Columbia River Basalt Columns

Much as the heyday of the columnar jointing meme seems to be past, I’d like to jump on the bandwagon in support of Washington’s columns as championed on Northwest Geology Field Trips.

Washington is home to what I would argue is some of the raddest columnar jointing around, as it’s easily reached and highly extensive. And by “highly extensive",” I mean Spans-63,000-Square-Miles extensive.

These columns (near Grand Coulee, WA) show an unevacuated lava tube.* The arch of columns would have been the tube’s roof, as those cooled and cracked perpendicularly to the cooling surface (the air.) Underneath this is a layer of lava that cooled in the tube, and beneath that are more columns from the bottom of the flow. Above this tube is the middle section (the entablature) that cooled in a different fashion and thus has some pretty fugly hackly jointing.

 

Dry Falls, whose walls are composed of columns. You just can’t tell that because it’s so stinkin’ huge from this vantage point.

These columns are the Ellensburg formation, and this exposure is over near Naches, WA.

This is Frenchman Coulee, and is once again composed of columns too distant to see.

But here they from a closer viewpoint – in addition to the columnar joints, you can see horizontal weak areas perpendicular to cooling along the column’s side.**

Oh, and you know what else Washington has that’s better than anywhere else?

Plaid-clad junkies who don’t shower.***

My advice: visit the Columbia River flood basalts, but avoid Aberdeen after dark.

 

*At least, that is what an unevacuated lava tube has been pointed out to me as. As always, I could be really incorrect.

**I think.

***I really like plaid.

Yellowstone: Some Initial Pictures

Unfortunately, my sister and I traded SD cards, and forgot to switch back, so I have only a handful of pictures from my recent vacation. Here are a few of the best:

Grand Prismatic Spring: the orange and brown colors come from different microbial mats, different kinds of which live at different temperatures. The turquoise  color at the center of the pool comes from particles suspended in the water. This shot came out a little artsy-er than intended.

As the water flows away from the pool, terraces form as minerals collect on little imperfections. These areas collect the microbes.

This is the water from the Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser into the Iron Spring Creek. You can really see how the microbial mats form in water flowing at just the right temperature and velocity.

This was a sweet restored car in West Yellowstone.

They Say You Can’t Break a Nalgene…

…they’re wrong.

  After being my go-to caving water bottle for some time, all the bumping, throwing,  shoving, and general abuse this water bottle suffered, it finally broke after I chucked it off a eight foot drop, soaking the contents of my pack.

Granted, it wasn’t an official “Nalgene” bottle – it was a little dorkier than that:

After spending the rest of the cave trip thirsty, I decided to remedy that unfortunate and unsafe situation by acquiring the following:

Not only is it excessively shiny and ruggedly handsome, but it’s also supposed to dent instead of breaking.

I’m prepared to put that claim to the test.

Geology of Idaho

Unfortunately, the computer I'm can't access Twitter, or else I'd tweet this:

http://geology.isu.edu/Digital_Geology_Idaho/Module1/mod1.htm

This website contains exactly what I've been trying to learn for a couple months now - the geologic history of Idaho.

Oh what wonders the internet brings us.

Caving: The Gear

So, you decide to go caving. Hoo boy, isn’t that fantastic.
But first, you have to gather together all the gear that separates true cavers from losers – or, as cavers are wont to call them, in a voice dripping with derision, “spelunkers.”

Helmet: For your first couple trips underground, a bicycle helmet or hard-hat will suffice. However, an actual climbing helmet is really important – it can take repeated hits, won’t fall off when you crawl, will protect your head from falls, and gives you that cool caver cachet.

3 sources of light & spare batteries: Underground, it’s dark. Very dark. Lose-your-way, break-a-leg, starve-to-death-while-being-eaten-by-packrats dark. You really don’t want to be caught without a light in a cave. And, as everyone knows, technology breaks – especially when you throw your pack around while climbing through tight spaces. Hence, it’s important to have multiple sources of light, and batteries for each. At least two of them need to be helmet-mountable, so you have your hands free.

First aid supplies: Everyone should have some basic stuff – bandaids, heat packs, space blanket, etc. If you have first aid training, you should bring supplies equivalent to your level of training. I usually also bring gauze, tape, a splint, an ace bandage, pills, a first aid reference, a pocketknife, and webbing/carabineers for carrying people. If I don’t know the people I’m caving with well, I bring a CPR mask as well. No need to be kissing strangers.

Pee bottle: I’m sure you can figure out what that’s for.

Gloves: You never want to forget your gloves. Not only would that be painful, but it’s also harmful to the cave: oils and skin particles from your hands can destroy cave fungi, provide a food source for biota, and irrevocably prevent further formation growth.

Vertical gear: You’ll know if you need it.

Rugged clothes: Many people, in warm, dry caves like lava caves, choose to wear jeans and a trashed tee shirt. Cave suits can be fancy things made of cordura costing over $100 – I personally find my $1 used coveralls perfectly effective.

What you wear underneath all this depends on the cave you’re visiting: a cold cave necessitates thermal underlayers, a warm cave necessitates merely something to cover your bum on the drive over.

Thick socks: In a cold/wet cave, these are necessary to stave off hypothermic wet feet. In a warm cave, they more provide cushioning.

Stout boots: This is a matter of personal choice, but you’ll find the support, cushioning, and protection of a boot worthwhile. Some highly experienced cavers do use tennis shoes or sandals, but they’re definitely in the minority. It should be noted: lava rips up boots like none other, so using either a really cheap or a really hefty pair of boots is recommended in lava caves.

Kneepads: When faced with a long crawlway, you’ll wish you’d brought them. Even if they pinch and keep sliding down to your ankles.

Extra clothes: These should be made of wool or a synthetic material – no cotton. Should you be injured, or just take an extended break, an extra set of clothes and a hat will keep you cozy and stave off hypothermia. Which I hear is important.

Pack: This can really be any pack you don’t mind destroying, and doesn’t have too many straps. You can use some old daypack, but eventually the zipper will gum up with dirt. Then you’ll want to invest in a specialized cave pack – they start at about $50.

Water: Caving is tough work, so it’s important to stay hydrated.

Camera: For all the baller cave pictures you’ll take.

Paper, pencil: This is mainly for use in emergency situations – to leave notes for your rescuers. However, you can also use it to make notes about your epic cave adventure.

Emergency food: It’s not entirely kosher to eat in caves – you drop crumbs, which provides a foreign food source for the biota. However, when it’s necessary, you eat non-crumbly, non-drippy food while hunching over a ziplock bag or your cave pack. In addition, it’s really important to always have extra emergency food in your pack. I recommend those obnoxiously expensive Cliff/Power/Lara/Whatever  bars/gels/jelly beans/cubes. Other options would be carrot sticks, not-toasted PB&J, apple slices, etc.

Chapstick: Being distracted by chapped lips is lame.

Bandanna: This is a multi-purpose piece of equipment: keeps your hair back, keeps your head warm, serves as a sling, gathers sweat, and, in a pinch, can be used as a dust mask.

Trash bag: (Not pictured.) To collect your trash, and trash from the losers who visited the cave before you.

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ADDENDUM:
Duct tape: (Not pictured.) This is best stored wrapped around your water bottle. This is really useful for emergency repairs, like when your underwire snaps, or you crush your cell-phone in a tailgate.