Rock Creek (Palouse River)
Encyclopedia
Rock Creek is a tributary of the Palouse River
in the U.S. state of Washington. The source of the creek is just east of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
(TNWR). It flows through the TNWR and ultimately joins the Palouse River 6 miles downstream from the unincorporated town of Winona, Washington.
Rock Creek comprises 13% of the Palouse River's drainage basin
, with a Rock Creek drainage basin totaling 430 square miles (1,113.7 km²) in area. Rock Creek drains Rock Lake and, upstream from that, Bonnie Lake. Rock Lake is unique to the subbasin. Rock Lake has a maximum depth of 350 feet with a mean depth of 170 feet. Lakes within the Rock Creek drainage with managed fisheries include Rock and Bonnie Lakes, and Chapman Lake. Many small lakes in the drainage have no above-grade outlets, but are scattered across the topography of the Rock Creek drainage and drained through the aquifer.
it passes through unique geological erosion features of the channeled scablands created by the cataclysm
ic Missoula Floods
that swept periodically across this portion of eastern Washington as well as other parts of the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene epoch
. The creek follows one of the many paths taken by the Missoula Floods as they cut through the Columbia River Basalt
. Notable geologic features which the creek passes include the Rock Creek scabland and Rock Lake. It parallels the adjacent Cow Creek scabland, and joins the Palouse River
just before the Palouse departs its former course (captured by ice-age flood erosion), Washtucna Coulee (the abandoned course of the Palouse River scoured wide by the floods).
follows Rock Creek for a portion of the drainage, allowing unique access, particularly to Rock Lake.
Palouse River
The Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake River located in the U.S. states of Washington and Idaho. It flows for southwestwards, primarily through the Palouse region of southeastern Washington...
in the U.S. state of Washington. The source of the creek is just east of the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge
The Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1937 by an Executive Order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt is located six miles south of Cheney, Washington on the eastern edge of the Columbia Basin, in Spokane County in northeastern Washington. Turnbull NWR encompasses approximately ...
(TNWR). It flows through the TNWR and ultimately joins the Palouse River 6 miles downstream from the unincorporated town of Winona, Washington.
Rock Creek comprises 13% of the Palouse River's drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
, with a Rock Creek drainage basin totaling 430 square miles (1,113.7 km²) in area. Rock Creek drains Rock Lake and, upstream from that, Bonnie Lake. Rock Lake is unique to the subbasin. Rock Lake has a maximum depth of 350 feet with a mean depth of 170 feet. Lakes within the Rock Creek drainage with managed fisheries include Rock and Bonnie Lakes, and Chapman Lake. Many small lakes in the drainage have no above-grade outlets, but are scattered across the topography of the Rock Creek drainage and drained through the aquifer.
Geological significance
As Rock Creek crosses the Columbia River PlateauColumbia River Plateau
The Columbia Plateau is a geologic and geographic region that lies across parts of the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. It is a wide flood basalt plateau between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains, cut through by the Columbia River...
it passes through unique geological erosion features of the channeled scablands created by the cataclysm
Cataclysm
The term cataclysm The term cataclysm The term cataclysm (from the Greek kataklysmos, to 'wash down' (kluzein "wash" + kata "down") may refer to:*Deluge (mythology)*a hypothetical Doomsday event*any catastrophic geological phenomenon**volcanic eruption**earthquake...
ic Missoula Floods
Missoula Floods
The Missoula Floods refer to the cataclysmic floods that swept periodically across eastern Washington and down the Columbia River Gorge at the end of the last ice age. The glacial flood events have been researched since the 1920s...
that swept periodically across this portion of eastern Washington as well as other parts of the Columbia River Plateau during the Pleistocene epoch
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
. The creek follows one of the many paths taken by the Missoula Floods as they cut through the Columbia River Basalt
Columbia River Basalt Group
The Columbia River Basalt Group is a large igneous province that lies across parts of the Western United States. It is found in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and California...
. Notable geologic features which the creek passes include the Rock Creek scabland and Rock Lake. It parallels the adjacent Cow Creek scabland, and joins the Palouse River
Palouse River
The Palouse River is a tributary of the Snake River located in the U.S. states of Washington and Idaho. It flows for southwestwards, primarily through the Palouse region of southeastern Washington...
just before the Palouse departs its former course (captured by ice-age flood erosion), Washtucna Coulee (the abandoned course of the Palouse River scoured wide by the floods).
Access
The John Wayne Pioneer TrailJohn Wayne Pioneer Trail
The John Wayne Pioneer Trail follows the former roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad for across two-thirds of Washington from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border. The Chicago, Milwaukee, St...
follows Rock Creek for a portion of the drainage, allowing unique access, particularly to Rock Lake.