Some Geological Parts Of the State of Washington Quiz

Answer: Pleistocene

The Pleistocene Period reaches back in time nearly two million years. The Pliocene Period was about 2-10 million years ago, the Miocene approximately 13-16 million, and the Eocene roughly 40-50 million. In 2014 the summit of Mt. Rainer was measured at 14,411 feet, down from the more than 16,000 feet 75,000 years ago.

In 1899, Mt. Rainier became the fifth national park in the United States, and in 2014 had over two million visitors.

Answer: A dark fine grained igneous volcanic rock

Basalt is a dark volcanic rock that is mostly labradorite and pyroxene. Bauxite is a volcanic rock primarily made of aluminum oxide. Granite is an igneous rock that consists mostly of feldspar and quartz. And schist is a metamorphic rock containing mica.

Answer: Jurassic

During the Jurassic Period, the ocean-floor rocks under the San Juan Islands were placed in an oceanic trench. Today, the largest island, San Juan, is a mecca for those who enjoy history, whale watching, hiking, ocean kayaking, nature, and photography.

The other large islands are Orcas (rugged and beautiful, and great for camping and artists), Lopez (low-keyed, quiet, and a cyclist's paradise), and Shaw (no accommodations for tourists except very tiny campgrounds).

Answer: 1980

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted. The eruption was catastrophic, flattening vegetation and buildings for over 230 square miles, emitting ash up to 16 miles high that moved east at 60 miles per hour (depositing about 4" of ash on Spokane, some 250 miles away, and casting that city into complete darkness), and lowering the height of the mountain by around 1300 feet.

It killed 57 people, around 7000 big game animals such as bear, elk, and deer, and destroyed or damaged over 200 homes, 185 miles of road, and 15 miles of railroads.

Answer: Columbia

The Columbia River's source is Columbia Lake in British Columbia. Its drainage basin, about the size of France, hits seven states and one province. It has fourteen hydroelectric dams (and many others on its nearly two dozen tributaries), producing more hydroelectricity than another other North American river.

The river is a major transportation, recreation, and commercial force. The other three rivers are all tributaries of the Columbia.

Answer: Dry Falls

At one time the Columbia River flowed at about 65 miles per hour over a precipice some 400 feet high and over 3 1/2 miles long (about ten times the size of Niagara Falls in 2014. Estimates suggest that the flow then was at least ten times the flow of all of the rivers in the world in 2014. About 20,000 years ago ice plugged up the Clark Ford of the Columbia River.

When the ice gave way, it flooded Idaho, Washington, and Oregon under deep water. Such flooding occurred dozens of times during the last Ice Age, creating formations as the Grand Coulee and Dry Falls.

When the ice finally melted, the Columbia returned to its normal course, leaving the Grand Coulee and the falls dry. Although Dry Falls has eroded from its maximum size, an Interpretive Center was created to provide a detailed description of the geological forces that formed the region.

Answer: Loess

Although volcanoes and floods contributed to the foundation of the Palouse, the soil was primarily created by wind-blown sediments (loess) that produced deposits up to 246 feet thick over tens of thousands of years. The rolling hills were formed by alternating layers of loess and calcrete over thousands of years.

The Palouse region is noted as possibly the finest soil for growing wheat in the world, and wheat is the primary crop grown there, along with legumes.

Answer: Steptoe

Steptoe Butte State Park features a quartzite 1170' mountain over 600 million years old rising from 15 million year old basalt. The quartzite was initially deposited as a seafloor and was later pushed upward. The lava flows that later covered the area with basalt did not reach the top of the quartzite, leaving the older formation jutting out.

The geological term "steptoe" (which comes from this specific formation) is used to describe any formation where older material rises out of younger material. [The name comes from Col. Edward Steptoe who was defeated in the area by the Cayuse tribe on May 17, 1858, and who escaped with his force only because of help from the Nez Perce.]

Answer: Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula, in western Washington, remarkably has all of those features within a confined area. It also includes rivers, lakes, wilderness areas, and state parks, and offers opportunities for a myriad of activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, biking, and kayaking, in addition to sight-seeing (most of which can be done by car).

Answer: Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park is in Montana. North Cascades National Park is possibly the least developed and most challenging National Park outside of Alaska. Although there are a few paved roads, with access to attractions, most of the park is accessible only on foot. Olympic National Park covers much of the Olympic Peninsula.

It offers glaciers, rain forests, hot springs, coastal areas, forests, and scenic drives. Mount Rainier National Park can be explored by car from both entrances, although at least three days will be needed to do that. Visitor-friendly, the park offers hikes of various lengths, mountain climbing, wildlife viewing, skiing, and camping.