Basalt Columns -- Nez Perce NHP, Spalding ID - Glacial Lake Missoula Flood Features on Waymarking.com

These striking Basalt Columns are visible because they were exposed by the Glacial Lake Missoula Flood, a reminder of the power of water over rock. They are located at the Nez Perce National Historical Park Visitor Center along the US 12 in Spalding ID.

These basalt columns are part of the Columbia River Basalt Group that stretches to the Pacific Ocean, the result of massive repeated lava flows that covered parts of 4 states beginning 17 million years ago and ending 6 million years later.

In the intervening millions of years before the Ice Age occurred 20,000 years ago, these columns were slowly weathered, broken, and covered with soil and vegetation. Once the Ice Age began, this area experienced advancing and receding glaciers, which created "rock flour" and deposited more soils and rocks on the columns.

Once the ice dam that created Glacial Lake Missoula formed, these columns were under water, perhaps for many decades. Periodic Lake Missoula floods caused torrents of rushing water to scour and sculpt the land, exposing long-buried basalt columns still visible today.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/21/2022 Don.Morfe visited it 02/24/2022 Benchmark Blasterz visited it

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