IMPACTS OF BASALTIC VOLCANISM ON INCISED FLUVIAL SYSTEMS DOES THE RIVER GIVE A DAM? Kyle House, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Cooper Brossy, Fugro /WLA, Inc. Liz Safran, Lewis & Clark College Lisa Ely, Central Washington University Jim O’Connor, U.S. Geological Survey Owyhee River Interstate Geological Investigation Network
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IMPACTS OF BASALTIC VOLCANISM ON INCISED FLUVIAL SYSTEMS
DOES THE RIVER GIVE A DAM?
Kyle House, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
Cooper Brossy, Fugro /WLA, Inc.Liz Safran, Lewis & Clark CollegeLisa Ely, Central Washington UniversityJim O’Connor, U.S. Geological Survey
Owyhee River Interstate Geological Investigation Network
Goal of this talkDescribe the characteristics of the response of the Owyhee River, OR to the incursion of voluminous basaltic lava flows.
Thanks to input fromNinad BondreKathy CashmanDuane ChampionRyan CrowNatalia DeligneCassie FentonNick FoitGordon Grant
Chris HenryKeith HowardKarl KarlstromCaitlin OremShannon OthusTabitha ProsserTerry SpellBrent Turrin
‘When lava met valley’
• Intracanyon lavas create extreme disruption of ‘normal’ fluvial processes
▫Geomorphic effects
▫Hydrological effects / Ecological effects
▫Regional landscape effects
‘When lava met valley’
Morphological effects
▫Channel and valley re-paving
▫River diversion / realignment
▫Channel Blockage and damming
Intracanyon flows: ‘When lava met valley’
Hydrological effects / Ecological effects
▫Hey, there’s a lake!
▫What the…there’s no sediment!
▫Uh-oh, the new dam is leaking!
!
‘When lava met valley’
•Regional effects
▫Master stream forced to cut lava for 10ks of years
▫ ‘Normal’ vertical and lateral erosion thwarted
▫Huge rock and sediment pulse to manage
▫Deceleration of landscape lowering
The Owyhee River
• Tributary to the Snake River• Junction of Nevada, Oregon,
and Idaho• Drainage area 8600 sq. miles• Bulk of watershed on volcanic