosses the coulee, is described as "the largest and best example of a pendant river bar formed by catastrophic glacial outburst floods that swept across

94-638: A drainage basin with a number of side streams, draining the southern portion of the plateau. These streams had combined into a canyon that drained to the Columbia near the current mouth of Moses Coulee. These side drainages are still visible today along the coulee walls as truncated streambeds, interspersed with gable-like highlands. The Okanogan lobe of the Cordilleran Glacier moved down the Okanogan River valley, covering 500 mi of

141-408: A dry cataract as wide as Niagara Falls and three times as high. Steamboat Rock, 880 feet (270 m) high and a 1 square mile (2.6 km ) in area, now stands as an isolated rise, but for a time it created two cataracts. When the falls passed north of Steamboat Rock, it found a granite base beneath the basal flows. Granite lacks the close vertical joints of basalt and resisted the erosion from

188-607: A large finger of ice advanced into present-day Idaho, forming an ice dam known as the Purcell lobe at what is now Lake Pend Oreille . The Purcell lobe blocked the Clark Fork River drainage, thus creating an enormous lake reaching far back into mountain valleys of western Montana. Leaks may have developed around and under the ice, causing the dam to fail. The 500 cubic miles (2,100 km ) of water in Lake Missoula

235-446: A lower floor at the head of the channel than at its outlet and the widest and highest dry falls cliff in the middle. It was created through the process of cataract recession, which included a cataract twice as high as its existing Dry Falls. Grand Coulee is two canyons, with an open basin in the middle. The Upper Coulee, filled by Banks Lake , is 25 miles (40 km) long with walls 800 to 900 feet (240 to 270 m) tall. It links to

282-863: A series of volcanic eruptions from the Grand Ronde Rift near the Idaho/Oregon/Washington/Montana border began to fill the inland sea with lava. In some places the volcanic basalt is 6,600 feet (2.0 km) thick. In other areas granite from the earlier mountains is still exposed. Starting about two million years ago, during the Pleistocene epoch, glaciation took place in the area. Large parts of northern North America were repeatedly covered with glacial ice sheets, at times reaching over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in thickness. Periodic climate changes resulted in corresponding advances and retreats of ice. About 18,000 years ago

329-704: A site must be one of the best examples of a natural region's characteristic biotic or geologic features. Since the establishment of the NNL program, a multi-step process has been used to designate a site for NNL status. Since 1970, the following steps have constituted the process. Prospective sites for NNL designation are terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems; geological features, exposures, and landforms that record active geological processes or portions of earth history; and fossil evidence of biological evolution. Each major natural history "theme" can be further subdivided into various sub-themes. For example, sub-themes suggested in 1972 for

376-783: Is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington . This National Natural Landmark stretches for about 60 miles (100 km) southwest from Grand Coulee Dam to Soap Lake , being bisected by Dry Falls into the Upper and Lower Grand Coulee . Grand Coulee is a large coulee on the Columbia River Plateau . This area has underlying granite bedrock, formed deep in the Earth's crust 40 to 60 million years ago. The land periodically uplifted and subsided over millions of years giving rise to some small mountains and, eventually, an inland sea. From about 10 to 18 million years ago,

423-419: Is carved into the far edge of the continental shelf. The web-like formation can be seen from space. Mountains of gravel as tall as 40-story buildings were left behind; boulders the size of small houses and weighing many tons were strewn about the landscape. Grooves in the exposed granite bedrock are still visible in the area from the movement of glaciers, and numerous erratics are found in the elevated areas to

470-746: Is filled by pumps from the Grand Coulee Dam and forms the first leg of a one-hundred-mile (160 km) irrigation system. Canals, siphons, and more dams are used throughout the Columbia Basin, supplying over 600,000 acres (240,000 ha) of farm land. Water has turned the Upper Coulee and surrounding region into a haven for wildlife, including bald eagle . Recreation is a side benefit and includes several lakes, mineral springs, hunting and fishing, and water sports of all kinds. Sun Lakes and Steamboat Rock state parks are both found in

517-618: Is named for Chief Moses (1829–99). Moses Coulee cuts into the Waterville Plateau, which lies in the northwest corner of the Columbia River Plateau . The plateau is part of the Columbia River Basalt Group , a large igneous province that lies across parts of the states of Washington , Oregon , and Idaho in the United States of America . During late Miocene and early Pliocene times, one of

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564-532: The Columbia River at Grand Coulee Dam and leads southward, through the surrounding highlands. The entry to the coulee is 650 feet (200 m) above the Columbia. It began as the course of a Glacial Columbia River. The Cordilleran ice sheet's Okanogan lobe extended southward across the Columbia Rivers pathway and onto the southern plateau creating an ice dam . This dam backed up the waters of

611-578: The Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 (49 Stat. 666, 16 U.S.C. 641); the program is governed by federal regulations. The NNL Program does not have the protection features of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Thus, the designation of a National Natural Landmark presently constitutes only an agreement with the owner to preserve, as far as possible, the significant natural values of

658-822: The National Park Service , U.S. Forest Service , Bureau of Land Management , Bureau of Reclamation , Fish and Wildlife Service , Air Force , Marine Corps , Army Corps of Engineers , Navy , and others. Some NNLs has been designated on lands held by Native Americans or tribes. NNLs also have been designated on state lands that cover a variety of types and management, such as forest , park , game refuge , recreation area , and preserve. Private lands with NNLs include those owned by universities, museums , scientific societies, conservation organizations, land trusts , commercial interests, and private individuals. Approximately 52% of NNLs are administered by public agencies, more than 30% are entirely privately owned, and

705-636: The geological and ecological history of the United States. It also hopes to strengthen the public's appreciation of the country's natural heritage. As of July 2024, 605 sites have been added to the National Registry of Natural Landmarks. The registry includes nationally significant geological and ecological features in 48 states, American Samoa , Guam , Puerto Rico , and the U.S. Virgin Islands . The National Park Service administers

752-452: The monoclinal flexure , a steep warping up of 1,000 feet (300 m) toward the northwest. Lake Columbia topped the ridge at the higher side of the flexure. Encountering the steep slope of the monocline, the new river would have cascaded off the rim, 800 feet (240 m) down onto a broad plain where Coulee City and Dry Falls State Park now stand. Upper Grand Coulee began as an 800-foot (240 m) cascade just north of Coulee City. As

799-539: The Columbia Plateau prior to the last Pleistocene glaciation." Withrow Moraine and Jameson Lake Drumlin Field "contains the best examples of drumlins and the most illustrative segment of the only Pleistocene terminal moraine in the Columbia Plateau biophysiographic province. ... They are also the only such glacial features in the world to show a clear geological relationship to catastrophic flooding." The canyon

846-437: The Columbia Plateau, however it is vulnerable to the same forces that are destroying shrub-steppe and big sagebrush throughout the western US such as development, wildfires, invasion by non-native annual species, and overgrazing. During the 2020 Washington Labor Day fires more than 400,000 acres of shrub-steppe was burned including 3,000 acres of Moses Coulee Preserve in just half a day. The Nature Conservancy has established

893-535: The Columbia into Glacial Lake Columbia and later during the Missoula Floods forced those waters into eastern Washington, creating the Scablands. The river at Grand Coulee found no existing valley and thus forged its own pathway across the divide, creating the Upper Coulee. The plateau is not level, but is marked with wrinkles and upfolds of the basalt . The diverted waters of the Columbia encountered

940-742: The Frenchman Hills and turning west to run along the north face of the Saddle Mountains and rejoin the previous and modern course of the Columbia River just above the main water gap in the Saddle Mountains, Sentinel Gap . Although the Columbia River flowed only for a short period through Moses Coulee, this period included one or more of the tremendous flows from the Missoula Floods . As the Okanogan lobe melted,

987-544: The Grand Coulee is shrub-steppe habitat, with an average annual rainfall of less than twelve inches (300 mm). The Lower Grand Coulee contains Park, Blue, Alkali, Lenore, and Soap lakes. Until recently, the Upper Coulee was dry. The Columbia Basin Project changed this in 1952, using the ancient river bed as an irrigation distribution network. The Upper Grand Coulee was dammed and turned into Banks Lake . The lake

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1034-990: The Moses Coulee Preserve, which is a 3,588-acre (14.52 km) contiguous, intact shrub-steppe habitat. It is located 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Jameson Lake near the head of Moses Coulee. It provide habitat for a rich variety of birds ( lazuli bunting , common goldeneye , sage thrasher , sage sparrow , poorwill , mountain bluebird , loggerhead shrike , canyon wren , white-throated swift , golden eagle ), plants ( sagebrush buttercup , shooting star , sulphur lupine , serviceberry , mock orange , slender cryptantha , Tiehm's rush , big sagebrush , bluebunch wheatgrass and sego lily ) and animals ( mule deer , least chipmunk , bats , and marmot ). 47°27′30″N 119°48′00″W  /  47.45833°N 119.80000°W  / 47.45833; -119.80000 National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks ( NNL ) Program recognizes and encourages

1081-582: The NNL Program and, if requested, assists NNL owners and managers with the conservation of these important sites. Land acquisition by the federal government is not a goal of this program. National Natural Landmarks are nationally significant sites owned by a variety of land stewards, and their participation in this federal program is voluntary. The legislative authority for the National Natural Landmarks Program stems from

1128-458: The Waterville Plateau and blocked the ancient route of the Columbia River, backing up water to create Glacial Lake Columbia and Lake Spokane . Initially water discharged from Lake Columbia by running up through the head of Grand Coulee and down through Foster Coulee to rejoin the Columbia River. As the glacier moved further south, Foster Coulee was cut off and the Columbia River then discharged through Moses Coulee, which runs southward slightly to

1175-517: The cataract's plunge. It remains as hills on the broad floor of the Coulee. Some gravel-bar deposits are visible along the Route 155 . They provide evidence of eddies in the lee of rock shoulders. Dry Falls is at the head of Lower Grand Coulee. The Great Cataract forms the divide from the upper to lower coulees. The Lower Coulee tends along the monoclinal flexure to Soap Lake where the canyons end and

1222-539: The conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States . It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in both public and private ownership. The program was established on May 18, 1962, by United States Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall . The program aims to encourage and support voluntary preservation of sites that illustrate

1269-490: The cycle was repeated many times. Most of the displaced soil created new landforms, but some was carried far out into the Pacific Ocean. In Oregon's Willamette Valley, as far south as Eugene, the cataclysmic flood waters deposited fertile soil and icebergs left numerous boulders from as far away as Montana and Canada. At present day Portland, the water measured 400 feet (120 m) deep. A canyon 200 feet (61 m) deep

1316-429: The designation. It is conceivable that state or local governments of their own volition could initiate regulations or zoning that might apply to an NNL. However, as of 2005 no examples of such a situation have been identified. Some states require planners to ascertain the location of NNLs. Listed by state or territory in alphabetical order. As of July 2024, there were 605 listings. Grand Coulee Grand Coulee

1363-533: The east of the ancient and current course of the Columbia. As the Okanogan lobe grew, it blocked Moses Coulee as well; the Columbia found the next lowest route through the region which was eroded to become the modern Grand Coulee . Flowing across the current Grand Coulee and Dry Falls regions, the ice age Columbia then entered the Quincy Basin and joined Crab Creek, following Crab Creek’s course southward past

1410-522: The end of the Ice Age, but the raging torrents erased the land of clear evidence, leaving us to question who, if anyone, may have survived. With the end of the last glacial advance, the Columbia settled into its present course. The river bed is about 660 feet (200 m) below the Grand Coulee. Walls of the coulee reach 1,300 feet (400 m) in height. Grand Coulee is the longest and deepest of eastern Washington canyons. Its unique characteristics include

1457-687: The erosion resulting from the Missoula Floods , which laid bare many layers of the basalt flows on the edges of the plateau along the course of Moses Coulee. Pleistocene glaciers advanced onto the Waterville Plateau, with the Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet reaching as far south as the town of Withrow. Evidence for glaciation on the Waterville Plateau includes polished and striated bedrock, glacial erratics , drumlinoid topography, eskers , moraines , meltwater channels, and glacial till . The Withrow Moraine complex marks

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1504-489: The estimated 11 cubic miles of rock excavated from the Grand Coulee and its smaller other related coulees (Dry, Long Lake, Jasper, Lenore, and Unnamed). Most of the debris was carried on through and beyond Quincy Basin . The Ephrata Fan (a.k.a. " Ephrata Erratic Fan ") is a gravel fan formed when floodwaters from the lower Grand Coulee entered the Quincy Basin during the formation of the Scablands . The area surrounding

1551-604: The lake bed. In the 1920s, J Harlen Bretz looked deeper into the landscape and put forth his theory of the dam breaches and massive glacial floods from Lake Missoula . Of the Channeled Scablands , Dry Falls , one of the largest waterfalls ever known, is an excellent example (south of Banks Lake). It is probable that humans were witnesses, and victims, of the immense power of the Ice Age Floods. Archeological records date human presence back to nearly

1598-527: The larger flood basalts ever to appear on the earth 's surface engulfed about 163,700 km (63,000 mile) of the Pacific Northwest, forming a large igneous province with an estimated volume of 174,300 km. Eruptions were most vigorous from 17—14 million years ago, when over 99% of the basalt was released. Less extensive eruptions continued from 14—6 million years ago. These lava flows have been extensively exposed by

1645-414: The maximum southern extent of the Okanogan Lobe, and a series of recessional moraine complexes represent retreating ice margins. Ice damming of the Columbia River formed Glacial Lake Columbia and Lake Spokane , larger lakes than Lake Roosevelt, which is currently backed up in the same location behind the Grand Coulee Dam. A precursor to glacial-flood-cut Moses Coulee existed prior to the glacial floods as

1692-493: The northwest of the coulee. Early theories suggested that glaciers diverted the Columbia River into what became the Grand Coulee and that normal flows caused the erosion observed. In 1910 Joseph T. Pardee described a great Ice Age lake, "Glacial Lake Missoula", a glacier dammed lake with water up to 1,970 feet (600 m) deep, in northwest Montana and in 1940 he reported his discovery that giant dunes 50 feet (15 m) high and 200–500 feet (61–152 m) feet apart had formed

1739-647: The overall theme "Lakes and ponds" included large deep lakes, large shallow lakes, lakes of complex shape, crater lakes , kettle lake and potholes, oxbow lakes , dune lakes, sphagnum-bog lakes, lakes fed by thermal streams, tundra lakes and ponds, swamps and marshy areas , sinkhole lakes, unusually productive lakes, and lakes of high productivity and high clarity. The NNL program does not require designated properties to be owned by public entities. Lands under almost all forms of ownership or administration have been designated—federal, state, local, municipal, and private. Federal lands with NNLs include those administered by

1786-532: The property nor induce any encumbrances on the property. NNL status does not transfer with changes in ownership. Participation in the NNL Program involves a voluntary commitment on the part of the landowner(s) to retain the integrity of their NNL property as it was when designated. If "major" habitat or landscape destruction is planned, participation in the NNL Program by a landowner would be disingenuous and meaningless. The federal action of designation imposes no new land use restrictions that were not in effect before

1833-483: The remaining 18% are owned or administered by a mixture of public agencies and private owners. Participation in the NNL Program carries no requirements regarding public access. The NNL registry includes many sites of national significance that are open for public tours, but others are not. Since many NNLs are located on federal and state property, permission to visit is often unnecessary. Some private properties may be open to public visitation or just require permission from

1880-534: The rush of water eroded the surface, it steepened into a waterfall. The falls continued to erode backward (northward) creating the canyon. When the falls reached the divide into Lake Columbia, i.e., preglacial Columbia Valley, it disappeared, leaving the elongated notch. Today, the waters of the Lake Roosevelt are pumped 280 feet (85 m) from the Grand Coulee Dam, into Banks Lake to act as an Equalizing Reservoir and irrigation water source. Evidence of

1927-420: The site manager. On the other hand, some NNL private landowners desire no visitors whatsoever and might even prosecute trespassers . The reasons for this viewpoint vary: potential property damage or liability , fragile or dangerous resources, and desire for solitude or no publicity. NNL designation is an agreement between the property owner and the federal government. NNL designation does not change ownership of

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1974-538: The site or area. Administration and preservation of National Natural Landmarks is solely the owner's responsibility. Either party may terminate the agreement after they notify the other. The NNL designation is made by the Secretary of the Interior after an in-depth scientific study of a potential site. All new designations must have owner concurrence. The selection process is rigorous: to be considered for NNL status,

2021-407: The upper coulee. The distribution begins in the uncanyoned basin below Dry Falls and expanded to over 15 miles (24 km) before reaching Quincy Basin. One cataract (Unnamed Coulee) is 150 feet (46 m) high and had three alcoves over more than 1 mile (1.6 km). There is no channel as the water arrived in a broad sheet. The gravel deposits of Quincy Basin represent only a third or a fourth of

2068-634: The upper portions of Moses Coulee were littered with clear evidence of its passing in the Withrow Moraine . The glacier left behind a blanket of glacial till, up to 50 feet (15 m) thick in places. This glacial till, made up of clay, silt, sand, gravel, cobblestones, and erratic boulders, covers most of the upper coulee. Today Moses Coulee supports an excellent example of a shrub-steppe ecoregion. Vegetation includes sagebrush , rabbitbrush , greasewood , hopsage , bitterbrush , bunchgrass , buckwheat and other vegetation once common to most of

2115-483: The water flowed out into Quincy Basin. Quincy Basin is filled with the eroded gravels and silts from the Coulee. The Lower Coulee also created its own path across the plains. Evidence of this is found in the tilted flows visible at Hogback islands in Lake Lenore and tilted flows along Washington 17 from Dry Falls to Park Lake. Numerous canyons acted as a distribution system for the volume of water flowing out of

2162-539: The waterfalls includes a plunge basin where the falls began, immediately south of Coulee City. It contains at least 300 feet (91 m) of gravel lower than the open flooring of the land. The river above the falls was shallow and much wider than the gorge. Thus, it wrapped around the lip of the main falls creating lateral falls. These flowed until the recession of the main falls denied them water. Northrup Canyon in Steamboat Rock State Park contains

2209-477: Was released in just 48 hours—a torrential flood equivalent to ten times the combined flow of all the rivers in the world. This mass of water and ice, 2,000 feet (610 m) high near the ice dam before release, flowed across the Columbia Basin, moving at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour (105 km/h). The deluge stripped away soil, cut deep canyons and carved out 50 cubic miles (210 km ) of earth, leaving behind areas of stark scabland. Over nearly 2500 years

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