Channeled Scablands, Desert geological formation in eastern Washington, United States.
Channeled Scablands is a desert geological formation in eastern Washington that stretches from Spokane to the Columbia River, carved with deep channels through bedrock. The rock grooves run across more than 2,000 square miles and form a network of canyons, cliffs and dry cataracts that expose the underlying basalt.
Between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago an ice dam holding back glacial Lake Missoula broke and sent massive floods through the region that stripped away soil and carved the channels. The floods repeated dozens of times and deepened the grooves with each pass.
Settlers arriving in the 1800s found exposed basalt channels running for miles and gave the region a name that reflected their frustration with unplowable rock. The term stuck and remains a reminder of how the raw landscape resisted any attempt at farming.
Visitors need a Discover Pass to enter state parks such as Steamboat Rock, Sun Lakes-Dry Falls and Palouse Falls located within the region. Roads cross open terrain so bring water and sun protection, especially during summer months.
Dry Falls, a cliff inside the region, was once a waterfall three miles wide and 400 feet (122 meters) high that carried more water than all current rivers combined. Today the rock face stands empty and marks the spot where glacial floods poured over the edge.
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