Bailee Lessenberry 

 
Glacial Lake Missoula Floods and Subsequent Formation of the Camas Prairie Giant Current Ripples 
 
INTRODUCTION 
In 1942, geologist Joseph T. Pardee published his landmark work, ​Unusual Currents in Glacial Lake 
Missoula, ​in which he documented unusual landforms that he could only explain as a result of currents of 
atypical depth and high velocity (Lee, 2009).  
However, years before this publication, another geologist by the name of J Harlen Bretz underwent 
intense scrutiny and criticism for proposing this same hypothesis. After studying the geomorphology of the 
Channeled Scablands, Bretz concluded that these landforms were a result of a catastrophic flooding event 
(Baker, 1978). He presented this information to the 1927 Geological Society of America conference and was 
decimated by fellow geologists (Baker, 1978). Also in attendance at this meeting was Joseph T. Pardee, who 
according to one account leaned over and whispered to K. Bryan, “I know where Bretz’s flood came from” 
(Baker, 1978). After this clash known as the Spokane Flood controversy, Bretz moved on from this 
geomorphological phenomenon while Pardee spent the next twenty years silently gathering information on the 
landforms in order to confirm his theory. After viewing an aerial photograph of the area, Pardee recognized 
similarities between these landforms and stream ripples, with the exception of size, leading to his 
groundbreaking publication (Lee, 2009).   
 

IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING  
The Spokane Flood controversy is one of the most dramatic and wonderful accounts of the scientific 
method at work in recent history. Bretz’s groundbreaking research and theory upset the current paradigm of 
uniformitarianism, which did not sit well with geologists at the time (Baker, 1978). The idea of a catastrophic 
event rapidly modifying a landscape was implausible and considered heretic to the community of scientists. 
Bretz’ outrageous theory created conflict between the concepts of glacial theory over diluvial myth, as well as 
the tolerance of outrageous hypotheses (Baker, 1978). Bretz and Pardee’s work would go on to become one of 
the most influential geological concepts of the 20​th​ century. For example, almost fifty years after Bretz’s initial 
denouncement, the Viking spacecrafts that orbited Mars were capturing images of the Martian channel systems 
that revealed features resulting from catastrophic flooding, a conclusion that may not have been reached without 
the courageous work of J Harlen Bretz and Joseph T Pardee (Baker, 1978).  
 

LOCATION 
 Located in northwest Montana near the border of Idaho in the Little Bitterroot Valley, the Camas Prairie 
is a flat basin surrounded by mountains and the Flathead River drainage field, distinguished by a unique set of 
current ripples along the basin floor.  
 

 
Glacial Lake Missoula Map (Lee, 2009) 
 
 There are four individual ripple fields in the area. The Wills Creek Ripple Field, Big Creek Pass Ripple 
Field, and Markle Pass Ripple Field all merge together in the far reaches of the basin, while the Duck Pond Pass 
Ripple Field remains alone (Pardee, 1942). 

 
Camas Prairie Basin Ripple Fields (Lee, 2009) 
 
 The basins are enclosed by steep ridges of the Bitterroot Range and Mission Range that merge into 
valleys that form a close group which drains into the Flathead River while another basin drains into the Clark 
Fork River (Pardee, 1942).  
 
  

Features of the Camas Prairie Basin (Lee, 2009) 

 
 
LANDFORM DESCRIPTION 
There are three types of ripples found in the area—normal giant current ripples, which have short and 
steep lee slopes and are transverse shaped and commonly have bifurcations; reverse giant current ripples, which 
are characterized by short and steep stoss sides and are normally shaped; and finally, antidunes that are 
asymmetric with short stoss sides and transverse downcurrent-convex shapes.  
 

 
Normal Giant Current Ripple Profile (Lee, 2009) 
 

 
Reverse Giant Ripple Profile (Lee, 2009) 
 
  
Antidune Giant Current Ripple Profile (Lee, 2009) 
 
The dominating type of ripple found in the Camas Prairie is the normal giant current ripple (< 90%). The 
crests of these ripples are broad and rounded, their highest points are in the center of the individual bedforms, 
and they asymmetrically steepen on the southern sides (Pardee, 1942). As they reach the southern ends where 
their size generally decreases, a noticeable regression in the size of constituent gravels occurs as well. In the 
northern sections, poorly sorted subangular clasts are found, ranging in sizes up to five feet in diameter. 
However, in the southern areas, rounded pebbles in unconsolidated sediment are found. The giant current 
ripples vary in size, with wavelengths being measured from lengths of a couple feet to more than five-hundred 
feet as well as heights ranging from less than one foot to around fifty feet (Lee, 2009). 
 
PARDEE’S HYPOTHESIS   
 The theory put forward by Bretz (Baker, 1978) and later confirmed by Pardee (Pardee, 1942) suggested 
that a failure of the ice dam in the Clark Fork Valley near the Montana-Idaho border allowed the swift outrush 
of water from Glacial Lake Missoula (Pardee, 1942). Rapid flows of enormous quantities of water carved 
through the area, creating the unique geology that can be seen today. After the failure of the ice dam, the arm of 
the lake’s surface fell through. While the flow of water was held back by the Eddy Narrows and induced a 
strong enough current to lower the water surface of the Plains Basin, resulting in inflows through the Camas 
Prairie Basin. The lowering of the water surface in this basin caused water to flow across the northern ridge, 
followed by the release of water from other narrows as well (Pardee, 1942). These unusual currents worked 
together to form the rolling topography. The evidence of a large flood is supported by the existence of the giant 
current ripples in Camas Prairie.  
 
FLINT’S HYPOTHESIS  
After Bretz’s flood proposal several influential geologists took aim to discredit his theory. Of these, the 
most serious alternate explanation was hypothesized by Richard Foster Flint (Baker, 1978). His argument cited 
field data that identified the sediments of the area as relatively fine, well-sorted and well-rounded, suggesting a 
terrain carved by easy-flowing streams with typical discharge that cut the anastomosing channel patterns 
(Baker, 1978). He also recommended a process of normal deposition of pro-glacial outwash followed carving to 
leave traces of fill that resembled the ripples. Flint also stated that the low amount of precipitation along with 
the high permeability of gravel prohibited gullying, which in turn allowed the rounded slopes to develop. Flint 
described the scabland’s topography as a series of anastomosing channels, minor depressions, and 
horseshoe-shaped channels (Baker, 1978). He went on to detail the physical characteristics of the giant current 
ripples as covered by slackwater sediments with undulations and amplitudes of varying size, an observation that 
was concurrent with Pardee and Bretz.  
 

ANALYSIS  
The story behind the Lake Missoula floods is that of a soap opera, filled with dramatic events that would 
slowly piece together to form an incredible theory. As geologist’s twisted Bretz’s catastrophic hypothesis in 
order to make the Lake Missoula flood fit into the confines of uniformitarianism, Bretz and Pardee provided a 
clear explanation for the formation of the geomorphology surrounding the Lake Missoula flood plain. Bretz 
went on to publish a paper in 1956 that meticulously answered all prior oppositions to his hypothesis (Baker, 
1978). Flint’s theory was refined and followed the uniformitarianism paradigm; however, the presence of 
“terraces” (giant current ripples) was discordant with his anastomosing channel theory.  
 
CONCLUSION 
 In 1942, Pardee finally presented his work firmly indicating that Glacial Lake Missoula was the source of 
a series of catastrophic floods. Although copious amounts of evidence were presented, some geologists were 
never swayed to Bretz’s side. W.C. Alden remained skeptical throughout his life, publishing his final report on 
Lake Missoula, saying that an abrupt release of water may perhaps been the origin of the catastrophic floods 
that supposedly created the scablands (Baker, 1978). The Scabland Controversy was essentially ended in 1965 
after a group of geologists from the International Association of Quaternary Research took a field trip to the 
area and observed the evidence for Lake Missoula’s catastrophic flooding. They continued to the scablands, 
studying the giant current ripples and other erosional features. As the trip ended, the group sent a telegram to J 
Harlen Bretz that ended with the affirming phrase, “We are all now catastrophists” (Baker, 1978). 
 
 
 
 
 

 
REFERENCES 
​ aker, V.R. and Nummedal, D., The 
Baker, V.R., 1978, The Spokane Flood controversy, Chapter 1, ​in B
Channeled Scabland, NASA, United States, p. 3-15.  
Lee, K, Colorado School of Mines, 2009, Catastrophic Flood Features At Camas Prairie, Montana: More 
Unusual Currents in Glacial Lake Missoula: 
https://inside.mines.edu/UserFiles/File/Geology/Camas_red.pdf​ (accessed February 2020).

Pardee, J. T., 1942, Unusual Currents in Lake Missoula, Montana: Bulletin of the Geological Society of
America v. 53, p. 1569-1599, doi: ​10.1130/GSAB-53-1569​.