Mystery of the Megaflood

The Mystery of the Megaflood documentary we watched for lab was about the Channeled Scablands in Lincoln County, Washington and how the amazing structures were made by a crazy event known as the Megaflood.

Here are the Scablands in Lincoln County, a result of an amazing natural phenomenon. 

Most canyons similar to this are formed over thousands of years by erosion, which could be as simple as a river carving out the landscape. However, in the case of the Scablands, this is not what happened. A huge flood, originating from the Missoula Valley, rushed through the area, quickly eroding the landscape to create what we now see as the Scablands. In the Missoula Valley, a massive glacier served as a dam for a river in the valley. When that glacier gave way, the enormous amount of water built up came surging through the area of Lincoln Country, creating the landscape that we see today. The theory surrounding the Scablands was in question for many years, however scientists today agree that this epic flood which was the effect of a glacier dam caused this natural formation. One of the most interesting parts of the documentary was the demonstration that the film makers used, reenacting the flood and showing how the water could create such a formation.