#Umtanum Ridge Water Gap

[rabbitcruiser]

Yakima Canyon, WA (No. 1)

Umtanum Ridge Water Gap is a geologic feature in Washington state in the United States. It includes the Yakima Canyon (or "Yakima River Canyon"), and is located between the cities of Ellensburg and Yakima in central Washington. Washington State Route 821 (formerly numbered "U.S. Route 97") was once the main route between Ellensburg and Yakima.The old highway still runs close to the river through the canyon, with Interstate 82 (which replaced the old highway) currently carrying most traffic between Ellensburg and Yakima on large bridges nearby.

The Umtanum Ridge Water Gap was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1980. The landmark is characterized by a series of steep-sided ridges in the Columbia River basalt which are cut through axially by the Yakima River. A water gap was cut by the Yakima River through anticlines named "Manastash Ridge" and "Umtanum Ridge". These anticlines are part of the Yakima Fold Belt near the western edge of the Columbia River Plateau.

Source: Wikipedia

[rabbitcruiser]

Yakima Canyon, WA (No. 2)

The Yakima River is a tributary of the Columbia River in south central and eastern Washington state, named for the indigenous Yakama people. Lewis and Clark mention in their journals that the Chin-nâm pam (or the Lower Snake River Chamnapam Nation) called the river Tâpe têtt (also rendered Tapteete), possibly from the French tape-tête, meaning "head hit". The length of the river from headwaters to mouth is 214 miles (344 km), with an average drop of 9.85 feet per mile (1.866 m/km). It is the longest river entirely in Washington state.

The river rises in the Cascade Range at an elevation of 2,449 feet (746 m) at Keechelus Dam on Keechelus Lake near Snoqualmie Pass, near Easton. The river flows through that town, skirts Ellensburg, passes the city of Yakima, and continues southeast to Richland, where it flows into the Columbia River creating the Yakima River Delta at an elevation of 340 feet (100 m).

Source: Wikipedia

[rabbitcruiser]

Yakima Canyon, WA (No. 5)

Near the south end of the Yakima River Canyon, which cuts across the Umtanum Ridge, SR 821 crosses into Kittitas County. The two-lane highway generally runs along the bottom of the canyon, to the east of the river and railroad and paralleled to the east by I-82. At its south end, the highway passes downhill from an earlier alignment that was tunneled under a section of the ridge. At Roza Dam, the railroad crosses over to the west side of the river while SR 821 stays uphill from the river, cutting through part of the ridge. The highway continues north, following the cliffs along the meandering river and opposite the railroad and the Wenas Wildlife Area to the west. It passes through 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management, which includes several campgrounds, boat launches, and four recreational areas. The area also has several cattle ranches and farms centered around the Burbank Valley. Midway through the valley, SR 821 passes the Canyon River Ranch, an isolated rest area with shops, restaurants, and cabins that is planned to grow into a resort.

Source: Wikipedia

[rabbitcruiser]

Yakima Canyon, WA (No. 4)

SR 821 begins at an interchange with I-82, co-signed with US 97, northeast of Selah in northern Yakima County. The interchange also includes a connection to Firing Center Road, which continues east into the Yakima Training Center, a military installation that spans the mountainous area between Yakima and the Columbia River. SR 821 makes a 90-degree turn to the northeast and intersects the northern terminus of SR 823, a short highway that travels south into downtown Selah. The highway continues north through farms near the community of Pomona and passes the Sundown M Ranch substance abuse treatment center near the mouth of Selah Creek at the Yakima River. It then travels into the narrow Yakima River Canyon to the east of BNSF Railway's Yakima Valley Subdivision, which forms part of the main east–west railroad across south central Washington.

Source: Wikipedia

[rabbitcruiser]

Yakima Canyon, WA (No. 3)

The great basalt flows of the Columbia Basin and of the Ellensburg Formation, in some places over 5000 meters (17,000 feet) thick, have been folded into ridges (anticlines) and valleys (synclines) running roughly east–west as a result of north–south compression. On its way to join the Columbia River, the Yakima River cuts from the Kittitas Valley southward through four major ridges formed by this compression: the Manastash Ridge, the Umtanum Ridge, the Yakima Ridge, and the Ahtanum Ridge to reach the Yakima Valley. A view south from Umtanum Ridge into the Yakima Canyon.

The highest ridge through which the Yakima flows, the Umtanum Ridge, rises to 983 meters (3225 feet) within 1 km of the river, which lies at about 470 meters (1542 feet) in elevation at the closest point. This unusual juxtaposition (rivers cutting through ridges rather than flowing through apparently more favorable routes) is an example of geologic precedence. The ancient Yakima River is believed to have been there, flowing southward above the relatively flat basalt layers. As the layers compressed, the anticlines slowly rose. The river continued to follow its historic course, cutting downward through the basalt to maintain a relative level. This view is supported by the significant meanders found in the canyon today; when a river has meanders, they tend to be preserved in rock as the river eats into a rising anticline.

Source: Wikipedia

[rabbitcruiser]

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