Jul 29, 2025 09:29 PM
13,000 years ago, a catastrophic flood scoured Oregon’s ancient landscape—new satellite images reveal the lasting impact
https://thedebrief.org/13000-years-ago-a...ng-impact/
INTRO: Below the arid surface of southern Oregon’s Alvord Desert are the echoes of a once massive Ice Age Lake, along with the scars of an ancient catastrophic flood that helped to reshape the landscape in ways that can still be seen today.
Evidence of the upheaval that once impacted this region close to 13,000 years ago were recently revealed in new satellite images obtained by Landsat 8, one of several NASA satellites that have been operated by the U.S. Geological Service (USGS) since May 30, 2013.
During the Pleistocene epoch, Alvord Lake had been part of a once sprawling inland body of water that spanned more than 80 miles, with depths in many areas that plunged several hundreds of feet. Near the end of the last Ice Age around 13,000 years ago, a dramatic outburst flood occurred which tore through modern day Big Sand Gap, unleashing torrents of water that scored canyons and bedrock in the region, signatures of which can still be observed today.
In the new satellite imagery from Landsat 8, features left behind by this prehistoric deluge offer insights into the dynamic climate and geology of North America at a time when, 13,000 years ago, the shifting global dynamics of a world in transition between two geological epochs could often produce extreme environmental changes... (MORE - details)
https://thedebrief.org/13000-years-ago-a...ng-impact/
INTRO: Below the arid surface of southern Oregon’s Alvord Desert are the echoes of a once massive Ice Age Lake, along with the scars of an ancient catastrophic flood that helped to reshape the landscape in ways that can still be seen today.
Evidence of the upheaval that once impacted this region close to 13,000 years ago were recently revealed in new satellite images obtained by Landsat 8, one of several NASA satellites that have been operated by the U.S. Geological Service (USGS) since May 30, 2013.
During the Pleistocene epoch, Alvord Lake had been part of a once sprawling inland body of water that spanned more than 80 miles, with depths in many areas that plunged several hundreds of feet. Near the end of the last Ice Age around 13,000 years ago, a dramatic outburst flood occurred which tore through modern day Big Sand Gap, unleashing torrents of water that scored canyons and bedrock in the region, signatures of which can still be observed today.
In the new satellite imagery from Landsat 8, features left behind by this prehistoric deluge offer insights into the dynamic climate and geology of North America at a time when, 13,000 years ago, the shifting global dynamics of a world in transition between two geological epochs could often produce extreme environmental changes... (MORE - details)