From 2015: Nick Zentner & Tom Foster collaboration featuring stunning Foster photos and Zentner script. Video stand-ups filmed during a May weekend. More questions than answers in this video!
Nick Zentner - the only geologist who responds to "Field Trip!" with "Great! Let me get my blackboard!" Great to see these videos being repurposed in a very digestible and entertaining structure. Thank you - and more please!
Over the decades, I have driven I90 through Montana many times. I recognized so many spots along the road that I had never known the origin of them. In the 80s, we went to the national bison refuge. We were so surprised to come across the plaque for the highest shoreline of Lake Missoula. Dry Falls in Washington is one of my favorite places. It was only after seeing the highest shoreline that I began to comprehend the size of the floods. Standing there near the top of the mountain and looking across and the length of the valley, then imagining it filled with water is what opened my eyes. One day a year or two later, we paddled our canoe to the base of Dry Falls. Sitting there and looking up to the edge of the falls and thinking of the water from Lake Missoula was one of my most spooky and a little frightening experiences in my life. I've seen parts or perhaps all of this video before. After the last year and a half of learning from you and the places you have shown, you have gotten me thinking a lot about the floods. My few trips around the state in the last year have made me realize what a truly immense event the floods were. I may be nearly bedridden with all my treatments but I have been to Spokane and also to Ft Spokane area to visit my daughters, have given a few outings in which I can see with my new perspective. I have gotten a small selection of geology books. Last week, I started reading in the Idaho one chapters about Shawn Willsey videos I watched. That gave me a deeper understanding of his video. Today, as we drove home from hubby's medical tests in Spokane, I decided to get out the roadside book on Washington and start reading about the floods. (Yes, he now has cancer, too). So, getting home to this video is very timely for me. I may be sick and fighting, but I'm still learning and finding joy. I'm also waiting for the videos on Baja to BC talks. I am sure they went well. Thank you again for all you have done that helps me so much.
I'm sorry to hear that both of you are facing that challenge. I know that Nick's videos definitely help me on the many days when walking isn't possible, and it's great to be able to learn about places I've been, even if I can't drive through any more. You're absolutely right that finding joy is critical, and I find learning new things does that for me. I hope that you have a good nutritionist and therapists, as I found with my mum especially that it helped manage the treatments to have the strongest, healthiest body and mind possible. Sending best wishes for you both.
@@JBates760 His stupid fault for drinking the water with fluoride, and eating garbage GMO foods, no pity here, just another sheeple fool, he just needs to get 5 more boosters, nothing to see here.
As a life long Missoulian, I’ve always wondered about the Lake Missoula story. It’s fascinating to think I live on the bottom of what once was a giant lake. The first time I heard about the lake, I was in the 4th grade. We were learning about ancient Egypt, and the Sphinx. Our teacher told us that no one knew why the Sphinx had those lines cut into it, and that it was a great mystery. One of my classmates, without hesitation said, “They’re watermarks, just like on Mount Sentinel!” (Mount Sentinel is where the “Big M” is.) That particular teacher was a bit of a jerk, and she didn’t believe his theory about the Sphinx, but she did confirm that Missoula was once a giant lake. The rest of us realized he was right. Years later, I saw a documentary about the Sphinx, and it confirmed our suspicions that it had been underwater. I wish I could have told my old teacher, “Told you so!” 😂
Love rewatching these via Nicks channel, Nice to see it all slowly get consolidated, really like that it is added over time rather than all added at once! Thanks Tom, pieces like this make us miss you all the more, Hopefully Nick will continue/finish the I90 series in some form as a tribute.
as a non-graduate with zero college or university education, but instead just basic first to 11th grade education, I find Nick's methods result in an easy to understand and very engaging and informative experience. (Loved his CWU lectures on youtube)
All I can say is "WOW"! This is the second video I have seen about the flooding caused by the draining of Lake Missoula. The first video was excellent, but this takes it to a whole new level. Nick Zentner is the kind of teacher of science that we all should be so lucky to have.
Nick is back! Never can get enough about the great floods. I’ve explored many of these settings myself with awe at the power and scale of the floods. Love to visit Farragut State Park and sit on jökulhlaup point at the south end of Lake Pend Oreille, pondering the floods that created this massive gravel outcropping. And the lake below me that’s as deep as the Empire State Building is tall. Will look forward to more from Nick.
Great to see there's still place in education for the trusty chalk-board. This was fascinating. I'm not a geologist, but the ice-age inundations in North America are awe-inspiring. It's impossible not to be drawn in by the tell-tale signs left by these events. What a super video. Many thanks.
Thanks Nick, you're one of my favorite geologist on you tube. I am a 62 year old life long geology nut living in Southern Louisiana . I always learn something new from your videos. Thanks so much! I hope to one day get to visit your neck of the woods. Such fascinating geology up there. I just wanted you to know how much I enjoy and appreciate your teaching style.
Nice video Nick. Interesting sedimentary stuff with the Varves v Rhythmites on that road cutting. You even got 'Ye Olde chalkboard' in a couple of times - you ole fossil you!!! Thanks again.
Before I discovered your videos the landscape of eastern Washington was just a chaotic desert. Now I have some answers to what happened there and it is fascinating knowledge to have when in these landscapes. I can imagine in my minds eye the changing of the landscape over time with lava, floods, the crinkling of the crust, the intrusion of rocks from deep in the ground and dissolving of these intrusions over time into mountains and valleys. Fun stuff.
Great video - as always! I am fascinated by geologist's ability to read the land, and Nick has an amazing ability to teach! The scenery in this area is so beautiful, it's really distracting, so I had to replay over and over...!
I love the photos. Not just the images captured, but the texture and quality of some of them, as it reminds me of the color photos from cameras taken in the 50s/60s/70s that I used to see at my grandparents.
Thank you, Nick, for showing this. It was how my husband and I got interested in the flood and then all your geology courses. Last year we traveled this area and we’re particularly amazed at the size of the Mission Ridge valley and the Flathead Lake area. We realized the Flathead ice lobe plus mountain glaciers’ water flowed into this upper section of “Lake Missoula” making it the largest of the arms of Glacier Lake Missoula. It is an unsung reservoir. All of the arms of the Lake are beautiful, Bitterroot included. Thank you for showing us how the flood happened.
Most excellent Nick & Co. Ever since reading the book The Great Floods of Glacial Lake Missoula in 2012, then visiting Glacier NP for the 1st time that same year. I’ve had a never ending fascination & passion trying to explore all the areas here in Oregon, WA, ID, MT. It’s incredible what created the Columbia River Gorge and all the beautiful columnar basalt. I love the dun brown hills and the layers of geological history right before my eyes every time I travel in these areas-fascinating geology. Keep ‘em coming. Cheers & enjoy the view.
thx Nick, great story. It makes sense as the ice last ice age receded 20,000 years ago, the ice dams got smaller and their collapse more frequent. Here in CA our biggest lake back then is now, Death Valley!
I love it! It took me 2 hours to watch this because every place visited, I followed up with Google Earth and then other maps. What a journey! Hydrology, Geology, Earth History, it's all very fascinating. Many thanks.
I'm a 2004 graduate of CWU. Studied flight. But had a lot of interest in geology. I live near Davenport Washington near lake Roosevelt and recently discovered lake missoula via a DVD I bought from NOVA called Killer Floods. Being a pilot, I love looking down at the earth and seeing its shape and carving and wondering how it was formed. So much makes sense when you fly above it and put some thought into what may have happened. Thank you for your channel. I only discovered it this week. I think I was a student of yours 19 years ago.
As an ecologist and farmer I absolutely love your Balsamorrhiza sp. growing in your area. So amazing that they tend to dominate in such a wide diversity of habitats.
Great presentation, thank you! I'm a retired railroad engineer out of Missoula and have had a strong interest in Lake Missoula since taking geology classes at the University of Montana in the mid 70s. I regularly traveled the length of the former lake and being able to observe the features left from the flooding was a great way to pass the time.
I would really love to a see a TV series or a documentary of Lake Missoula on History Channel or Discovery. With the right group of scientists (you) and a good budget, it could be amazing! I am surprised at how little this is shown on other science channels. Make that show happen!
It is always fun to revisit older videos, Nick! Details which might have been forgotten are refreshed in the mind. Recapitulation burns the subject deeper into the memory, allowing one to have a deeper and richer understanding of the matter at hand. Thank you for posting this! Love from Dreischor in The Netherlands.
I graduated from CWU with a degree in geology in 2013. I can say that Nick is one of those professors whose passion and enthusiasm for their field of expertise permeates every aspect of their classroom and inspires their students to do their very best! 10/10 A+ teacher would take any of his classes over again in a heartbeat!
If for no other reason, I would love to come back to life 100-200 years from now just to see "what's new" and what's old in science. But mostly to learn what scientists like Nick Zenter are out there in the field seeking answers to questions without end. It's the true essence of science.
Without the late Tom Foster and his skills at photography the site HUGEfloods would not be possible. It must have been some great days spending so much time with him Nick. Two Minute Geology was like the video version of Tom's site and glad you were a major part of introducing the Ice age flood story.
This is amazing, I remember Graham Hancock book outlining the scablands and the amounts of huge boulders deposited in places they should've been. There's so much we don't know and should approach this with an open mind and an acceptance that all ideas should be explored. Awesome show, thank you😎👍
Great presentation! This is “where the rubber meets the road”: explaining these events so they’re understandable to the lay person. I had a chance to fly over this area a couple times and the sheer scale is astounding. Familiar bed forms, just enormous in scale. The eroded scars still clear from orbit even after all these millennia. 👍😎
Ah, this brings back memories. I was a student at UM in the 70s and took a couple of geology courses just for general interest. We had a field trip out to the scab lands where the Professor was explaining what we were looking at. His teaching assistant didn't seem to agree that we were looking at a massive flood result from Glacial Lake Missoula. I remember the professor asking his TA for his explanation of the land forms then and the TA getting pretty flustered.
Thank you for the education, from a non college educated person. I live in the Yakima Valley and am always intrigued at our geology, whether it’s driving through the Columbia river gorge and looking at the strata lines in the cliff faces, or flying out of Pasco and seeing the ripples in the surface of the ground. I have often wondered how sand dunes and gravel pits are made.
Thank you for doing these programs and making your knowledge so accessible. I am 69 yrs old, and learning a lot about the beautiful Pacific Northwest. I, recently, came across your channel purely by chance! Following Exotic Terranes A-Z was an education and I will carry on learning ... Eocene A-Z next! Thank you again!
For those of us who live in the urban northeast and marvel at the vastness of western states, it is great to know that for those who live in those states, the constant question is, how did this place come into being with the fantastic shapes and incredible and observable effect of wind and water. Over the eons. I am envious.
This is such a fascinating subject, thank you for putting this lecture together. I don't find the existence of the lake hard to believe, but I do find the scale of this event difficult to imagine.
Greetings from Sweden, Thank you for sharing! These glimpses into my childhood memories of a region I explored glued to the window of family cars screaming STOP 🛑 STOP ✋🏼 STOP ✋🏼 I think I saw fossils, but those fossils were not to be found here like over in Yakima and around Cowlitz county . So very interesting! I have examined countless road cuts through white pass, then on across East and right up through where this flood would have flowed, its creepy to imagine the force, but growing up near all those mountains I don’t remember a time in my life I was unaware of the force and power of nature. As May 18 nears, another anniversary of the PNW having a crash course in force.
Love it. My family has roots in De Borgia, MT and we visit every year. I've been fascinated with Glacial Lake Missoula since I learned about it. And living in Spokane, I see what those floods did every day! Thanks for this.
A fascinating story, brilliantly told. Thanks Nick! Here in Oz we have very little in the way of modern glaciated terrains; just a few areas in the South Eastern Highlands. As a young geologist working in such places (long ago), I had to figure out what I was seeing based on textbook first principles. How good it would have been to have learned about these things in your classroom. I’ll join the queue at the time machine!
I was born I Missoula but moved when away I was 6. I remember the Big M and the Big L and I remember riding in the car and looking around and taking note of the fact that there were mountains on all sides of me.
Really interesting and informative video. Took me back to my University's sedimentary geology and structural geology classes 15-20 years ago. Honestly, it felt like the video only lasted 5 mins. It is always really amazing seeing and hearing people describe how complex the recent geologic history of the Northwest is (compared to the comparatively simple southeastern US, that I'm accustomed to).
You are such a great teacher Nick. Your videos should be shown in schools to spike a child's interest and increase knowledge. I click anything about Lake Missoula. Your videos are the best by far! Thank you for all the great information!!!
Thank you. I lived in this area for 16 years traveling all over western Montana and even took geology 101 at University of Montana. We didn't discuss this as in depth as you have.
Ive wondered about the horizontal formations. This makes so much sense. I have climbed up to the M. I have driven I 90 and I've been on the buffalo range and now this shows how it happened.
An excellent compilation by Nick Zentner. We love all of his presentations concerning the geology of the Pacific Northwest. I first learned about the Bretz ice fields and channelled scab lands in 1986 and have been fascinated since then. DOES ANYONE know if Mr. Zintner's traveling lecture series, or any series open to the public, will resume? We were set to attend one in Vancouver WA but the C virus shut that down. Thank you!
I love these videos!!!!! One of the best teachers. I've been telling people about this unheardof INSANE flood and this is the perfect video to explain it to people.
I grew up there, and during the late summer you could easily make out the various high water lines on Mt. Jumbo on the east side of town. For the size of the lake, the trip from Missoula to Drummond takes an hour at highway speeds.
This is one of Nicks great videos which I've watched several times and I will watch again, but I was hoping to see the recent talks in Ellensburg, are we going to get to see those?
I love learning about geology from your videos Nick. You're really effective at communicating complex research to lay folks who arent in the thick of the science. The WA and northwest focus of your work is really valuable to me as a newcomer to the area who is curious about our many amazing geological wonders!
I have to be honest. I never gave much thought into geology past learning my "igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic" in grade school. In college I went into chemistry, and the infamous "Rocks for Jocks" was used to tease friends that didn't have science-oriented minds. After seeing this video, I feel like my entire perception of the field has changed. I'm fascinated by the detail and passion you express while explaining what I could only describe as a tremendous mystery that predates any living person. I'm amazed that each geological feature, no matter how small, is a clue to be compiled and corroborated to help solve this puzzle. Thank you, Mr. Zentner, for opening my eyes to a science that I've neglected for so long!
Thank you Nick, for all your hard work in putting this stuff up so we can all learn and become more curious about our surroundings. I’ve driven through those areas on the way between Alberta and B.C. to Portland Oregon and I marvelled at the time but I didn’t know about quite what. Now after watching a bunch of your videos it makes a lot more sense. I’m no geologist but I enjoy hearing your lectures and presentations very much.
Nick, I so appreciate you, Man! Your enthusiasm talking through this, and other vids is captivating. One day, because of you, I hope to make it up that way to see these things. You're always intriguing and always pulling my interest in - even at 1 in the morning!
Canadian connection : According to an old man we talked to in Canada at Trail British Columbia..high above the Columbia river at 4200feet is a cave with 2 ancient Indian canoe's inside. ..we went to the correct hillside searching but failed to hike high enough , hot weather and tangle brush. ..but it's worth another look someday. ..the old man was my buddy's grandpa and says he saw the cave and canoe's with his own eyes
I went to a week long conference on the college campus at Missoula. I noticed what looked like terraces on the newest mountain. Couldn't figure it out . I looked every morning and afternoon that week. I was sure they we man-made but that doesn't make sense. Years later I learned about the glacial lake and the scablands. Amazing world we live in.
A truly great scientific discussion will have so many more questions than answers. The proportion of questions to answers in this presentation leaves so much to discover.
Fascinating! I had no idea! I grew up in Klamath Falls, OR which is at the western edge of the Oregon High Desert and we have similar terrain as you’re describing in Missoula but no noticeable signs of a deep lake or floods. We have Crater Lake and the Tulelake Lava Beds which is amazing to walk around on. I’ll have to look into the Klamath Basin history to see what I’m missing since there must’ve been something that moved through there that caused the flat basins. I’m wondering if each flood was caused by smaller lakes around the main lake as they were quickly filled either by seasonal storms or when temperatures rose high enough to melt the glacial buildup so when the two factors combined, it would quickly build up massive pressure that would cause a cascade of events in rapid succession that overwhelmed each body of water as it flowed down the chain. Could the remaining silt, debris and rock left by each previous flood have created pile ups at natural choke points that acted as a dam as the water levels subsided? If this happened it might explain how annual flooding would gradually build up more debris that was deposited on these natural dams/obstructions. And again, when a warm period hit the glaciers, it would again overwhelm the lower dam levels until no deposits of any material remained since the numerous floods had slowly carved out river paths that we see today. Kevin, Retired Infantryman.
It could all be from one flood from an extraterrestrial impact into the ice. It is hard to imagine how the ice dam would keep reforming with enough strength to hold that much water and Randall Carlson has presented evidence of that. I appreciate the info on the topic and understand if you as a professor are hesitant to address or discuss theories that are considered outside the realm of accepted theory but I would love to hear a discussion between you and Randall about this subject because this area clearly represents something out of the norm of our easily identifiable uniformitarian processes. Thank you for your efforts.
I went to College in Missoula in 1984‐1986. This is the first-time I have heard of this. I should have taken a Geology class during my Business School Education. Damn interesting!
I am always interested in The flood lakes and outlets of the Pacific NW. I was fortunate to meet J Harlan Bretz at his home while I was a Geology student at Albion College in the early 1970's. Bretz was an Alumni and was donating part of his collection to the school. We had studied the Channeled Scablands in our Pleistocene and Geomorphology classes, but to hear him talk during our visit about how he developed his theory was riveting. A truly great man.
That same phenomenon is apparent here in northern Lower Michigan. If you know where and how to look, you can see that Lake Michigan was MUCH deeper than it is now...like 500ft deeper.
I enjoyed your asking the questions and not necessarily providing answers. Clearly the earth and elements are wonderfully unpredictable -- at least in the past -- and it is so fun to look at the evidence and try to figure out what happened. You must be a great teacher! Thanks for the video
Neat to see people so interested in something involving my hometown and alma mater. Been told this tale as long as I can remember. Great coverage of the topic.
Nick got me super into Washington state geology a few years back, it's cool to revisit these videos on your channel sir. Just a thanks for doing what you do from a random Canadian.
Finally, RU-vid promotes one of your educational videos and we can all see the results: 113k views 4/9/23. Thanks for all you do for us, hopefully this will expand the number of Zentnerds!
