Example research essay topic: Oversize Ripple Marks Landscapes Were Formed Flood - 1,147 words

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Human beings existing, breathing, and walking around on a measureless, changing and growing quickly as times goes by. Similar to the human growth, landforms kept on changing rapidly over years after years. For many centuries, geologists believed landscapes were formed through a long process known as uniformitarian- a gradually slow process of changing its landscapes toward its environments. Evidence of multiple catastrophism- a speed process of landform has been developed over the years, especially during the time of J. Harley Bretz, a remarkable geologist who defied the scientific belief of his day and argued that sudden flood of almost unbelievable force rather than the slow uniform process. By recognizing the effects of catastrophic flooding on the Columbia Plateau of eastern Washington, the Missoula flood was brought upon the geologist community.

The event of Missoula flood caused spectacular changes in landscapes. Even though thousands years of land erosion, scars of the flood still visible and noticeable. This significant event made remarkable changes in the geology, and guide us to a new level of understanding the causes of changes in the past leading to present and into the future as well. Landscapes around us significantly change because of the Missoula flood. Bretz began to realized the area of Puget Sound- area filled with valleys and complex drainage channels and had been covered by mountain glaciers - is made up of giant discarded river channels during the time of glaciers expansion nudged the drainage system southward. (p. 19) One of the places that Bretz visited was Columbia River Gorge, a stretch of steep river valley that cuts its way through the Cascade Mountains. (p. 27) Here Bretz found certain number of misfit rocks called erratic's, a rock type that located distance away from their area of origin. Erractics not only came from the coast but the interior of Washington and Idaho.

Found their way into the Columbia Gorge, their boulders have clearly avoided the usual breaking up and smoothing down that occurs to river tumbled rocks. Rolling, grinding, and polishing action did not transport these erratic, something irregular has occurred. Their sizes are a thousand times larger than the river gravels and are likely to be angular rather than smooth. At the same time, Bretz notices the oddness of its dry falls in the Columbia Gorge on the U. S. Geological Survey map of Quincy Basin, showed up clearly at the western end of the basin.

Clearly that a massive amount of water had once flowed through the Basin and out over the western end to created oddness of such formation. Then comes the matter of potholes, smooth bowl-like hollows that look as though they had been ground out of the rock surface. Since the everyday potholes range from a few inches to six feet across, something highly unusual has occurred when potholes are gigantic gaping hollows created by giant turbulence. The river itself simply through the graze of its own swirling velocity did the grinding. These exist well on rocky shelves along the banks and underwater along the path of the main current. (p. 24) Compared to the recent eruption of Mt.

St. Helen, carrying ashes all the way to the East coast. The flood caused much more damages by sweeping and killing anything in its path. However, it can serve as a model to help us gain an insight into the larger catastrophic Pleistocene event- an explosion vs. gigantic deluges. With eyes only a few feet above the ground. (p. 32) Bretz's own description about the scablands.

Scotland channels are bare black rock carved into channels of buttes and canyons. Looking through a huge body of water wandered strongly through the land creating canyons split, reunite, and cross one another. Eating and washing away the rubble, and leaving behind riverbed marks resembling to bubbled bathtub are natures rules of normal canyons. However, a scotland canyon shows sudden short-lived force had spent all its power in one incredible momentum, and cut precisely throughout anything lay in its path without leaving any riverbed marks. (p. 34) High gravel bars formed by rushing along with the water through the canyons and dropped off when hit the pockets along the banks. This is another matter of scablands features. (p. 39) According to its size high as hill, a high velocity with great amount of water could create these. Joseph Thomas Pardee, a geologist who was personally familiar with Bretz's background did his studied in the areas of the ancient Missoula flood.

An example of proof that Pardee found was oversize ripple marks. Like Bretz's giant gravel bars, these oversize ripple marks are 50 feet high and spaced up to 500 feet apart. (p. 64) The volume of Lake Missoula was big enough to carry the erratic's, to carved the channel scablands, formed gravel bars, and left unexpected ripple marks. There are two kinds of waves. One is moving back and fourth- both directions, these can be found either at rivers / lakes . While the other is moving in one direction- straightforward, and can be found either at oceans / beaches . Others beliefs or multiple possibilities are considered beside the flood as an actual answer.

Catastrophism was never in geologists consideration, but believed that landscapes were formed through a long period. Volcanic explosion, meteorites, glacier, or mudslides are mentions. Even human species are included in the possibilities. Rocks these sizes, as erratic's, are too distantly spread to have been spewed out of volcano explosion. There are no craters to suggest meteoric impact.

Mudslides could not move these rocks, definitely not from the Rockies to Columbia Basin, to Willamette Valley and on to Pacific. Glaciers could not have pushed or carried them, not so far away south. In conclusion, attempting to see the floods and their after-effects as a flow of events glaciations, lakes, dust, and the reinstatement of plant and animal life, all these interconnecting stages have left their marks that geologists look to in their discovery of the earths history. Both erosion and deposition of earth materials left a long-lasting evidence of their passage. Volume of Lake Missoula was big enough to carry the erratic's, to carve the channeled scablands, to produce the gravel bars, and left oversize ripple marks. Bretz discovery leads many clues that there was an actual flood due to clues from the past.

Missoula flood give out prospect in geology by showing people that the popular belief is not always correct. Landscapes around us dramatically change because of the Missoula flood. The landscapes form by uniformitarianism and catastrophism, but the formation of catastrophic flooding made more sense due to evidence of multiple cataclysms has developed over the years. Consider the possibilities that changes the landscapes, and the conclusion to all this should seem obvious; Missoula flood is the only explanation.

Reference: J. E. Allen & M. Burns & S.

C. Sargent. 1986. CATACLYSMS on the COLUMBIA.

Research essay sample on Oversize Ripple Marks Landscapes Were Formed Flood