Geological Processes

I believe that glaciation has affected Washington state's geological appearance the most.  There were three major lobes that helped create Washington.  They were the Polson Lobe, the Okanogan Lobe, and the Puget Lobe.  The Puget Lobe carved out Puget Sound, home to many of Washington's major cities.  The Okanogan Lobe blocked the Columbia River with a huge ice dam, and when the ice melted a little bit, the water broke the dam and sent a huge flood over most of the state.  The flood waters made Dry Falls, Steamboat Rock, Grand Coulee, and many other unique landforms.  The Polson Lobe blocked the Clark Fork river with an ice dam, making a giant lake called Lake Missoula.  When the dam broke, the water flooded the state, creating the Channeled Scablands.  Without glaciation, these landforms would never have been created.  They are a huge part of our state, which means glaciation had a major impact on the geological appearance of Washington state.