The evidence presented in this report indicates that Grand Coulee Dam is in a serious predicament, as are many people residing or working downriver from this large facility and its major reservoir. The evidence in this report indicates that Grand Coulee Dam is built in the area where two very major seismic features cross. Because of these major seismic features, along with the geologic stresses which are rapidly building in the Cascadia region, there is the possibility that people living today may see the failure of Grand Coulee Dam. Then, they will have to deal with the largest disaster which the United States has ever experienced, so far.
When Grand Coulee Dam was built, there are a lot of things which they did not know about the geology in the surrounding region. But then, as they excavated into the bedrock beneath the dam site as they prepared to build the foundation, it appears they ignored many geologic "signs" which clearly presented themselves. It appears that those in control simply ignored these important "signs" and went ahead and built a very large and impressive dam at this particular location. So, let us now begin with the story of Grand Coulee Dam, starting with a few simple facts and some history. Along the way, throughout this report, the true predicament of Grand Coulee Dam should become rather obvious.
Grand Coulee Dam, on the Columbia River in Washington State, is an amazing feat of engineering and construction. And then, there is its sheer size. A 355-page National Park Service historical document, linked here, is titled Columbia Basin Project, Grand Coulee Dam and Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake. The document is identified as HAER No. WA-139-A. The whole document is worth a close read. On PDF page 15 of 355, the document states that the dam is "Larger than the Great Pyramid." On PDF page 68 of 355, the size of the dam is taken a bit further with these words: "...and for sheer bulk is three times as large as the famed Gizeh Pyramid of Egypt, hitherto the biggest thing every [sic] built by man."
So, just how big is Grand Coulee Dam? Let's take a look at a few facts. A page titled Grand Coulee Dam Statistics and Facts, by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, is linked here. According to the page, there are "nearly 12 million cubic yards of concrete" in the dam. This dam is 550 feet high and is 5,223 feet long, which is just a bit under one mile in length. The page linked above contains a chart with information about various units within this hydroelectric facility, plus it converts English Units to Metric Units, for those readers who prefer metric measurements.
A National Park Service (NPS) page, titled Washington: Grand Coulee Dam, is linked here. About half way down, the page states: "Originally, Grand Coulee was to be a low dam (with plans to raise it higher at a later time). The contract for a low dam, awarded on July 13, 1934, went to the Mason-Walsh-Atkinson-Kier Company (MWAK)." The page states further: "Technical problems associated with plans to raise the low dam at a later date, as well as the low dam's use for power only, led, in June 1935, to the decision to make Grand Coulee a high dam." At that point, the MKAW crew earnestly went to work. The USBR document linked here and further above, on PDF page 26 of 89, states: "Almost 11,000 men had worked...excavating the foundation area and placing more than 4,500,000 cy [cubic yards] of concrete."
The NPS page linked here and above states: "On May 12, 1938, Reclamation received the completed foundation from MWAK, and a new contract was issued to Consolidated Builders Inc. (CBI) of Oakland, Calif., whose job it was to complete the dam to its full height of 550 feet and build the Left Powerhouse."
According to PDF page 27 of 89 in the USBR page linked here and further above, CBI was created by the merger of MWAK and Six Companies. The page states: "The merger of MWAK and Six Companies brought together the three MWAK companies; the Kaiser Construction Company, and the General Construction Company of Seattle; the Morrison-Knudsen Company of Boise; the Utah Construction Company of Ogden; and the J.F. Shea, the Pacific Bridge, and the McDonald and Kahn Companies of San Francisco."
The NPS historical document linked here and above indicates that, for the most part, people involved with the dam project did their jobs amazingly well, considering the circumstances and the magnitude of the project. But, as the NPS historical document shows, there were those rare cases when people tried to "fudge" things. One example is shown at the bottom of PDF page 166 of 355, where an employee for Western Pipe and Steel Company "began substituting X-rays of good welds for some that were possibly defective" on the penstocks and pipes. In the end, the welds were "re-X-rayed and defective welds repaired." And, it appears that over all this, there were "a few changes in personnel."
A Wikipedia page, titled Grand Coulee Dam, is linked here. The page notes that Grand Coulee Dam was "built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water." The page states that with the completion of the third powerhouse in 1974, this facility is "the largest power station in the United States by nameplate-capacity at 6,809 MW." Looking at the irrigation side of things, another Wikipedia page, linked here, is titled Columbia Basin Project. The page speaks of this project as "the irrigation network that the Grand Coulee Dam makes possible." This irrigation network supplies water "to over 670,000 acres (2,700 km2) of the 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) large project area" which was originally planned.
If anything were to happen to Grand Coulee Dam, such as a major failure, it would result in a very serious loss of electrical production to at least the Pacific Northwest. In the event of a dam failure, the loss of water to the Columbia Basin Project could greatly hamper the production of agricultural products in a major part of this high-production region (1)(2)(3)(4). Because of the importance of this large facility to the United States, it is crucial to investigate the true predicament of Grand Coulee Dam, especially when it comes to seismic hazards. This presentation should help to raise awareness, so proper planning can be done. This may allow for the creation and implementation of any necessary alternative plans.
Let's start this presentation with a trip back in time. There is something which may be of interest to some people. What did the Columbia River look like before the construction of Grand Coulee Dam? A page linked here is from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. It contains a photo which was taken in 1933. The picture shows "the site for the Grand Coulee Dam" before excavation for the dam had started. At this link is another picture of what things looked like on the Columbia River, before any excavation had started for the dam. But then, things changed. So let us take a look through photos relating to the construction of the dam, before we examine what we are dealing with at this dam site, plus in the surrounding region.
Once the go-ahead was given for the dam project, things appear to have moved along at a rather high rate of speed. In the area of the dam, things began to change greatly. Linked here is a picture which shows what things looked like after excavation was under way for the dam. The western foundation, on this northerly flowing section of the Columbia River, was the first to be constructed. A satellite photo, linked here, shows the location of Grand Coulee Dam on this northerly flowing portion of the Columbia River. A picture, linked here, shows the west foundation in place and the excavated area for the east side of the dam. This picture is looking in a southerly, upstream, direction.
Linked here is another view, but this time, looking to the north. The picture shows the west foundation in place, along with the excavation on the east side. Note the deep gulch being excavated on the east side. That is the deep hole in the bedrock on that side of the river, which is now beneath the dam. More is spoken about that deep gulch later in this page. Another picture of the deep gulch or crevice in the bedrock being excavated is linked here. That equipment in the bottom of the deep hole looks rather tiny. Linked here and here are pictures of the crevice. A closeup of a portion of the deep gulch excavation is linked here. A picture linked here shows the crane trestles installed over the deep gulch, after excavation was complete.
Once the bedrock on the east side of the river was prepared, that half of the dam foundation was built. That deeply excavated crevice in the bedrock beneath the dam site was then filled with the concrete of the foundation of the dam, as shown in a photo on a page linked here. A picture, linked here, shows the full dam foundation in place, looking generally from east to west. And, linked here, is a picture of the foundation, with trestles above for the traveling cranes. Then, the dam began to rise on top of the foundation.
Linked here is a picture of the lower portion of the dam under construction. Another view of the lower portion, across the whole dam, is seen in a picture linked here. A picture, linked here, shows the east side of the dam, as it is being built up higher. A picture, linked here, shows a view looking across the whole dam, generally from west to east, as it is steadily gaining in height. At this link is a picture of the dam as it nears its full completed height. And then, linked here, is another picture of Grand Coulee Dam, looking southward, as it nears its full completed height.
A picture, here, shows Grand Coulee Dam, with the west powerhouse in the foreground. Then there is a picture, linked here, which shows the dam in its original, completed configuration, looking generally south. Linked here is another picture of the dam in its original configuration, looking across the dam from east to west. Later, the dam was modified, to the Grand Coulee Dam which we know today, with its Third Powerplant in place on the east end of the dam (link). Linked here is another picture of Grand Coulee Dam, once again, with the Third Powerplant in place at the east end of the dam.
The pictures above were a quick run through certain phases in the construction of Grand Coulee Dam. And now, it is time to consider what is beneath Grand Coulee Dam and the surrounding region. It is time to consider how serious of a geologic hazard exists in this part of the country --- a hazard which potentially could put Grand Coulee Dam at risk of damage or serious failure.
There is a lot to consider about Grand Coulee Dam, especially with the geologic information which we now have available relating to the Grand Coulee region and the potential structure of the earth beneath the dam. There is then much more to think about when considering the major earthquake which the Grand Coulee region experienced, plus that quake which was experienced by virtually the whole Pacific Northwest, in December of 1872. Besides the things just noted, this page will look at information presented to the writer about one potential geologic feature which resides beneath the dam.
At this point, let us consider some words of wisdom from a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) document titled Dams and Public Safety, which is linked here. On PDF page 103 of 345, are found the following words: "Existing dams and reservoirs should be reanalyzed periodically to ensure that they can still meet the test of safety by current standards."
On PDF page 24 of 355, a NPS historical document linked here and further above states something very important to consider. On that page are these words: "If Grand Coulee Dam should fail, it would probably be due to shear failure along vertical longitudinal cracking that had destroyed the integrity of the monolithic structure." But, from what is now known, it appears there could be other ways that this dam could fail than just "shear failure along vertical longitudinal cracking that had destroyed the integrity of the monolithic structure."
A page about the construction history of Grand Coulee Dam, linked here, is from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR). It declares: "Construction of the dam was included in the Depression Era Public Works Administration, a program which provided jobs to the unemployed by developing the nation's resources. The Bureau of Reclamation was placed in charge of the project. On July 16, 1933, the first stake was driven into place, initiating a nine-year construction project to build the largest structure in the world."
Regarding the start of construction on Grand Coulee Dam, the USBR page linked above states: "To prepare the site, massive amounts of sand, gravel, clay and boulders were removed to uncover the solid granite rock which would serve as the foundation for the dam." But, was it actually "solid granite rock" beneath the dam site?
Another page, linked here, is by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. The page begins with these words: "Grand Coulee (map) is the largest dam in the Columbia River Basin and one of the largest in the world. Everything about the dam is large: it is 550 feet (167.6 meters) tall, measured from its foundation in solid granite..." But, again, there is that question which needs to be answered. Is it truly "solid granite" beneath Grand Coulee Dam, or is it something a bit different?
Linked here is a page with a photo, from the Wikimedia Commons site. The description beneath the photo states: "The southeast corner of the immense 3,000 foot Grand Coulee cofferdam; between the cell clusters will be seen the timber struts in the section now being excavated for placing the first concrete in the Grand Coulee Dam... ...in the near right hand foreground is the bedrock on which the big dam will be built - a bed of dense, solid granite known to be over 800 ft. thick." But, is it truly "a bed of dense, solid granite known to be over 800 ft. thick" which is actually beneath Grand Coulee Dam?
During his extensive research, the writer has read many other publications from government agencies, universities and private parties, which all proclaim the same story, that Grand Coulee Dam has its foundation built on "solid granite." But, from what is now known, it appears there is much more to the story about what actually lurks beneath Grand Coulee Dam, than simply "solid granite rock."
At this point, there is something which needs to be noted. It appears that "documentation" coming out of certain segments of government, or out of certain other agencies or organizations which should know better, cannot necessarily be trusted for their accuracy or truthfulness. With this said, it is now time for the more accurate story about Grand Coulee Dam and what actually lies beneath it. It is time to begin exposing the true predicament of Grand Coulee Dam.
A 138-PDF-page document from the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is linked here. The document is noted as Engineering Geology in Washington, Volume I: Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Bulletin 78. On PDF page 37 of 138 begins the section on Grand Coulee Dam. In the left column at the bottom of PDF page 39 of 138, the document states: "The valley walls and floor at Grand Coulee Dam consist of granitic rocks of the Colville batholith. These rocks are subdivided into an older, coarse-grained granite and a younger, fine-grained granitic rock that intrudes the older in a series of north-trending dikes."
There is great significance to this "older, coarse-grained granite and a younger, fine-grained granitic rock that intrudes the older in a series of north-trending dikes." There is a very important reason why there is this younger granitic rock which is intruding the older granitic rock beneath Grand Coulee Dam. And, that which helps to reveal what is happening here is the alignment of these dikes. Once again, they are "a series of north-trending dikes." And, what are dikes about? What do dikes tend to do to the surrounding "country rock," especially during the time when the dikes are being created?
Intruding dikes, when created, tend to force apart or spread the country rock. It's simple, world-class hydraulic action at work. This "series of north-trending dikes" at the Grand Coulee site tends to indicate that there has been a lot of spreading in this area at some point. Spreading of this degree would generally be associated with large earthquakes --- potentially even world-class earthquakes. The reason why there is this "series of north-trending dikes" at Grand Coulee will be considered later in this page, at the proper time. Now, back to the information in that DNR document which is linked above.
In the right-column of PDF page 39 of 138, the DNR document linked above states: "Most of the eastern part of the foundation is the older gray biotite granite... The western part of the foundation is the younger, finer grained granite..." The page declares further: "Several shear zones and faults were encountered in the foundation excavation of the main and forebay dams. The older granite is characteristically moderately to lightly jointed; typical joint spacing is 2 to 4 ft." The page states: "The younger granite is typically moderately to intensely jointed (average joint spacing about 1 ft) and forms outcrops with more subdued blocky surfaces and conspicuous talus." What is this talus which is associated with this jointed granite?
Normally, talus would be defined as "the pile of rocks that accumulates at the base of a cliff, chute, or slope."(link) But, at Grand Coulee Dam, it appears to be speaking about something found in the ground, like piles of rather loose, fragmented rock in the intended foundational region beneath the dam site. What was actually being dealt with at the dam site will be discussed in more detail in just a bit. Looking further, note closely that on PDF page 39 of 138, the DNR document linked here and above speaks of "linear trenches developed along faults or steeply dipping joints."
An article from The Geological Society of America Bulletin, which publication prior to 1960 (link) was actually called The Bulletin of the Geological Society of America, is linked here. This is a research article which was published November 01, 1938. The title of the article is Geology of the rock foundation of Grand Coulee Dam, Washington. The article declares: "Three major systems of joints cut the foundation granites. One vertical system strikes NNE, and another essentially vertical system strikes WNW. The third system is essentially horizontal. The joints of the two vertical systems are locally abnormally close-spaced and cause a sheeted structure along narrow, discontinuous zones. These vertical sheeted zones acted to concentrate the circulation of heated solutions, and the hydrothermally altered rock is confined chiefly to them."
The DNR document, linked here and above, on PDF page 39 of 138, states the following about the rock beneath Grand Coulee Dam: "Three sets of joints were recognized in the foundation rock: (a) vertical joints striking north to N20°E, (b) joints striking about N70°W dipping steeply northeast, and (c) joints striking N70°W and dipping 5°-15°SW. The steeply dipping joints are in places very closely spaced, forming zones as much as 4 ft wide of closely fractured rock resembling weakly defined shear zones. Most of the faults encountered in the foundation appear to be subparallel to the two steeply dipping joint sets." The use of the words "most of the faults" indicates that there are a number of faults beneath Grand Coulee Dam.
Let us now look at something which appears to be very important. In the foundation rock beneath Grand Coulee Dam were found "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" and "joints striking about N70°W dipping steeply northeast." This appears to mean that when looked at from above, these vertical and steeply dipping joints, at some point, could be crossing each other at a 90° angle. It also appears that these perpendicular joints or fractures may go deep into the bedrock. On PDF page 42 of 138, the DNR document declares that "faults and shear zones encountered within the granite required extensive treatment: overexcavation, scaling, and bolting." So, it appears that there could be a "geologic disaster" beneath Grand Coulee Dam.
It is time for a question. When looked at from above, does "X" mark the spot at Grand Coulee Dam? Are there two very important geologic features which could potentially be crossing in the area where Grand Coulee Dam is located? Is there a chance that both of these important geologic features have the ability to be associated with seismic activity, possibly even major seismic activity? Later on this page, at the proper time, it will be revealed what the "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" appear to be associated with. And, further below on this page, again at the proper time, will be revealed what it appears the "joints striking about N70°W dipping steeply northeast" could be associated with.
All of the things noted above in this page sound far different than the "solid granite rock" which is declared in the USBR page quoted further above (link). There are intruding dikes and a number of fault lines beneath the dam site. There are joints that go deep into the bedrock, which cross each other at right angles. These joints are possibly associated with deeper, more major geologic features. It appears that beneath Grand Coulee Dam is something similar to a geological disaster, rather than a truly solid foundation. This will become more apparent as this presentation continues.
A 1978 document linked here is from the National Academy of Sciences. It is titled John Lucian Savage: 1879-1967, and is A Biographical Memoir by Abel Wolman and W.H. Lyles. On PDF page 7 of 16 in the document, in Savage's own words, it speaks about "the treatment of extensive shear zones at Grand Coulee Dam by unprecedented grouting..."
Now, who was John Lucian Savage and why would his statement about Grand Coulee Dam be credible? For those not familiar with John Lucian Savage, according to a page linked here, he was "America's 'dam builder extraordinaire.'" A page linked here states that Savage was "a dam design engineer, who worked for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior..." On Grand Coulee Dam, he was the "chief design engineer." So, most definitely, what John Lucian Savage declared about the Grand Coulee Dam project is credible.
The writer believes that something should now be said about the faults and shear zones in the bedrock at the Grand Coulee site. Further above (link), it states: "Several shear zones and faults were encountered in the foundation excavation of the main and forebay dams." Another paragraph above (link) states: "Most of the faults encountered in the foundation appear to be subparallel to the two steeply dipping joint sets." And, in the words above in this section, from the chief design engineer for Grand Coulee Dam, John Lucian Savage, there were "extensive shear zones at Grand Coulee Dam..."
All of the joints, fissures, faults and extensive shear zones in the bedrock at the Grand Coulee site indicates to the writer that at some point, there has been quite some seismic activity at this particular location. The extensive shear zones raises a question in the writer's mind about just how violent some of this seismic activity may have been.
When it comes to Grand Coulee Dam, there is much to think about. A 345-page PDF-document from the USBR, linked here and further above, is titled Dams and Public Safety. On PDF page 102 of 345, the document declares: "The risk of the failure of a dam is one of the inevitable burdens of civilization." The page also notes that "not all dam failures can be averted." The page speaks of "the greater consequences of failure as populations crowd onto the lands below reservoirs..." The page declares: "Even the best designers of any of the works of man have seen their structures in trouble."
In the sections further above, it is noted that there were found faults, joints, intrusions and intrusive contacts, plus extensive shear zones in the bedrock beneath Grand Coulee Dam. A document from the USBR site, linked here, is titled Foundation Risks for Concrete Dams. About half way down PDF page 1 or 36 is found these words: "For concrete dams founded on rock, sliding on discontinuities (e.g. joints, fracture zones, intrusion contacts, faults, shears, bedding, foliation, etc...) within the foundation rock mass is the leading cause of historical failures." So, with all the problems in the bedrock, what could be the outcome for Grand Coulee Dam, in the event of a major earthquake in this region?
Once again, on PDF page 103 of 345, in the USBR document linked here and in the first paragraph, is found the following words: "Existing dams and reservoirs should be reanalyzed periodically to ensure that they can still meet the test of safety by current standards." That is part of the purpose of this presentation, to reanalyze the situation with the foundational rock beneath Grand Coulee Dam, using the geologic information which is now available, to see if the dam truly meets a proper standard that ensures public safety for those situated downstream of this massive installation and its very large reservoir.
On PDF page 112 of 345, in the USBR document linked here and above, are found the following words: "The life of a dam can be threatened by natural phenomena such as floods, rockslides, earthquakes, and deterioration of the heterogeneous foundations and construction materials. In the course of time, the structure may take on anisotropic characteristics. Internal pressures and paths of seepage may develop. Usually the changes are slow and not readily discerned by visual examination." It should be noted that "paths of seepage may develop" even in the bedrock beneath a dam.
When it comes to Grand Coulee Dam, the condition of the bedrock beneath the dam is very important. So is the geologic structure. Why? A document linked here, by the National Park Service (NPS), is part of the Historic American Engineering Record." It is identified as HAER No. WA-139-A, with a handwritten notation of HAER WASH 13-GRACO, 1A-." The title of the document is Columbia Basin Project, Grand Coulee Dam and Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake. This document gives the answer to why the condition of the bedrock below the dam is so important.
Near the top of PDF page 18 of 355 in the NPS document, it notes that with the particular design used for Grand Coulee Dam, "all of the water load [from the massive reservoir] would be carried to the base of the structure." And, in the event of serious seismic activity in this region, the effective water load against the dam, plus overall stresses upon the dam, could be greatly increased (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). For that reason, this large dam requires a very solid and stable foundation.
When it comes to dams, in the 345-page PDF-document from the USBR, linked here and further above, near the bottom of PDF page 114 of 345, are these words: "Potential erosion of the foundation itself must be considered. Clay or silt in weathered joints or faults cannot easily be removed by washing and therefore may preclude effective grouting. Seepage may gradually transport these materials into voids downstream. Consequent enlargement of the joint or fault conduits may threaten the integrity of the dam." The page also states: "The removal of foundation material may leave collapsible voids and consequently precarious support for the dam."
On PDF page 115 of 345, in the USBR document linked above, are these words: "Uncontrolled seepage through an erodible foundation may open voids which must be bridged by the dam. A concrete structure may have such capabilities so long as stresses are within tolerable limits and the opening is not too great." At this point, there is one important thing to consider. The stresses on a concrete dam with voids beneath it may be within tolerable limits during normal operating conditions. But, should a major earthquake occur in the vicinity of that dam, the stresses on that dam can suddenly magnify by many times, potentially, depending on the particular situation, causing catastrophic failure of the dam.
The USBR document linked above, at the bottom of PDF page 245 of 345 declares: "No one can say how rapidly a dam will fail once the limit of its resistance has been reached. Usually embankments can be expected to fail more slowly than concrete structures... Concrete dams have been known to collapse almost instantaneously."
Looking at the bedrock beneath Grand Coulee Dam, near the top of this page it was noted that there are vertical and steeply dipping fractures (link). The USBR document linked here and above, on PDF page 248 of 345, declares: "In a dam foundation, joints may be of concern because the condition of the joint fillings is uncertain and the joint has the adverse potential of becoming a conduit for leakage under the dam." On PDF page 249 of 345, the USBR document declares: "At some sites it is practically impossible to discover and to assess all geologic defects prior to construction." At Grand Coulee Dam, it appears that a number of surprises were discovered during construction of the dam foundation.
Let us consider some background information about the Grand Coulee dam site, which is found in a NPS historical document linked here. On PDF pages 82/83 of 355, the document states: "Existing information on foundation conditions at the dam site 'was considered as too meager,' so Reclamation's due diligence included 'drilling 48 vertical holes, 8,400 linear feet; ten inclined holes, 8,000 linear feet; trenching 550 feet of open cut, and excavating four test pits averaging 150 feet deep.' Prior to such testing, there had only been sixteen diamond drill holes done to investigate the site, including only two by the Corps in 1930." There is also additional information in the NPS document about this testing by Reclamation.
On PDF page 96 of 355, the NPS historical document notes that Reclamation "awarded contracts for doing core drilling and digging test pits and trenches..." The document states: "One of the contractors, Lynch Brothers, put four diamond drill rigs to work and by the end of 1933 had completed thirty holes extending 8,492'. Four of these holes, 74' to 92' deep, checked conditions at the proposed river bridge site. Others, sometimes drilled at an angle, went much deeper to examine bedrock around the dam location."
The NPS document, on PDF pages 96/97 of 355, continues: "By early September, 115 test holes 'penetrated to a depth of 700 ft below low water,' Frank Banks reported. 'Granite bedrock of excellent quality, fulfilling every requirement for the foundation, is found at an average depth of about 70 ft below low water, the maximum depth so far disclosed being about 160 ft below low water in a pothole on the east side of the river.'" There was also another company involved in the testing of the construction site.
The NPS historical document linked here, on PDF page 97 of 355, continues: "Seattle contractor Rumsey and Company dug test pits and trenches in the areas being considered for the dam abutments and the piers for a bridge across the Columbia below the dam. For the abutments, the company dug two trenches, each 6' wide and 20' deep, that extended a total of 550' on the axis of the dam. It also prepared six test pits 32' to 230' deep at the dam and two more 20' to 23' deep at the bridge." A little further down, the page notes that a consulting geologist was used to analyze fourteen corings to judge "the character of the rock floor" beneath the site, who "felt confident that the foundation rock was reliable."
The NPS historical document linked above, on PDF page 83 of 355, continues: " The new test, combined with data from earlier studies, resulted in a better understanding of the site: 'It was believed that bedrock of a fine-grained dense, hard granite was at approximate elevation 880 across the floor of the channel, with side slopes of about 1-1/2 to 1 at abutments, and that it would be necessary to remove from five to fifteen feet of unsound rock from the floor and abutments... Reclamation engineers also noted 'two main depressions...in bedrock, about 100 feet in depth from [the] channel floor level, but no indications of faults."
Note very clearly the test results presented above. It was believed that the foundation rock beneath the dam site was reliable. Two main depressions of about 100 feet deep were noted in the bedrock of the channel floor. But, according to these tests, there were "no indications of faults." And, as a result of these tests, what then happened? The NPS document linked above, on PDF page 83 of 355, continues: "These conditions caused [Commissioner Elwood] Mead to feel confident in advocating for the construction of a 450-foot high, 4,100-foot long dam, which would raise the water 355' above the normal low water level and create a 5 million acre-feet reservoir stretching more than 150 miles to the Canadian border."
Even after all the testing done by Reclamation, a National Park Service (NPS) historical document, linked here and further above, on PDF page 25 of 355, reveals one set of surprises found in the bedrock beneath the dam site, once actual excavation took place. It declares: "What preliminary core drilling had suggested was a 'remarkably flat' granite foundation, overburden removal revealed to be remarkably contoured and irregular, particularly at the east abutment and along a lift seam near the center of the west foundation area." So, what is that "lift seam?"
A page in a glossary in a book titled The Mightiest of Them All: Memories of Grand Coulee Dam is linked here. A "lift seam" is defined as "a subsurface seam or joint in the bedrock associated with the erosional removal of pressure from overlying deposits." Those who are not completely familiar with the terminology commonly used in the dam building industry may say, "That definition is about as clear as mud."
Looking elsewhere, a document about Hungry Horse Dam in Montana is linked here. It gives a much better idea of what a lift seam is all about. On PDF page 31 of 133, the document speaks of "the clay seam referred to as a lift seam...[which was]...confined beneath a sloping rock block from 5 to 17 feet thick." So, a lift seam is a sloping seam or joint within the bedrock which has been filled with clay --- apparently with clay which potentially has been forced into a sloping crack or fault between two rock masses by hydraulic pressure. This hydraulic pressure during clay emplacement can then create lifting of one of the rock masses.
Looking back to the Grand Coulee Dam project, the book linked a couple of paragraphs above speaks about a particular lift seam, in this case, in the water pumping plant associated with the Grand Coulee project. At the top-left of a page linked here, it states: "When the excavation of the pumping plant was being performed, a so-called 'lift-seam' in the rock was noted. This extensive sloping joint structure in the bedrock in the back wall of the pumping plant was viewed as a potential hazard in the event of an earthquake." Those words, "in the event of an earthquake," are extremely important.
Looking a bit further on the nature of a lift seam, a document linked here once again provides information from Hungry Horse Dam in Montana. About half way down PDF page 99 of 133, it can be seen that another name for a lift seam is an open bedding plane. Illustrations at the following links --- (1)(2)(3) --- shows what a bedding plane looks like in geology and how bedding planes can be either level or tilted.
To the writer, it appears that the open bedding plane, which was filled with clay and disintegrated granites (link), was that third set of joints which was noted further above (link) and identified as "(c)." This third set of joints was "striking N70°W and dipping 5°-15°SW." This third set of joints was dipping into the earth, toward the southwest, at the rather shallow angle of 5°-15°. An image linked here illustrates what 10° of dip or tilt in the rock layers would look like. This illustrated 10° is half way between the 5°-15° of dip or tilt noted at the dam site. As a point of reference in this area, the original, main dam is generally aligned east and west across the Columbia River, which river flows in a northerly direction in this area (1)(2)(3).
So, how were things then handled when this clay-filled open bedding plane was discovered in the bedrock beneath the Grand Coulee dam site? What was done with this layer of disintegrated granites and clay which filled a gap between important rock layers? What was done about this potentially destabilizing "surprise" in the bedrock beneath the dam site?
The NPS historical document, linked here and further above, on PDF page 25 of 355 continues with these words: "As bedrock was scaled along the axis of the dam, crews equipped with percussion drills and pneumatic jackhammers injected cement grout (cement and water) at low pressure (200 psi) into rock crevices and 682 grout holes (ranging in depth from 20' to 200'), hoping to create a curtain impervious to percolation or uplift. 'The adopted procedure consisted of injecting the greatest possible quantity of grout of varying water-cement ratios under pressure in the shortest period of time, keeping the hole open as long as possible.'"
A document about Hungry Horse Dam in Montana, linked here, beginning on PDF page 31 of 133, gives some idea of what a grouting operation on a lift seam looks like.
So, from what is stated above, it appears that the sealing of the bedrock beneath Grand Coulee Dam was basically done on a hope that the grouting would actually seal properly and work in the long run. It appears that there were no guarantees with this sealing job on the bedrock beneath the dam. At this point, let the words from a USBR document be noted, which document is linked here and further above. On PDF page 248 of 345, the document states: "In a dam foundation, joints may be of concern because the condition of the joint fillings is uncertain and the joint has the adverse potential of becoming a conduit for leakage under the dam." And that leakage could translate to erosion and voids under the dam.
The NPS historical document linked here and further above, on PDF page 120 or 355, gives more detail on that "lift seam" noted earlier. It declares: "The first grouting challenge...came late in 1935 when scaling uncovered a 400'-wide lift seam, which had the potential to destabilize the dam's foundation. A 60' drift was dug in December 1935 to explore the fractured zone... The tests revealed that the disintegrated granites and clay were not extensive." But, is this the full story?
At this point, there really is something which once again needs to be noted. Further up on this page, the very words of the chief design engineer on the dam project noted that there were "extensive shear zones" in the bedrock which required "unprecedented grouting" (link). So, by the very words of the chief design engineer on this project, the zones of disintegrated granites and clay were possibly rather extensive.
The information presented in the paragraphs above gives more clarity to the nature of a lift seam. The lift seam is a slanted fractured zone in the bedrock, between rock masses. This slanted fracture zone, in the case of Grand Coulee Dam, consists of "disintegrated granites and clay." The particular lift seam noted above "had the potential to destabilize the dam's foundation." How could this lift seam work to "destabilize the dam's foundation?" Let us consider other information in order to obtain a logical answer.
Let us once again look to that paragraph (link), a couple of sections above, which speaks about the lift seam found in the bedrock at the Grand Coulee pumping plant. That paragraph notes that this particular lift seam was an "extensive sloping joint structure in the bedrock [which] was viewed as a potential hazard in the event of an earthquake." Why could it be "a potential hazard in the event of an earthquake?"
In an earthquake, the clay and disintegrated materials in the joint could act as a lubricant between the rock masses. This lubricating effect could allow the rock masses to move more freely in relation to one another, because of less friction. In the event of a serious earthquake in the region, possibly the seam filled with "disintegrated granites and clay," which was in the bedrock beneath the dam site, could also work to magnify the shaking experienced by the dam above. Possibly it could allow one section of the bedrock beneath the dam to move differently, in relation to the next section of bedrock. This could potentially allow for the dam to fail, possibly even catastrophically.
There is now more to consider. As noted in the information above, not only is there a "lift seam" beneath Grand Coulee Dam, but there is also a lift seam under the pumping plant which feeds the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project. The lift seam under the pumping plant, once again, is mentioned in the paragraph above which is linked here. In the event of a major earthquake in this area, both the dam and the pumping station could potentially be seriously damaged. These are things which should be considered before a lot of money and time are spent on expanding the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project, which depends on a properly functioning Grand Coulee Dam and its pumping facility.
There are certain aspects of this dam project which should be considered. As things got underway, the publicity was running high about this "largest structure ever built by man," with the news media apparently hyping things up as much as possible. Then there were contract schedules which had to be kept and money to be made. And, the politicians had to be kept happy by seeing rapid progress, so the money would keep flowing in. There is also another thing to consider in all this.
On PDF page 95 of 355, a National Park Service historical document linked here, which is identified as HAER No. WA-139-A, which has a handwritten notation of HAER WASH 13-GRACO,1A-, declares: "To justify funding for Grand Coulee, Reclamation had touted the project's potential to provide jobs for large numbers of men unemployed by the Great Depression. As a result, there was intense pressure to get work underway."
As a result of all the pressure, it appears that no one spent the time to slow down and totally examine the geologic situation in the bedrock beneath the dam site and in the surrounding country carefully, as they could have done if there was not the intense pressure on the project. If they could have spent the time to check things out really close, possibly some things would have been handled differently than they were. And now, what more do we need to know about about the dam project and what resides beneath and in the territory surrounding Grand Coulee Dam?
A USBR document linked here is titled The Columbia Basin Project, and is part of the Bureau of Reclamation History Program, Research on Historic Reclamation Projects, 1998. On PDF page 23 of 89, regarding work on the foundation of the dam, the document states: "As work continued on the east side, an old problem resurfaced. Winter rains soaked the earth creating a constant slide danger. Compounding the problem was the discovery of a long, narrow trench, 120 to 150 feet deeper than the surrounding bedrock. Excavating the trench proved difficult."
The NPS historical document, linked here and further above, on PDF page 20 of 355, speaks further about the 120 to 150 foot deep, long, narrow trench noted in the paragraph above. The page states that "MWAK had exposed bedrock to elevation 850, had completed excavation of the tailrace slope, and had excavated the forebay slope to elevation 900. Here, conforming to test-drill results, they found a long narrow gulch, parallel to the river near the axis of the dam, that extended 120' below the average bedrock level."
So, this long, narrow trench or gulch is "parallel to the river near the axis of the dam." The axis of the dam is "the horizontal centerline of a dam in the longitudinal direction."(link) But, it appears there is something very important to note here, in case things did not register clearly. This long, narrow trench or gulch is "parallel to the river." At the dam site, the river is flowing in a northerly direction. Further above on this page it is noted that there may be something bigger associated with the north-trending faults and features at Grand Coulee Dam. Now, back to details about the construction project.
There is a little more information about this trench or gulch beneath the dam in the NPS historical document. On PDF page 146 of 355, it states: "Excavating the overburden between the steep walls of the crevice, which were only 100' apart just upstream from the dam's axis, was a slow process." The document shows that there were slides of material from above which steadily hampered work in this crevice. Possibly some of this slide activity, plus the pressure on the job, caused the crevice to not be examined as closely as it could have been otherwise, to see what was really being dealt with.
From what the information above is stating, this long, narrow trench or gulch which is aligned parallel to the river is virtually beneath the dam, near its centerline. This trench or gulch is on the same side of the dam as the Third Powerplant. The NPS historical document linked above, on PDF page 20 of 355, states that "crews exposed bedrock in the bottom of the gulch..." But, is there more to this gulch. Is there a chance that it is associated with a very large geologic feature which penetrates much deeper into the earth?
On PDF page 248 of 345, in the USBR document linked here and further above, it declares: "The major faults at a damsite or in its environs must be examined to assess the probability of their future movement. Dams constructed on active faults may be stressed severely during such slippage. Disclosure of geologically recent movement at a proposed damsite is usually reason enough for abandonment of the site. Dams have been built at such sites when there was no alternative, but in these cases almost invariably the design was ultraconservative, incorporating features that would allow accommodation of displacement." Now, at Grand Coulee Dam, it appears that these guidelines were not strictly followed.
In 1872, the largest earthquake Washington ever experienced, since white man was in this region, occurred. In 1933, just 61 years after this major earthquake shook the area greatly, construction began on Grand Coulee Dam (link). As a side note, the preceding, linked Wikipedia entry, states: "The earliest known proposal to irrigate the Grand Coulee with the Columbia River dates to 1892, when the Coulee City News and The Spokesman Review reported on a scheme by a man named Laughlin McLean to construct a 1,000 ft (305 m) dam across the Columbia River, high enough that water would back up into the Grand Coulee. A dam that size would have its reservoir encroach into Canada, which would violate treaties."
The 1892 scheme by "Laughlin McLean to construct a 1,000 ft (305 m) dam across the Columbia River" was being proposed just 20 years after a major earthquake was experienced in this region. Was Laughlin McLean just out to make a name for himself, without any clue to the true geologic situation in this region or the affect it could have on any large dam built at this location? Now for a bit of information relating to the major earthquake of 1872.
Less than 30 river miles upstream on the curvy Columbia River from the Grand Coulee dam site, and only about 21 direct air miles from the dam, is located the Whitestone area. In some sources of information, Whitestone may be written with the words separated, like White Stone. In a book linked here, scroll down to page 116. Here you will find a picture of Whitestone. The caption under the picture states: "This huge granite rock, known as Whitestone, [is] on the left bank of the Columbia River between the mouths of the Spokane and Sanpoil rivers..."
On a map linked here is seen the location of the Spokane River and the Sanpoil River, plus where these rivers empty into Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, which is behind Grand Coulee Dam. Whitestone is located on the section of the Columbia River between the mouths of the two rivers, at about the "F" in the word "Fort" in the label "Fort Spokane Boat Ramp." In the Whitestone area, the Columbia River is turned and flowing toward the north, as seen in an image linked here. In this area, the left bank of the Columbia River would be the west bank, and at this point, once again, the river is turned and flowing northward in its downstream travel. The location of Whitestone Rock is seen on a section of map linked here.
A page in a book titled Ancient Places: People and Landscape in the Emerging Northwest is linked here. The linked page speaks about Whitestone Rock, plus Skolaskin and his party which camped nearby in 1872. Speaking of the large earthquake of 1872, the page states: "Severe quakes occurred that night and throughout the following day. Further tremors were felt at intervals from that time until spring." The page notes that Whitestone was "one of the places most affected by the earthquake..." Further down and onto the following page, it notes that "an area around the mouth of the Spokane River sank during that first night of violent tremors..."
Once again, it should be noted that Whitestone is less than thirty river miles upstream, and only about 21 direct air miles, from the current location of Grand Coulee Dam. And, as the information above notes, in the major earthquake of 1872, Whitestone was "one of the places most affected..." Once the geology of this region is clearly understood, it becomes more obvious why Whitestone was "one of the places most affected..." But, here is more to this story about how severely things were shaken in this region where Grand Coulee Dam is now located.
Generally to the north of Whitestone, on the other side of the Columbia River, is the Colville Indian Reservation. Linked here is a Draft copy of the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. On PDF page 6 of 106 in the linked document is found these words: "The 1872 Lake Chelan earthquake caused massive ground changes on the current reservation, as chronicled by a Jesuit missionary on the reservation at the time." Looking further into the linked document, PDF page 8 of 106 notes that the 1872 event was a "severe earthquake" in this region.
On PDF page 8 of 106, in the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan linked above, are these words: "Discussed within the earthquake section is information about how destructive the 1872 earthquake was and what the consequences might be if it occurs again." On PDF page 66 of 106 begins the information about the 1872 earthquake. The document speaks of this event as being "the series of earthquakes and aftershocks that began on December 14, 1872, and lasted into 1874." On PDF page 68 of 106 is information about "a Jesuit missionary, Father Urban Grassi, [who] was on the Colville Indian Reservation shortly after the [1872] earthquake..."
The Mitigation Plan linked above, on PDF page 68 of 106, states that in 1874, the Jesuit Urban Grassi noted that "for the past two years [the Sanpoil Tribe] has been visited by God with earthquakes that in some places has sunk the ground, in others has piled it up greatly, and in others has broken the sides of mountains." Once again, from the information presented above, it is very clear that this area were Grand Coulee Dam is now located experienced a "series of earthquakes and aftershocks that began on December 14, 1872 and lasted into 1874." And again, this quake caused the ground to sink or to be piled up greatly, and the sides of mountains to be broken. This was, indeed, a severe and long lasting quake event.
So, let the information above be clearly implanted in our minds, for it is very important to this discussion about the predicament of Grand Coulee Dam. In the region where Grand Coulee Dam is now located, there were "massive ground changes" which occurred during the earthquake event of 1872. Indeed, the Grand Coulee Dam region was shaken severely in 1872, in order to cause these "massive ground changes." At this point, let us look further into what things were actually like in the Grand Coulee region during that 1872 event and thereafter.
At Whitestone, which is sometimes written as White Stone, at the time of the 1872 earthquake, there was a trading post. A Mr. Covington operated this trading post. Scrolling down to the bottom of the page in a book linked here, under the section titled Gravy, it notes that "between the mouth of the Sanpoil and Spokane Rivers, the prominent landmark of Whitestone Rock rises above the river's south shore. In 1872 John "Virginia Bill" Covington ran a store in the shadow of Whitestone. Covington, who was married to a Sanpoil woman known as Spillkeen, talked to a reporter in the spring of 1873." Note clearly that Covington was married to a woman from the Sanpoil Indian tribe.
Because Mr. Covington was married to a woman from the Sanpoil Indian tribe, he possibly had access to information about the effects of the 1872 earthquake in the surrounding region from the Indians of that tribe, and from information which they had acquired from communication with Indians of other tribes. And, looking further, being that Mr. Covington operated a store or trading post along the Columbia River route, he very likely heard about the effects of the 1872 earthquake from other white people who resided in various parts of the region and stopped at his operation.
At the bottom of a page linked here, and about one-quarter of the way down a page linked here, are presented the observations of Mr. Covington in the region near Grand Coulee during and after the 1872 quake. These are observations which he related to a reporter in the spring of 1873. About one-quarter of the way down a page linked here is found a similar account of Mr. Covington's observations. The following is the 1872 earthquake account written by the reporter about Mr. Covington and his experiences.
"Mr. Covington, who has a trading post on the Columbia river, at White Stone, informs us that he spent the Winter in that country, and was there at the time of the earthquake last Fall. He says that he counted ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO DISTINCT SHOCKS, continuing at irregular intervals for forty-two days. At one place he saw a crack in the surface of the earth which is now open for three feet wide at the top, and is from two to six feet deep. At another place he saw where the bank of the Columbia river had CAVED OFF AND SETTLED DOWN for two or three hundred yards in length, and for a width of about fifty yards. The mountain and cliffs were so shaken up and appear to be so greatly agitated and disturbed that large masses of rock are still constantly falling, tumbling and sliding down."
From the information presented above, it appears that as a part of the earthquake event in 1872, there were 142 "distinct shocks" in the region where Grand Coulee Dam is now located. These 142 "distinct shocks" occurred during a 42 day period. In this region where Grand Coulee Dam is now located, it appears there was cracking of the ground surface. As a result of this earthquake, at least one section of Columbia River bank caved off and settled down. And, the mountains and cliffs in this region are said to have been greatly shaken up. As a result, as stated in the spring of 1873, in the days after the main quake, "large masses of rock are still constantly falling, tumbling and sliding down."
A document linked here is from the County Government Web Site for Stevens County, Washington (1)(2)(3). The linked document is Chapter 6, from the Stevens County, Washington Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. On PDF page 7 of 16 is some information about the large earthquake of December 14, 1972. The page states:
"This magnitude 6.8 (estimated) earthquake occurred about 9:40 pm and was felt from British Columbia to Oregon and from the Pacific Ocean to Montana. It occurred in a wilderness area, which in 1872 had only a few inhabitants -- local Indian tribes, trappers, traders, and military men. Because there were few man-made structures in the epicenter area near Lake Chelan, most of the information available is about ground effects, including huge landslides, massive fissures in the ground, and a 27 foot high geyser."
The Stevens County document continues: "Extensive landslides occurred in the slide-prone shorelines of the Columbia River. One massive slide, at Ribbon Cliff between Entiat and Winesap, blocked the Columbia River for several hours. A field reconnaissance to the Ribbon Cliff landslide area in August 1976 showed remnants of a large landslide mass along the west edge of Lake Entiat (Columbia River Reservoir), below Ribbon Cliffs and about 3 kilometers north of Entiat. Although the most spectacular landslides occurred in the Chelan-Wenatchee area, slides occurred throughout the Cascade Mountains."
The Stevens County document states further: "Most of the ground fissures occurred in the following areas: at the east end of Lake Chelan in the area of the Indian camp; in the Chelan Landing-Chelan Falls area; on a mountain about 12 miles west of the Indian camp area; on the east side of the Columbia River (where three springs formed), and near the top of a ridge on a hogback on the east side of the Columbia River. These fissures formed in several locations... Sulfurous water was emitted from the large fissures that formed in the Indian camp area." And further down, the document declares: "Aftershocks occurred in the area for two years."
At this point, there is something else which needs to be looked at, and that is when Ribbon Cliff --- which is along the Columbia River about 2-1/2 miles upriver from Entiat, Washington --- was formed. A page linked here is titled The North Cascades Earthquake of 1872. Almost half way down, the following information is given: "In November 1994, the Wenatchee World revisited the quake. A fellow named John McBride, who was living on the Wenatchee River a few miles upstream from its confluence with the Columbia, said 'the third shock, which occurred about 11 o'clock p.m., was preceded by an explosion — apparently on the mountain — sounding like the discharge of several pieces of artillery simultaneously.'"
An article titled Mysterious 1872 quake yields clues for future, from the July 22, 2003 edition of The Seattle Times is linked here. About half way down, the article notes that John McBride had earlier sold his trading post to a Sam Miller. About the quake event, the article states: "McBride and his partner, who were sleeping, suddenly were thrown to the floor. As they rode to the trading post six miles away, the ground undulated beneath them." The article also contains an important piece of information. It states: "The main shock hit around 10 p.m., and two hours later, a mountain north of Entiat violently shrugged half of itself off. Tons of rock dammed the Columbia River."
There is another source of information to now consider. The Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan for the Confederated Colville Tribes is linked here. On PDF page 66 of 106, regarding what happened during the 1872 quake, the document states: "The third aftershock caused a landslide approximately four miles north of the mouth of the Entiat River, which completely dammed the Columbia River." The Colville Tribes were living in this general region when the 1872 quake occurred, so they would likely know what happened and when it happened.
Working to digest and reconcile any time discrepancies in the information presented in the three paragraphs above, there are some important things which can be noted. It is clear that the mountain north of Entiat, Washington did not break apart and crash into the Columbia River, forming Ribbon Cliff, during the first, main shock of this event. It is indicated that Ribbon Cliff was formed two hours after the main shock. It appears it was formed in the third major shock or aftershock of this quake event. It was possibly during this third shock or aftershock of the quake event, rather than the first main shock, when the nearby Spencer Canyon Fault slipped (link). And, there are yet more things to consider about this earthquake event.
The account in The Seattle Times, linked here and above, notes that "McBride recalled 64 shocks, eight severe. At this point, there is something to consider. There are people who may think about the 1872 quake event as just a single major shake in 1872. But there where actually a number of strong shocks involved. As noted above, it appears that there were "eight severe" shocks or periods of strong shaking involved in this event.
There is another thing to note in The Seattle Times article linked above. Researchers "suspect that the Entiat area...is underlain by what are known as blind faults, ones that don't reach the surface of the Earth." These blind faults are related to concealed faults, as indicated on PDF page 11 of 33, in an American Nuclear Society document linked here. There is now more to look at in this situation.
It is time to look at an example of what can happen in an area with blind or concealed faults. A BBC News article, linked here, is titled Concealed fault caused Bam quake. The article states: "The devastating earthquake at Bam, Iran, in 2003 was caused by the rupture of a rare, hidden fault that is invisible at the surface, experts say." One scientist declared: "This is — as far as I know — the first well-documented case of a blind strike-slip fault." The article states that "blind thrust faults...cause the surface layer to fold over them as they deform, forming a tell-tale hill at the surface that identify them to scientists." But, at Bam, Iran, things were different.
The BBC News article, linked above, declares: "This previously unknown fault was not associated with any surface features. What is more, this blind fracture turned out to be a 'strike-slip' fault, in which the blocks of crust move sideways relative to one another." At this point, there are some things to consider about Eastern Washington. The original surface area, with its various faults or rifts, was later covered with a number of thick basalt layers. These many layers in the Columbia River Basalt Group (link) cover over and hide many important earthquake-causing features which are buried beneath. So, the basic truth is this: the scientists do not fully know what we are dealing with in this region.
When considering all the information presented in this section, there are some thoughts which come to mind about the Eastern Washington area and very important, major facilities which are built there. This is just the setting where you would want a massive and high structure like Grand Coulee Dam, especially one which is built on top of multiple fault lines and holding back a very large and deep reservoir behind it. Did I hear a loud, "NOT!" And, this is just the setting in which you would want a facility further south along the Columbia River like the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, with its immense amount of highly dangerous and deadly radioactive materials. And again, did I hear another loud, "NOT!"
A Modified Mercalli Intensity map of the December 14, 1872 earthquake, which shows an estimated magnitude of 7.4, is linked here. The indicated epicenter for the 1872 quake is shown as being about 125 kilometers (75 miles) or more due east of Seattle, Washington. Scientists of today are wanting to indicate that there was just a single epicenter for this quake and that it is located on the Spencer Canyon fault, near Entiat, Washington, as noted in pages at the following links: (1)(2)(3). The direction of travel noted for the seismic waves of this quake event at various locations in the Pacific Northwest indicates to the writer that there was more than one fault in the region set into seismic activity during this event.
Now, take a look at a map linked here. On the map, there are four, widely scattered, proposed epicenters for the 1872 quake, which have been used by various scientific groups over time. And now, there is a fifth area being searched as the new epicenter. By the looks of it, scientists can decide where they "want" the epicenter of a mystery earthquake to be. It appears that it is also possible to then adjust the data to fit their intended or pre-determined favorite epicenter. But, it appears there is more to this story.
In all of this, it appears it is relatively easy to simply ignore important pieces of information, even many important pieces of information, which do not support the "finding" which is being pursued. This appears to be the case with the claimed single epicenter near Entiat, Washington for the major earthquake on December 14, 1872. From the information available, the writer does believe that the Spencer Canyon Fault was involved in this earthquake event at one point, but, as noted earlier (link), it appears that the Spencer Canyon Fault slipped during the third shock of the earthquake event, not during the first main shock. In other words, the Spencer Canyon Fault was not the cause of this whole earthquake event.
Look again at that earthquake map, linked here. An epicenter for the 1872 earthquake, if located near Entiat, Washington, would be about 160 kilometers (100 miles) due east of Seattle, Washington. Now, take a look at a Google Earth map which is linked here. In this map, note the supposed location for the epicenter, near Entiat, Washington. Then note the positions of the cities of Seattle and Olympia and Walla Walla. It is time for some additional pieces of information which tend to put in question the possibility for there being just a single epicenter associated with the 1872 earthquake, which epicenter was located near Entiat, Washington.
Regarding the major Washington earthquake of December 14, 1872, a page linked here, from historylink.org, plainly declares: "There are four shocks over an eight-minute period. In Seattle 'frame buildings swayed to and fro like a small craft at sea.' A Seattle newspaper reported that the earthquake came in 'an undulating motion, from South to North, like waves of the ocean, unaccompanied by any violent jar, or irregular upheaval.'" Note clearly that in Seattle, the earthquake waves were moving from south to north (⇑). Looking at the Google Earth map linked here, if the epicenter for the earthquake had truly been near Entiat, Washington, the earthquake waves should have been moving from the east to the west (⇐).
There is even more evidence which must be considered, when it comes to where the actual epicenter was located for the Washington earthquake of 1872. Page 62 in a book titled List of Recorded Earthquakes is linked here. The bottom half of page 62 has an entry for the 1872 Washington Territory earthquake, as reported from Olympia. At the bottom of that entry are the following words: "The direction of the shock (December 14) at Olympia, was south to north (⇑) at first, then southeast to northwest (⇖)." This same information is found on a page from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network site, linked here, under Source ID 207. If the epicenter for the earthquake had truly been located near Entiat, Washington, looking at the Google Earth map (link), the earthquake waves should have been traveling from the northeast to the southwest (⇙).
Let us now look at what was happening in Walla Walla, Washington, during the earthquake of 1872. A page linked here is from the site of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). On the left side of the page is the Source ID. Scroll down to Source ID 1944. The Memorandum states: "Saturday night, December 14, 1872, at 3 minutes past 10 o'clock, Walla Walla experienced a severe earthquake lasting about half a minute. Buildings rocked dangerously from SW to NE." Again, the buildings rocked from southwest to northeast (⇗). Looking at the Google Earth map (link), if the epicenter for the 1872 earthquake had been near Entiat, Washington, the earthquake waves should have been traveling from the northwest to the southeast (⇘), rather than traveling from the southwest to the northeast (⇗).
Looking further at that PNSN page linked in the paragraph above, let it be noted what was happening in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. For the Victoria information, scroll down to Source ID 1399 and look at the Memorandum. At Victoria, on the southern end of Vancouver Island, "The motion seemed to be from the east to the west (⇐)." But, when looking at that Google Earth map (link), if there was truly only a single epicenter for the 1872 quake, with that epicenter located near Entiat, Washington, the earthquake waves should have been traveling through Victoria BC on a path from the southeast to the northwest (⇖).
Looking further down in the PNSN page linked above, at the Memorandum under Source ID 976, the following is noted: "At 09:18 on that date [December 14], there was a shock, apparently most severe at Victoria, British Columbia." But, looking in that same entry, the severe shock which occurred at Olympia, Washington happened about 22 minutes later, at 9:40 pm. Something rather interesting is going on here. Looking further down on the PNSN page to Source ID 1044 and Source ID 207, the Memorandum states: "In Victoria and elsewhere on Vancouver Island the shock is said to have been heavier than at any other point heard from."
So, what was really going on during the earthquake of 1872? Why were the earthquake waves not coming from the supposed epicenter near Entiat, Washington, as they traveled through Seattle, Olympia, and Walla Walla? To add a bit more confusion to this whole scenario, look again at that map linked here, which shows those four, widely scattered, proposed epicenters for the 1872 quake, with another location now being searched, as the fifth proposed epicenter. It appears that things are just not making sense, at least not to the scientists! So again, what was really going on here?
It appears that there may be a very logical answer to what was actually happening during the earthquake of 1872. Those four, widely scattered, proposed epicenters, with a fifth proposed epicenter now under consideration, possibly do make logical sense. Once it is clearly understood what appears to have been happening during the earthquake and once it is understood what appears to have initiated this whole quake event, things do make a lot more sense. And, the change in earthquake waves from "south to north at first, then southeast to northwest" at Olympia, Washington does help to more readily identify what has really happening during this major earthquake event of 1872.
From what was happening during the 1872 quake, people in various areas thought the quake was coming from a certain direction. They would then identify their epicenter from what they had experienced in that region. What was happening in various areas caused those four proposed epicenters to be identified, along with the fifth epicenter near Entiat, Washington which is now under consideration. But then there were the earthquake waves from a southerly direction in Seattle, Olympia and Walla Walla. This really could add to the confustion and skew the epicenter map. But again, it appears there is a logical answer as to what was going on.
A question is asked on a page linked here about the possibility of having two earthquakes happen at the same time. In the answers given, it appears it may be possible to have even more than just two earthquakes happening together in the same event, which creates "a composite earthquake." A page linked here speaks about the great Sumatra, Indonesia quake of April 11, 2012. Regarding this great earthquake, it is noted "that multiple faults appear to have slipped almost simultaneously, creating a composite earthquake." If multiple faults slipped almost simultaneously in the 2012 Sumatra earthquake event, it appears that there would have been multiple epicenters in this composite earthquake.
It appears that there have been certain beliefs in the field of geology which, with new findings, have had to change. About two-thirds of the way down a page linked here is found the following words: "Even the notion of an earthquake fault -- a long crack in the earth -- is not quite as certain as it once was. Near Landers, Calif., seismologists had identified three faults, each capable of a magnitude-6.5 quake. Then, in 1992, an earthquake shook along all three faults at once, at a magnitude of 7.3." It appears that the potential exists for there having been three distinct epicenters in this composite earthquake which occurred near Landers, California in 1992.
A 2017 article linked here is titled Buildings collapse in 2 simultaneous quakes. The article states: "Reports are now indicating severe damage in various parts of Mexico City after two earthquakes that struck simultaneously at 1:14pm today." The article states further: "One earthquake, measured at 7.1 on the Richter scale, was centered 12 kilometers southeast of Axochiapan, Morelos, and the second, which measured 6.8, was seven kilometers southwest of Chiautla de Tapia, Puebla." For those unfamiliar with this area, both of these cities are located south-southeast of Mexico City.
A Scientific American article, linked here, is titled Double Shake: Multiple, Nearly Simultaneous Earthquakes Triggered Deadly 2009 Tsunami. The article is about the quake and tsunami event of September 29, 2009, in the South Pacific. The article declares: "...New research indicates that the actual event was even more violent than initial estimates had shown and comprised three temblors: a magnitude 8.1 quake followed within minutes by another pair that combined to make an event of nearly equal size about 50 kilometers away..." The article declares further: "The initial earthquake appears to have preceded the start of the secondary quakes by less than a minute, largely masking their presence."
Pages linked here and here begin with these words: "Before the shaking from one earthquake ends, shaking from another might begin, amplifying the effect of ground motion. Such sequences of closely timed, nearly overlapping, consecutive earthquakes account for devastating seismic events in Italy's history..." The pages declare: "'It's very important to consider this scenario of earthquakes, occurring possibly seconds apart, one immediately after another,' said co-author Anna Tramelli, a seismologist with the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia in Naples, Italy."
A 2018 page linked here is titled The 2016 Kaikoura earthquake: Simultaneous rupture of the subduction interface and overlying faults. The Abstract speaks of the use of "twelve fault segments, with eleven in the crust and one on the megathrust interface, to model the geodetic data and match the major features of the complex surface ruptures." The Abstract declares further: "The first 30 s of the rupture took place on the crustal faults with oblique slip motion and jumped between fault segments that have large differences in strike and dip. The peak moment release occurred at ~65 s, corresponding to simultaneous rupture of both plate interface and the overlying splay faults with rake angle changes progressively from thrust to strike-slip."
The Abstract linked in the paragraph above ends with these words: "The extreme complex rupture behavior also brings new challenges to the earthquake dynamic simulations and understanding the physics of earthquakes." All of the information presented above should be kept clearly in mind when considering the "mysterious" Washington earthquake of 1872.
With the information presented in the preceding section clearly in mind, let us now return to what was happening during the Washington earthquake of December 14, 1872. Let us remember that multiple earthquakes can happen virtually simultaneous on faults which are even many miles aparts. So, again, what was happening during the 1872 quake?
Around Puget Sound, "fissures split the ground south of Seattle..."(link) So, one of the parts of this quake event appears to have had an epicenter which was located south of Seattle. That may be why the earthquake waves moved from the south to the north in Seattle. To the southwest of Seattle, at Olympia, the earthquake waves were first from the south to the north, and then from the southeast to the northwest. It appears that in this complex earthquake event, a fault to the south of Olympia was triggered and then a different fault was triggered or another portion of the same fault was triggered, but now in an area to the southeast of Olympia. And, at Walla Walla, in the southeast part of the state, it appears that a fault to the southwest of that location was triggered. Possibly it was a fault associated with the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament (link).
What type of situation could allow for multiple epicenters during a major earthquake event? The actual answer appears to be rather simple. The initial movement and driving force in this earthquake event appears to have been very deep in the earth. Possibly is was like the respected geologist Howard A. Coombs, after much research, declared in the early 1970s. In the Coombs Report, the focus for the earthquake was placed at a depth of "40 miles below the earth's surface."(link) Now, for another small piece of information. According to a page on the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network site (link), about two hours before the mainshock of the 1872 quake, there is a report from Fort Lapwai (link), in Idaho Territory, about a foreshock.
So, is there any deep geologic feature, possibly something even "40 miles below the earth's surface," which passes under the Fort Lapwai area, which could have moved and then triggered multiple faults closer to the surface in Washington and southern British Columbia? Is there a major geologic feature which is not spoken about very much, which does not even appear to have been known about when Howard A. Coombs and his team prepared the Coombs Report? And, had they known about this major geologic feature, how much different would the Coombs Report have been?
In 1981, there were a number of news articles about a geologic feature which had recently been discovered while observing the surface of the earth from space. One such article, linked here, is from the Spokane Daily Chronicle of December 17, 1981. The article is titled Giant rift spawns wisecracks. The article states: "Disclosure earlier this week about discovery of what some call the 'world's largest rift' (geologically, anyway), a potential split which might end near Spokane, has perhaps spurred more local jokes ('wise-cracks?') than concern." A map in the lower part of the article indicates a general path for the giant rift which diagonally crosses the continent, from Georgia to Washington State.
At the time of the linked article in 1981, geologists were not sure if the 1,700 mile long, "huge crack, just discovered ... actually extends into Washington." It appears that geologists were having trouble tracing Idaho fault systems into Washington, at least to the west of Spokane. Why is this? In Washington, the ancient geologic features are buried under "alluvial deposits and the basalt covering." The basalt covering was formed during the emplacement of the Columbia River Flood Basalt Province, which "forms a plateau of 164,000 square kilometers between the Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains."(link) These flood basalts "cover parts of the states of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon" and in certain places "the lava is more than 3,500 m thick." That is roughly 11,483 feet thick, or more than 2 miles thick.
The Spokane Daily Chronicle article, linked above, notes that the cross-continent crack "is 90 miles across at its widest." When the article was written, it was felt that the geologic crack which "extends deep into the earth's crust" posed "no danger." Well, it appears that at that time, no one remembered or was thinking about the major, 1872 mystery earthquake in Washington State. Looking at the nature of the big crack, an article linked here indicates that the "extensive subterranean scar" may be a geologic "shear zone," like a major fault or rift sytem. So, are there any geologic features which this potential, cross-continent shear zone joins up with in the Idaho region?
A page linked here is from the NASA Technical Reports Server. The page speaks of a linear feature across the continent which "is also aligned with the Lewis and Clark lineament (Montana to Washington), forming a linear feature of approximately 2800 km in length." This particular NASA page allows access to the full NASA report on the linear feature, which report is linked here.
The full NASA report, linked above, on PDF page 3 of 29, declares: "In southeastern Missouri the gravity low has...a value that is too high to be explained by simply valley fill by sedimentary rocks. Rather, the feature must be a basement structure. In fact, folds, faults, fold axes, dikes and basement topography in Missouri trend in directions that are approximately parallel to the gravity low." The NASA report states: "The origin of the linear gravity feature is problematical - it may be a rift, a transcurrent fault, or some combination." On PDF page 12 of 29, the NASA report plainly states: "The Missouri gravity low is clearly a basement feature."
On PDF page 14 of 29, the NASA report states that "the gravity low lies along the southeastern projection of the Lewis and Clark Lineament, forming a combined gravity-topography signature that may extend for about 2800 km in length." The report continues: "Perhaps the most plausible explanation is that the gravity low may be as part of an extensive transcurrent fault system or a failed continental rift. Most likely, parts of the system were reactivated during various periods..." Well, is there a chance that a part of this cross-continent fault system or potential shear zone which is buried beneath the basalt flows in Washington State was momentarily reactivated during the 1872 mystery earthquake?
At this point, there is something to once again note. Earlier on this page (link), there was some information about Fort Lapwai, which fort was located in the Idaho Territory. At Fort Lapwai in Idaho, a foreshock was noted two hours before the mainshock of the 1872 quake hit Washington State. Now, Fort Lapwai is located rather close to the path of that deeply buried, rift or shear zone which crosses the continent in its basement. There is something else to note. Fort Lapwai is located near an imaginary line which would pass from the proposed epicenter for the 1872 quake and that affected area in Montana, which two points can be seen on a map linked here.
In the NASA Technical Report section above, it is noted that the deeply buried cross-continent rift or shear zone appears to join with the Lewis and Clark Lineament, or the Lewis and Clark Fault Zone. So, at this time, let us explore the westerly portion of this major fault system.
On page 51 in a book titled Mineral frontiers on Indian Lands, linked here, under the section titled Structure, are found these words: "The oldest structural features recognized within the Colville Batholith roughly parallel the trend of the Lewis and Clark line (N65°-80°W), a large scale tear fault forming a northwest-trending zone traceable from south-central Montana for about 500 miles almost to Spokane. If this trend is extended northwest beyond Spokane it passes through the southern portion of the Colville Reservation." At this point, there is something to consider. If the Lewis and Clark line "passes through the southern portion of the Colville Reservation," it would pass through the area where Grand Coulee Dam is located.
Looking further, a page from the Montana Department of Transportation, titled A Lost World, is linked here. In the lower-left portion of that page, it speaks about "the Lewis and Clark Fault Zone, [which is] a series of faults that stretch between northwest Washington State and the Helena area" in Montana. Now, for this series of faults to stretch from northwest Washington to the Helena area, this series of faults would have to pass beneath the Cascade Mountains. This would be similar to what is happening with faults associated with the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, as noted in a section linked here from a page titled Hanford and that Record Earthquake of 1872.
There is more to be added at this point, which can be used as a reference as this presentation continues. At the bottom of page 51, in the Indian Lands book linked above, are these words: "Superimposed on the network of fractures and faults formed during the period of development of the Lewis and Clark lineament is a network of structures subparallel to the boundary faults (N5°35°E) of the Republic, Keller, and Toroda Creek grabens. The earlier structures served as avenues of emplacement for most of the early and late porphyry dikes which crosscut the lead-zinc-silver vein deposits on the Reservation."
Digesting the information presented in the paragraphs above, the generally east-west trending Lewis and Clark Fault Zone "passes through the southern portion of the Colville Reservation." This would clearly be in the area where Grand Coulee Dam is now located. Then, "superimposed on the network of fractures and faults formed during the period of development of the Lewis and Clark" Fault Zone is those north-south trending grabens with their associated major fault systems. And, all this is happening in the area where Grand Coulee Dam is located. So, it is time to once again consider what was found in the bedrock at the Grand Coulee dam site.
Near the beginning of this page is a section titled Shear Zones and Faults (link). In the second paragraph of that section (link), regarding the preparation of the foundation for Grand Coulee Dam, it states: "Several shear zones and faults were encountered in the foundation excavation of the main and forebay dams. The older granite is characteristically moderately to lightly jointed; typical joint spacing is 2 to 4 ft." That paragraph also states: "The younger granite is typically moderately to intensely jointed (average joint spacing about 1 ft) and forms outcrops with more subdued blocky surfaces and conspicuous talus." The paragraph which then follows states that "linear trenches developed along faults or steeply dipping joints."
The section which follows that noted above is titled Three Sets of Joints (link). The second paragraph of that section (link) notes that in the bedrock beneath Grand Coulee Dam, "faults and shear zones encountered within the granite required extensive treatment: overexcavation, scaling, and bolting." The section which then follows is titled Extensive Shear Zones, Uprecedented Grouting. The second paragraph of that section (link), in the words of the chief design engineer on the Grand Coulee Dam project, speaks of "the treatment of extensive shear zones at Grand Coulee Dam by unprecedented grouting..." So, what are all these faults or steeply dipping joints, plus extensive shear zones all about?
To come to a clear understanding of what all these faults or steeply dipping joints, plus extensive shear zones are all about, the alignments of these faults and steeply dipping joints must once again be considered. So, let us look at that information provided closer to the beginning of this page, in the section titled Three Sets of Joints (link). There are mainly two sets of joints which we will consider. The first two paragraphs in the linked section speak of "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" and "joints striking about N70°W dipping steeply northeast."
It is the second set of joints mentioned above, the "joints striking about N70°W dipping steeply northeast," which will now be considered for what they are possibly associated with. These joints are not striking or aligned in a due-west direction, but are aligned at an angle which is 20° toward north, from due west. Looking at a degree-wheel linked here, if placed on a map, the "joints striking about N70°W" in the bedrock beneath the dam site would be aligned with the 290° line. So, let us consider one possibility for what these joints at this particular alignment could be associated with.
A rather "loose" (not highly accurate) map linked here gives some idea of the general path for the Lewis and Clark Fault Zone (LCZ), in the upper-right portion of the map. On the right edge of the map, where the "LCZ" is located, is Idaho. The inferred, western section of the LCZ, illustrated with a dashed line, passes close to or right through the area where Grand Coulee Dam is located.
An extension of the LCZ passing through the area of Grand Coulee Dam is possibly a good reason why there are all those joints, especially the ones which are striking N70°W. Then there are those other faults and the extensive shear zones in the bedrock beneath the dam. When all the available information is considered, it appears there has been some exteme ground motion in the area where Grand Coulee Dam is now located, in earlier times.
Again, look again at that inferred section of the LCZ which passes through the area of Grand Coulee Dam. If that line, along with the basement rift zone, were extended further to the west, it would pass very close to or through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, located between the Olympic Peninsula and Vancouver Island. At this point, there is something to note about the earthquake of 1872.
Earlier on this page is the section titled Claimed Epicenter and Earthquake Waves. In the ninth paragraph of that section (link), it notes that during this earthquake of December 14, 1872, "there was a shock, apparently most severe at Victoria, British Columbia." It also states: "In Victoria and elsewhere on Vancouver Island the shock is said to have been heavier than at any other point heard from."
To the writer, there appears to be a good reason why Victoria BC was shaken so hard. It is located close to where it appears the rift in the basement of the continent would break out of the landmass and into an area of open water, generally to the east of Victoria BC (map). And then, in its westward track, it appears that the rift resides beneath the submarine canyon in the bottom of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. But, there is actually more to this story.
Look again at the map which shows the western portion of the LCZ (link). A westerly extension of the LCZ would cross through the area of the north-south trending Straight Creek Fault (SCF) (link). A westerly extension of the LCZ would possibly also interact with the Entiat Fault, which crosses under the Columbia River near Entiat, Washington and then continues in a northwesterly direction into British Columbia (link).
Take another look at that map which shows the LCZ in its upper-right portion (link). Look at that inferred section of the LCZ, as it follows the general east to west, curvy path of the Columbia River. There is something special to now note. Look at the fault lines which extend to the northwest, from the general area where Grand Coulee Dam is located. These faults could have been affected when the basement rift or shear zone moved. That may be another reason why the earthquake waves in Canada, in the region of Vancouver Island, were moving from the east to the west. But, there is yet more to this story.
Look once more at the LCZ map linked above. There is something very important to note. From the area of Grand Coulee Dam, there are also those sections of faults which extend to the northeast into Canada. These faults are rather important to this discussion, for they help to identify the true predicament of Grand Coulee Dam. The faults extending to the northeast, from Grand Coulee Dam into Canada, will be considered to a much greater extent later in this discussion.
From the looks of it, with all those faults, Grand Coulee Dam may be situated at the crossroads for a lot of seismic energy in that region, should there once again be movement on the giant rift or shear zone in the basement of the continent. At this point, there is another thing to note. Further above on this page, it speaks about the Whitestone area. Whitestone is less than 30 river miles upstream from Grand Coulee Dam, and about 21 direct air miles from the dam (link). The section which then follows (link) notes that Whitestone was "one of the places most affected by the earthquake..."
Another section further up on this page is titled Effect of Quake in Grand Coulee Region (link). It speaks about the effects of the 1872 earthquake in the Whitestone region, near where Grand Coulee Dam is now located. It notes that there were "ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-TWO DISTINCT SHOCKS, continuing at irregular intervals for forty-two days." The surface of the earth was cracked and a "bank of the Columbia river had CAVED OFF AND SETTLED DOWN for two or three hundred yards in length, and for a width of about fifty yards."
The section linked in the paragraph above, which includes the 1872-73 earthquake account, also states: "The mountain and cliffs were so shaken up and appear to be so greatly agitated and disturbed that large masses of rock are still constantly falling, tumbling and sliding down." And, again, this all happened in the region where Grand Coulee Dam, with all its faults and shear zones beneath it, is now located. So, what could be the outcome for Grand Coulee Dam and its very large reservoir with all that water, plus the general public located downstream in the days ahead, should that rift or shear zone in the basement of the continent happen to move once again, as it appears it did in December of 1872?
Sometimes, an individual or a group can get a certain idea in their heads and go wildly "chasing after it," yes, even spending a lot of taxpayer dollars on it if they can find a way to get them, without truly or diligently checking to see if important pieces of already available information properly fit into "the overall picture" of the track which they are pursuing. Sometimes, when people are so focused on a certain "pet" idea or project, they tend to "ignore" many very important clues or pieces of information which do not at all fit in with their "pet" project. Why is this?
It appears that this type of activity can sometimes occur when "prestige," "professional pride" or possibly even when egos get in the way. And yes, there can be other things involved also, like just going after all the money you can get when you have the chance. And, potentially, there is the thrill of getting to go out and use all that expensive equipment and "toys," in many cases at taxpayers' expense. To some, that generally appears to be what has happened with at least some scientists, potentially even when it comes to the major Washington earthquake event of 1872 and a proclaimed single epicenter.
Looking further at one particular problem we seem to be dealing with in our world, it appears there are those in government or even potentially in university positions who just want more and more money, without making sure they provide the proper return in value to the general public for all the taxpayer money which they have taken from them and spent. Getting more and more funding for some "pet" project, rather than diligently serving the people and working for their true wellbeing can be a serious problem. Now, there is something logical which really should be said.
When a common citizen, on their own time, can do a little research and find some obvious geologic problems associated with Grand Coulee Dam and provide the information to the public, which the scientists, the universities, and the government agencies cannot seem to do with all the money and brainpower which they have at their disposal, it appears that something is horribly wrong. Is the money which these professional groups are already getting from the people --- in other words, from taxpayers' pockets --- simply being squandered for more frivolous purposes, rather than being used for the true good and wellbeing of authentic U.S. citizens? Is there a chance that the taxpayers of this country are being royally, economically raped or fleeced by at least one segment in government or university positions?
Possibly the general public has been distracted by other things and has not been doing their duty of watching to see what is actually being done with the money which is steadily being taken from their pockets. Possibly it is time to consider the words of Thomas Jefferson, the man who became the third President of the United States. The general principal found in his words may be applicable in our day. Jefferson declared: "If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions."(link)
When considering the overall picture of the 1872 earthquake event, there are some things to note in available information which was published near the time of the event. There are large differences in times recorded for when specific locations felt the strongest shock in this event. There are also large differences in the direction of earthquake waves recorded at various locations --- major differences in direction which do not at all match up with the latest proposal that there was a single, main epicenter for this whole quake event which was located near Entiat, Washington. The evidence also does not appear to support the idea that there was just one single epicenter in this whole event.
Now for a quick recap of the direction of travel for seismic waves at various locations. At Victoria BC, the waves were traveling from the east to the west, rather than from the southeast to the northwest as they should have been, if the epicenter for the whole quake event was truly near Entiat, Washington. At Seattle, the seismic waves traveled from the south to the north, rather than from the east to the west, as should have happened if the epicenter for the quake event had been near Entiat. At Olympia, the seismic waves traveled, at first, from the south to the north, and then from the southeast to the northwest, rather than from the northeast to the southwest, as an Entiat epicenter would have produced.
Looking toward the southeastern part of Washington, at Walla Walla, the seismic waves traveled from the southwest to the northeast. If the epicenter for this whole earthquake event had been near Entiat, the seismic waves should have been traveling through Walla Walla from the northwest to the southeast. And now, there is another location to add to this list. A page linked here is titled The North Cascades Earthquake of 1872. The page states the following for The Dalles, Oregon: "The vibrations lasted probably thirty seconds, and seemed to be from the east to west." Had the epicenter for the whole quake event been near Entiat, Washington, the seismic waves should have been traveling through The Dalles, Oregon generally from the north to the south, as can be discerned from the map linked here.
Let us now look at this overall earthquake scenario from a different perspective. If the whole 1872 event was a composite seismic event, with a number of faults in the region set in motion, the seismic waves which traveled through The Dalles, Oregon, from the east to the west, makes perfect sense. Looking at the map linked above, it makes perfect sense if the seismic waves in this particular area were coming from a quake centered on faults associated with the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament, somewhere in the direction of Walla Walla or Wallula, Washington.
A copy of an article from the July 22, 2003 issue of The Seattle Times, which is titled Mysterious 1872 quake yields clues for future, is linked here. The article quotes one researcher of the 1872 earthquake, a professor Ruth Ludwin, from the University of Washington. Ms. Ludwin declared: "The things that have occurred in the past, there's some likelihood that they will reoccur." And then, there is always the potential that nature may surprise us with something of even a greater magnitude. The bottom line is that no human can guarantee exactly what will happen in the times ahead. And, when it comes to seismic events in recent times, scientists have been surprised and blindsided over and over again.
Linked here is a page from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network site, which is titled The 1872 North Cascades Earthquake: Washington Reporting Localities. About two-thirds of the way down the page is an entry for Entiat - Ribbon Cliffs, W.T., which is from page 9 of the December 7, 1973 issue of the Wenatchee World. The article is titled Quake conditions ripe. But geologist can't say whether or when. In the article, Warren Scott, who was a geology instructor at Wenatchee Valley College, warned that it "is a distinct possibility" that there could be a damaging and deadly earthquake in the region. The article states: "Scott contends that there are present today the same conditions that caused the earthquake that did so much land damage on Dec. 14, 1873 [1872]."
It appears that in the period just prior to the earthquake of December 14, 1872, there were smaller seismic events around the Winesap area. Winesap in located about 6 miles upstream on the Columbia River from Entiat, Washington (link). About one-third of the way down, a page linked here provides statements from Peter Wapato, who, at the time of the 1872 quake "lived at what is now Winesap." In regards to events prior to the large 1872 quake, Peter declared: "There had been many shakes that winter. When they came they'd be in intervals of half an hour, or an hour, or sometimes longer" So, it appears that in that particular area, there may have been a number of foreshocks, before the main 1872 event.
At this point, there is something else which people should be aware of. A page from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, linked here, declares: "A persistent producer of small earthquakes is located near the town of Entiat, WA just south of Chelan. This area has been known to be active since 1975 when the first set of seismic stations were installed near this area." Take a look at that pattern of small earthquakes shown on the map in the linked page. Something is definitely happening down below in this area. There is something moving or shifting deeper in the earth, which causes all of these small quakes.
It appears that there is more to look at in this situation. About two-thirds of the way down in a page linked here is a section titled Seismic Aberration. Regarding the strange, persistent quakes in the Entiat area, the page notes the following findings of one scientist: "Other faults in Washington are moving at the same rate or faster than the Entiat fault, but they don't have anywhere near Entiat's seismic activity." The scientist states further: "It's hard to think that these earthquakes are being caused by ongoing tectonic deformation because we're just not seeing that elsewhere." It does appear that something unusual or strange is happening in the Entiat region. What does it mean?
There is another matter which does need to be mentioned. A certain concern has been voiced to the writer. It appears that those in emergency management positions may not be getting the proper information which they need from the scientists and possibly from others, so they can properly prepare for the nature of emergency situation which potentially could become a reality in the Pacific Northwest. A further concern is that the general public is not being properly informed about the potential situation by those they depend on in scientific or government positions, which would allow them to properly prepare for the nature of emergency situation which it appears could actually be coming in the days ahead in the Pacific Northwest.
It does appear that in certain cases, those in positions of authority could be oblivious to the true potential of what could happen, geologically, in the Pacific Northwest in the event of something similar to a repeat of the earthquake of 1872. It appears that some may also be turning a blind eye to the potential of there being a failure of Grand Coulee Dam, plus what could be the fate of those potentially living in harms way, downriver from the dam. On the other hand, a certain segment of those in government positions could simply be living in denial. In either case, it does not appear that they are truly serving the best interests of the general public, whose tax dollars pay their salaries and finance their various projects.
And now, while the things presented above are being considered, let us turn to some lighter, comparatively minor items which relate to Grand Coulee Dam and the construction project. And then, further down on this page will be presented more information about a potential reason for the specific alignment of the joints or faults beneath the Grand Coulee dam site. Once again, there are "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" and "joints striking about N70°W dipping steeply northeast." Further above, the apparent reason for the "joints striking about N70°W" was considered. That just leaves the "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" to be discussed.
Now, please do yourself a favor and rest your mind on some lighter things for a bit, because this presentation may get rather "heavy," or possibly even intense, once the discussion fully turns to the reason for those "vertical joints striking north to N20°E." There will also be a consideration of a different earthquake in 1872, that happened in another state, which potentially could be related in some way to the Washington quake. The writer's research over the years has led him to the belief that many things on this earth are interrelated, and what happens in one area can potentially affect things in another area, even in seismic situations.
It appears that there are a number of secrets about the Grand Coulee Dam project, plus the surrounding region, of which the majority of the general public is totally unaware. This "Part Eight" will consider the creation of "earthquake gold" in the region surrounding Grand Coulee Dam and the apparent disappearance of a large amount of gold from the dam site during the construction project. Furthermore, this "Part Eight" will consider what appears to be a large underground river or moving sea of water beneath the site of Grand Coulee Dam. Plus, this "Part" will consider a passing thought about one potential reason why the water table is going down quicker than expected in the Odessa aquifer.
Where can information be found about gold mining in the upper Columbia River region, from Grand Coulee Dam and through the upriver counties of Lincoln, Ferry and Stevens? In answer, a page titled Washington Mines, which is linked here, should be very helpful. The page indicates that Lincoln County has 34 mines. Many of these mines produce gold. Ferry County is shown to have 757 mines. Many of these mines produce gold. Stevens County is shown as having 1,022 mines. And once again, many of these mines produce gold. The bottom line is, there is a lot of gold in this area.
A 1979 document from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, titled Placer Gold Mining in Washington, is linked here. On PDF pages 1&5 of 21, the document declares: "Many deposits of placer gold occur along the banks of the Columbia River between Grand Coulee Dam and the Canadian border. However, many of these deposits are now covered by waters of Roosevelt Lake. At times of extreme low water in the lake, some placer gold deposits are exposed but cannot be mined because they fall within the boundaries of Roosevelt Lake National Recreation Area."
A page titled Lincoln County Washington Gold, linked here, declares: "The area along the Columbia River from the Grand Coulee Dam to Lincoln, in all low water river gravel bars and upper terrace gravels contain placer gold. It is usually very fine, but abundant." Upstream on the Columbia River from Lincoln County is Stevens County, which continues northward all the way to the Canadian border. A page linked here declares: "The Columbia River contains placer gold over its entire length through the county. The bench placers were very rich also along the Columbia River."
Looking at another source of gold for the Columbia River, the Sanpoil River empties into the Columbia River, now in Lake Roosevelt, about 18 river miles upstream from Grand Coulee Dam. A page linked here declares: "The Sanpoil River contains gold from its confluence with the Columbia River up to its headwaters, with most of the mining activity in this area occurs [sic] around the town of Republic. The waters around Republic are especially rich." The linked page speaks more about rivers with gold, which empty into the Columbia River above Grand Coulee Dam. The page speaks about the Kettle River, where it empties into the Columbia, with gold "all around the town of Danville."
A page linked here, from the Spokane Historical site, declares: "The population of the Upper Columbia Country exploded when gold was discovered along the banks of the Columbia River and its tributaries in the early 1850s. The first gold boom, the Colville Gold Strike, drew prospective miners from all over the country, swelling the population of the region with the influx over 1000 miners to Fort Colville by 1855." U.S. Fort Colville is located about 11 miles east of Kettle Falls, Washington.
On the Columbia River in northeast Washington State, north of Lincoln County and west of Stevens County, is Ferry County (1)(2). Ferry County extends from the Columbia River, in the south, to the Canadian border, in the north. A page, linked here, is titled Ferry County Washington Gold Production. The page states: "From 1904, when systematic compilation of production data was begun, to 1938, Ferry County was the leading gold producer in Washington." This page also mentions the gold in "the Columbia River placers."
The information presented above, plus all the information presented in the linked pages, makes it very clear that the Columbia River has a lot of gold in it. A lot of this gold is found from Grand Coulee Dam upstream to the Canadian border. The Columbia River has a lot of gold in it which it has acquired from the surrounding region. Prior to the construction of the dam, especially when the water in the river was running high and fast, a lot of gold was carried downstream to then settle out and become somewhat trapped in convenient places, like in fissures and potholes in the bedrock beneath the river. So, where does a lot of this gold come from and how was it formed, especially in the region upriver from Grand Coulee Dam?
The pages linked via the buttons below are all telling basically the same story. Deposition of gold occurs virtually instantaneously during episodes of earthquakes. The first linked page states that "over 80 percent of all commercial gold deposits were formed in a flash." And that "flash" has to do with the flash boiling or flash vaporization of highly pressurized, superheated water from deep in the earth. During an earthquake event, a leak or opening may be created towards the surface of the earth and the extreme pressure on this superheated water is suddenly released at the point of this leak or opening. The pages indicate that this can happen during earthquake events of almost any size.
As a leak or escape route is suddenly opened in a fault zone closer to the surface of the earth, once again, the escaping water suddenly flash boils and vaporizes. When that happens, the things which this water was carrying in solution, like quartz and various minerals and metals, including gold, are suddenly left behind. These things which are left behind are deposited on surfaces within the fault system, usually at a location which is relatively close to the point of the sudden pressure release and the flash boiling and vaporization of the superheated water which was formerly pressurized.
The first page linked in the buttons below declares that "the exact mechanism through which the gold is deposited is not really that well documented." So, in the section which follows, the phenomenon of "earthquake clouds" will be considered. These special clouds actually appear prior to the earthquake they are associated with. They can appear hours, days or weeks ahead of the actual quake. So, the section which follows this one will consider what the presence of these clouds appears to indicate. This should help to better "document" at least part of the mechanism by which valuable deposits of gold are rapidly created, plus the apparent time when the various things are deposited, in relation to the actual earthquake. But, there should be no peeking ahead, for the information is best understood when it is received in a certain order.
The first page linked in the buttons below states another thing which is very interesting. It declares: "Earthquakes can open cracks in the deep rocks at the speed of sound." So, if the information in the linked page it true, it appears that during this whole process when the gold and other elements are being deposited, things are happening rather fast. But, there is actually more to the story than the linked page declares. Yes, it appears that there are things which will need to be clarified about this whole process and the true order in which things happen, plus how much gold can actually be deposited during even a single earthquake event. Again, that will be done in the section which soon follows.
One of the pages linked below states: "Scientists have long known that veins of gold and other precious minerals form around fault lines..." And, prospectors and miners out in the field have known exactly the same thing for possibly even much longer than the scientists. But now everyone can know that, instead of taking an extremely long time to form, gold deposits can form extremely fast during flash deposition related to an earthquake event. There is also the possibility that gold may be deposited even when there is not an actual earthquake event. It is just simple physics in action, as we shall soon see.
Another page linked below has this to say: "Pressure changes cause precious metal to deposit each time the crust moves." It appears there may be some truth in that saying. But there is another thing to consider. The linked articles could leave a person with the impression that gold deposition only occurs at fault jogs. But, it appears that gold deposits do not necessarily need to form only at "fault jogs." It appears that they can form virtually anywhere that deformation takes place along the fault which allows a "leak" or escape path to be formed for the superheated water, toward the surface of the earth.
The last page linked above ends with these words: "To form a 100-tonne gold vein deposit would take less than 100,000 years, the team wrote." Once the real truth is known about how things work, it should become clear that a 100-ton gold vein deposit can be formed in much less than 100,000 years.
A researcher, quoted in the first page linked in the button section above, plus in some of the other pages, declared: "Large quantities of gold may be deposited in only a few hundred thousand years... Each event drops a little more gold... You can see it microscopically, tiny layer after tiny layer. It just builds up." Well, some of that which was just declared is absolutely correct, and then, some of it does not appear to be quite as correct. In this section on earthquake clouds, the following question will need to be answered. Which comes first: the earthquake, or the flash boiling water and the deposition of gold?
Since the first page linked in the button section above states that "the exact mechanism through which the gold is deposited is not really that well documented," let us now consider this matter further. At this point, there is something which needs to be said. Rather that taking "a few hundred thousand years" to form a large quantity of gold at a certain spot in the ground, the writer has reason to believe that a sizeable gold deposit can potentially be formed during just one earthquake event. So, what causes the writer to come to this conclusion?
Starting at the paragraph linked here, in a rather large page titled Current Expectations for a Cascadia Mega-Quake, are the sections (Part 1 through Part 9) which speak about earthquake clouds. These earthquake clouds, when they are present, usually appear in the sky prior to the actual earthquake event. The linked paragraph (Part 1) declares: "It appears that it is possible for 'these clouds [to] form days before earthquakes.' In one case, it is said that there were 'extraordinary clouds occurring a week before the earthquake.' Another case speaks of these unusual clouds forming 'more than 50 days in advance of the earthquake.'" Other pages which speak of these unusual clouds or warm spots in cloud layers, forming along fault lines or before actual earthquake events, are found at the following links: (1)(2)(3)(4).
The next section about earthquake clouds in that large Cascadia earthquake page is Part 2, which is linked here. Part 2 declares: "An earthquake cloud is distinguished by its sudden appearance and unusual shape and movement. It comes from an impending hypocenter, so its tail generally points toward or predicts an impending epicenter. The more mass an earthquake cloud has, the bigger the subsequent earthquake." So, keep that last part clearly in mind, which once again states: "The more mass an earthquake cloud has, the bigger the subsequent earthquake." This piece of information has some value in our discussion about earthquake gold, plus the rate at which a gold deposit may be formed.
A page linked here speaks about the earthquake cloud which formed prior to the devastating Bam, Iran earthquake. Another page linked here is titled Three attempts of earthquake prediction with satellite cloud images. The page speaks about predictions in Italy and Iran, using cloud anomalies. The page, in its Abstract, states: "These cloud anomalies usually show a linear pattern, stay there for hours and do not move with winds." Part 2 in the Cascadia page, linked here and above, speaks of a page which declared that "on Dec. 20, 2003, a distinctive cloud suddenly appeared above Bam, Iran, and then stuck there for 24 hours in spite of strong wind before the devastating Bam earthquake on Dec. 26, 2003."
The part about earthquake clouds staying for hours or days, while not moving with the wind, is important to our discussion about the creation of earthquake gold. Why? The earthquake cloud is the telltale sign that gold or other minerals are being deposited as some point in the associated fault system, with or even without a following earthquake event. The deposit which is forming in the ground should be at some level in the fault system which is relatively near to there the earthquake cloud is being formed above the ground.
At this point, there is something which must be made very clear. So, it is time for a repeat. When an earthquake cloud is in the sky, it indicates that gold or other minerals are being deposited in the associated fault system. This can happen prior to the actual earthquake or without any perceived earthquake at all. The gold or other minerals should be deposited in the fault system near the forming end of the earthquake cloud which remains stationary in the sky. Once again, generally speaking, this is all happening prior to the earthquake. And, there is more to this story. The longer the earthquake cloud is present in the sky and the larger it is, generally speaking, the larger will be the gold or other mineral deposit left behind in the fault by the vaporizing water.
At the bottom of the left column on PDF page 1 or 5, in a document linked here and above, it states that "some strange clouds were observed before this and other Iran earthquakes. Wu...reported two abnormal linear clouds before M=8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake of China... These clouds showed an abnormal pattern, they stayed over the main geology fault for hours, and did not move with the wind." The page from China speaks further about earthquake clouds, with these words: "Several days or months later after the clouds appearance, the quakes happened close [to] the clouds and the fault." The linked document also speaks of other cases of earthquake clouds and how one portion of these clouds --- the portion over the fault --- remained virtually stationary in the sky, even in winds.
A document linked here is titled Space Observed Two Abnormal Linear Clouds before Wenchuan Earthquake. The Abstract on PDF page 1 of 6 states that "there were two abnormal linear clouds, shaped as arrow and strip respectively, [that] occurred five and three hours before [the] shocking..." The Abstract states that "...the epicenter was exactly located at the far-intersection point of the two linear clouds." There is now something very important to note. At the bottom of the right column on PDF page 2 of 6, the linked document declares: "Two linear clouds disappeared immediately after shocking." The page states: "Immediately after shocking, the positions and shapes of the two linear clouds all got changed for rapid diffusion." The earthquake relieved the geologic stresses and the escape route for water vapor was closed in the fault.
Over the years, the writer has read a number of pages which proclaim that earthquake clouds are not reliable indicators of a coming earthquake. There may be some truth to that belief, because it appears there are actually a number of factors involved with the initiation of an earthquake. To the writer, the earthquake cloud simply indicates that a "leak" has been formed through the layers of the earth at a particular fault zone, which "leak" can then allow highly pressurized, superheated waters to vaporize and escape from deeper in the earth. There is a chance that an earthquake cloud could form, with no earthquake which follows. And, at other times, an earthquake is truly associated with one of these special clouds.
There is a chance that a particular earthquake cloud may not even point to the epicenter of the earthquake which ultimately occurs in a region. Why is this? To the writer, it all depends on the structure of the particular fault system associated with the cloud. Possibly the superheated water which is being depressurized is escaping through an area of the fault system which is well supported or strongly locked. But, the escaping water may reduce the hydraulic support under areas of the fault system which require this support. The outcome may be an earthquake which occurs in an area which is a distance away from where the earthquake cloud is actually being formed. So, everything considered, the clouds are not necessarily reliable indicators, at least when it comes to earthquakes.
It is now time to consider further the relationship between earthquake clouds and earthquake gold. It appears that an earthquake cloud can appear hours to many days before certain earthquakes. In the second paragraph of a section linked here, which is in that rather large page titled Current Expectations for a Cascadia Mega-Quake, are these words: "It appears that it is possible for 'these clouds [to] form days before earthquakes.' In one case, it is said that there were 'extraordinary clouds occurring a week before the earthquake.' Another case speaks of these unusual clouds forming 'more than 50 days in advance of the earthquake.'"
A paragraph further up on this page (link) declares that an earthquake cloud appears suddenly. It appears that these clouds suddenly form because of the large volume of water vapor which is rapidly being discharged into the sky from the "leaking" fault zone. The paragraph linked above also states: "The more mass an earthquake cloud has, the bigger the subsequent earthquake." There is likely some truth in that statement. But, there is more to this story about earthquake clouds.
It appears that the larger the mass of the earthquake cloud, the greater the volume of water which is being flash vaporized in the fault system. This would appear to mean that the more mass an earthquake cloud has, the larger the deposit of gold or other mineral which is being formed in the fault system. And, the longer an earthquake cloud is in the sky over the fault (hours, days, weeks, possibly a month or longer) appears to indicate the length of time for which a deposit of gold or other mineral is being formed. It would seem logical that the more water is vaporized and escapes from a fault system and the longer the time this is allowed to happen, the greater would be the size of the gold or other mineral deposit which is formed.
With all of the information and thoughts in mind which have been presented thus far, it appears that it is possible to have a sizeable gold deposit form just prior to a single, large earthquake event. Again, the words from further up on this page (link), which came from a linked page, will be repeated. "The last page linked above ends with these words: 'To form a 100-tonne gold vein deposit would take less than 100,000 years, the team wrote.'
When the truth is clearly understood about the relationship between earthquake clouds and earthquake gold, is may become obvious that the potential exists for a 100-ton gold vein deposit to be formed in one or two great earthquake events. This may especially be true if there was a massive, stationary earthquake cloud which lasted for a period of "more than 50 days" in advance of these earthquake events.
So, let's return to that area around Grand Coulee Dam which has all that gold. There is a good chance that this area, at some point, possibly experienced a lot of severe earthquakes as the many gold deposits were being created. These earthquakes are discerned by the many faults and extensive shear zones at the Grand Coulee site. And then, after the gold was deposited in the region, there was weathering and erosion which had its effects. Once erosion began to work on the actual gold veins, the gold from the deposits began to be broken up into smaller and smaller pieces, as it traveled downslope towards and into and then down the creaks, streams and rivers of the region.
Let us now consider the path taken by gold in strongly flowing water. About one-third of the way down a page linked here are found these words: "Due to Golds high density it will travel along the lowest points of the riverbed, it will usually dig its way all the way down to bedrock along with other heavy elements such as silver, tin, platinum and the magnetic sand called hematite and magnetite. Gold will do most of its moving during periods of intense flooding — areas picked clean of gold by previous prospectors will usually refill their gold reserves after heavy flooding."
A page linked here contains advice for amateur prospectors. It declares: "Look for cracks or crevices in the rock at the bottom of the stream. Gold will settle into them. Any rough or irregular bedrock surface will act as a gold trap. Potholes in the bedrock will trap gold, so dig until you find the hard edges of the hole." And, what was the bedrock like beneath the Grand Coulee dam site? Yes, it was an irregular bedrock surface with lots of cracks and crevices. And then there was that deep, faulted pothole or gulch which needed to be excavated down more than 100 feet below the other bedrock, on the east side of the river.
Considering further what gold does in flowing streams and rivers, a page linked here is titled How Placer Gold is Deposited in Creeks and Rivers. This page states: "Gold is heavy. Gold has a higher specific gravity than the sands and gravels in the stream, and that makes it somewhat predictable. You need to go down to find it; down below the sands and gravels, and down deep into the cracks and crevices in bedrock."
So now there is more to think about. What were they doing as they were excavating down for the foundation of Grand Coulee Dam? Yes, they removed the sands, gravels and boulders and were going "down deep into the cracks and crevices in bedrock." They were flushing out these cracks and crevices and getting everything out of them that they could.
Now, in a river with a lot of gold, like in the Columbia, they were most assuredly extracting a lot of gold from those cracks and crevices beneath the Grand Coulee dam site, especially from that deep, faulted gulch on the east side of the river. And, the people of that day, especially the heads of those dam building companies, were much more knowledgeable about gold in streams and rivers, than is the average person of today. So, why is there no information about this gold in the records available to the public? Who ended up with all this gold?
It was no secret to the people of that day, when Grand Coulee Dam was being built, that there was gold to be had along at least the banks of the Columbia River. A news article, linked here, is from the December 14, 1934 edition of the Ellensburg Daily Record. The title of the article is Speed Gold Recovery from Columbia Before Dam Built. This article indicates that there was a gold rush of sorts "to snatch gold from the gravel bars of the Columbia river before it is forever buried by the water to be impounded by the Grand Coulee dam."
The 1934 news article, linked above, notes: "Richard Marsh, selected by E. E. Banker, state director of conservation and development, to survey the gold-bearing gravel to be covered when the banks are flooded, yesterday told of the spirited activity in diggings long ago thought played out." So, it was absolutely no secret about the gold-bearing gravel along the Columbia River. Even the "state director of conservation and development" had a survey done of these gold-bearing gravels that would "be covered when the banks are flooded" after Grand Coulee Dam was completed.
The news article linked above clearly notes that there was "spirited activity" by those working upstream from the dam site in order to get as much of this gold as possible from at least the banks of the Columbia River. But, once again, there is no record which the writer has found about the amount of gold removed at the dam site, or who may have ended up with gold which would have been removed at the dam site. With the common knowledge about gold in the gravels of the Columbia River, it does not seem logical that someone was not recovering this gold at the dam site.
Looking again at that linked article above, many of today would possibly snicker about "scores of men who were then working the gold-bearing gravels of the Columbia River to "make from $2 to $4 a day." But at the wages of that day and the cost of living in 1934, someone making "from $2 to $4 a day" was doing reasonably well. Making that amount of money kept these men off of the relief rolls of that day, during the Great Depression.
So again, since it was such common knowledge in that day about the gold in the Columbia River, where is any record of the gold which was in all that material removed during the excavation for Grand Coulee Dam? There should have been quite a bit of gold in all those fissures, faults and deep pockets which were thoroughly cleaned out. With the equipment at their disposal, those at the dam site should have been able to recover hundreds of dollars worth of gold per day, at 1934 prices for gold. And, as we shall find out before this page is finished, there should be a lot more to this story about gold at the Grand Coulee dam site.
Further up on this page, it speaks about the cracks, fissures, faults and extensive shear zones, plus even a "lift seam" (link) filled with clay and disintegrated granites, beneath the dam site. It also speaks about a huge crevice in the bottom of the Columbia River, of 100 feet or more in depth (1)(2). This deep crevice in the bedrock was on the east side of the dam site. This deep crevice had been filled with overburden, which would have included an assortment of materials, including gold, washed down the Columbia River.
At this point, there is something important to note. Especially in that very deep fault or crevice on the east side of the river, at and near bedrock, there should have been quite a large amount of placer gold. This can be discerned using the information found at the following links: (1)(2)(3). This large fault or crevice, plus the other fissures and cracks in the bedrock found across the dam site, should have had an abundance of gold, from flour gold up to at least small nuggets. Someone should have been getting a lot of gold!
Regarding that deep fault or crevice under the dam site on the east side of the river, there is a page, linked here, from the Washington State University Libraries. The page is titled Deepest Hole at Base of Grand Coulee Dam. There is no photo with the page, but regarding that deep fault or crevice, the page states the following:
"This is a view of the deepest hole in bedrock on the east side; 120 feet deeper than average bedrock surface, and 175 feet below low water level of the river (935). These deep fissures in the bedrock were filled with a dense, sticky clay deposit composed of extremely fine glacial flour. This material was very difficult to remove from the rock surface, requiring much hand work and many washings."
So, these deep fissures in that great hole in the bedrock at the east end of the dam "were filled with a dense, sticky clay deposit composed of extremely fine glacial flour." This is just the stuff that grabs gold which is coming down the river. A page linked here is titled "I have found some bedrock so rich, it has averaged over $300 an hour for half a day." The page declares that clay is "known as a gold-robber" or a gold-grabber. When broken up, "some pretty nice little nuggets" can be recovered from these types of clay deposits.
Looking at the bedrock beneath the Grand Coulee dam site, those clay deposits found in the deep fissures across the construction site, plus in that great, faulted hole which was excavated deep into the bedrock at the east end of Grand Coulee Dam, should have been producers of sizeable amounts of gold. There should have been a lot of gold, plus other metals of value, cleaned out of all those cracks and faults, plus potholes, in the bedrock beneath the dam site.
Speaking of all the cracks in the bedrock under the Grand Coulee Dam site, plus the huge gulch or hole excavated in the bedrock at the east end of the dam, let us return to that Washington State University Libraries information, linked here and further above. The page speaks about that sticky clay and notes that it was in "faulted zones." It speaks about "excavating an ancient fault line in the eastern portion of the Columbia River." That ancient fault line was the reason for that gulch or gorge or crevice being excavated deep into the bedrock at the east end of the dam. So how deep into the earth could that ancient fault have truly gone, or did something stop them from going deeper in order to clean it out and seal it properly?
And now, let us consider something which may have stopped them from excavating deeper into that ancient fault line, which was located in that deep gulch which was created in the bedrock under the eastern portion of the dam site.
Prior to the writing of the page you are now reading, the writer produced another page titled Hanford and that Record Earthquake of 1872 (Considering Facts relating to the "Mystery" Quake, with additional information about Grand Coulee Dam), which is linked here. One reader emailed the writer about an underground river which was discovered during the excavation for Grand Coulee Dam. In part, the email stated:
"I remember hearing from a guy up in the Hunters Washington area that said when they were excavating and drilling into the bedrock - they discovered an underground river they were not expecting. They covered it up and tried to keep everyone quiet about it." Let us consider this matter further.
If an underground river was unexpectedly discovered during the excavation for Grand Coulee Dam, where would it most logically have been found? In the writer's mind, the most likely spot for discovering an underground river would have been in that deep excavation of that gulch or crevice in the bedrock at the east end of the dam. Now, if they truly ran into an underground river during the deep excavation, it most likely would have been the Odessa Aquifer, which resides beneath the dam site (link). So, how would they have sealed up the deep hole, if water was gushing in? Furthermore, with water gushing in, how would they have ever done a proper job of cleaning the rock surfaces, before attempting the job of sealing things?
For a potential answer to the process used for sealing up a hole punched into the Odessa Aquifer, let us turn to a page linked here, which is titled The abandoned artesian well plugging program. When it comes to artesian wells, the page declares: "Abandoned wells are plugged by pumping grout through a PVC pipe or drill rod, which is lowered to the bottom of a well. The cement is pumped until it reaches land surface."
During the foundation project at Grand Coulee Dam, there was a lot of grout on hand for use in sealing things up. Further up on this page (link) it is noted that "unprecedented grouting" was done at the dam site. So, that is possibly how they "took care of" any excavation which broke into the Odessa Aquifer. But again, in the rush to stem the flow of incoming water, there was possibly not the necessary time to properly clean the bedrock surfaces to facilitate the complete bonding and sealing of the grout. Possibly that is why they "tried to keep everyone quiet about it."
It is time to look at something else which is very important. All the articles linked via the buttons below tell one common story. The water table is going down in the Odessa Aquifer and in the Columbia Basin many irrigation wells are going dry. Yes, there are a lot of huge industrial farms in this region, but is there a chance that there could be more to this story about water levels dropping in the aquifer, than simply water being pumped from the aquifer for irrigating farms or for municipal water supplies?
In the previous section titled The Underground River, a story was presented about what happened when they were "excavating and drilling into the bedrock" beneath the Grand Coulee Dam site, back in the 1930s. Once again, as the story goes, "they discovered an underground river they were not expecting. They covered it up and tried to keep everyone quiet about it."
Yes, it appears they covered up this underground river which they discovered, in more ways than one. Once again, possibly part of it was that "unprecedented grouting" spoken about further up on this page (link). Possibly they had to do a lot of quick, "unprecedented grouting" in order to stop water flooding into that deep crevice which they excavated beneath the east side of the dam. But, again, possibly bedrock surfaces were not properly cleaned in this area and possibly all the grout did not seal properly, especially against the flow of that water. And now, there is possibly even more to consider.
A section further above on this page is titled Affecting the "Life" of a Dam (link). The first paragraph of that section contains these words: "The life of a dam can be threatened by natural phenomena such as floods, rockslides, earthquakes, and deterioration of the heterogeneous foundations and construction materials. In the course of time, the structure may take on anisotropic characteristics. Internal pressures and paths of seepage may develop. Usually the changes are slow and not readily discerned by visual examination." Yes, "the life of a dam can be threatened by...deterioration of the heterogeneous foundations and construction materials." Dams can be threated as "paths of seepage" develop.
Another section further up on this page is titled The Effects of Seepage (link). When is comes to what can happen in the bedrock and foundation beneath a dam, the first paragraph of the linked section contains these words: "Potential erosion of the foundation itself must be considered. Clay or silt in weathered joints or faults cannot easily be removed by washing and therefore may preclude effective grouting. Seepage may gradually transport these materials into voids downstream. Consequent enlargement of the joint or fault conduits may threaten the integrity of the dam."
The second paragraph of the section linked above contains these words: "Uncontrolled seepage through an erodible foundation may open voids which must be bridged by the dam. A concrete structure may have such capabilities so long as stresses are within tolerable limits and the opening is not too great." Looking further, the next section to consider from further above, is titled Uncertain Joint Filling (link). That section contains these words: "In a dam foundation, joints may be of concern because the condition of the joint fillings is uncertain and the joint has the adverse potential of becoming a conduit for leakage under the dam."
It is time to "digest" the information presented above and put forth some important items for consideration. The story from the 1930s is that they excavated or drilled into an underground river, or the regional aquifer system, as they were digging down in preparation for the foundation of Grand Coulee Dam. It appears that they covered up the puncture of the aquifer with "unprecedented grouting." But, possibly in the hurry to stop the flow from the aquifer, the fissures in that deep hole in the bedrock beneath the dam site, plus the other rock surfaces in that immediate area, were possibly not properly cleaned and sealed, as they should have been. That could be a reason why they "tried to keep everyone quiet about it."
Once again, a couple of paragraphs above are these words: "In a dam foundation, joints may be of concern because the condition of the joint fillings is uncertain and the joint has the adverse potential of becoming a conduit for leakage under the dam." And again, that paragraph declares: "Uncontrolled seepage through an erodible foundation may open voids which must be bridged by the dam." And, erosion in the foundational structure beneath a dam can steadily open larger and larger voids or pathways for leakage. In time, the pathways or conduits of leakage can become like a rushing river.
If there is water flowing out of the punctured and "sealed" aquifer beneath Grand Coulee Dam, where would this water go? It is now time to do some logical thinking. On the upriver side of the dam, there is the weight of the water in the reservoir pushing down on any water which would attempt to flow out of the aquifer on that side of the dam, so it appears there is one main option to consider. If there is water flowing out of the Odessa Aquifer beneath Grand Coulee Dam, the water from the aquifer would tend to discharge into the river on the downstream side of the dam.
If a conduit for leakage from the aquifer to the downstream side of the dam has been established, the flow from the aquifer via this avenue would only grow larger over time. Possibly that is part of the reason why the water table is dropping in the Odessa Aquifer faster than it should. Possibly those in control of Grand Coulee Dam construction understood what could result from a puncture into the aquifer, especially with improper sealing. Possibly that is part of the reason they "tried to keep everyone quiet about it." These thoughts have been "put on the table" for consideration and for further investigation.
There is one more thought to consider at this point. If a downstream conduit for leakage or flow from the aquifer beneath the dam has been established to the downstream side of the dam, is there any potential that water from the reservoir, which is pressurized from the weight of the water above it, could work its way downward via cracks and faults, to join up with a downstream conduit? Could this, in time, produce a conduit for flow under the dam on at least its eastern end, of not only waters from the aquifer, but also of waters from the reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam?
In the last paragraph of the section above, pressurized water from the reservoir behind the dam is noted as possibly working its way beneath the dam via the cracks and faults in the bedrock on which the dam sits. In the paragraph above, it is indicated that this water working its way through the cracks and faults would be pressurized by the weight of the water above it. Another way of saying this is that the leaking water would be pressurized by the weight of the water column above it (link). So, if water is leaking beneath the dam, what kind of water pressure is being dealt with here?
To find the "working pressure" which is being dealt with in leakage beneath the dam, first, the surface elevation of the reservoir behind the dam must be determined, and then the surface elevation of the river below the dam. The difference between these two elevations would then be used to calculate the "head pressure" which is being dealt with for any leakage through the network of cracks and faults beneath the dam.
The "full pool" elevation for Lake Roosevelt is "1290.0 feet above sea level."(1)(2) At the other end of the spectrum, pages linked here and here show that the minimum lake or pool level during normal operations is 1208.0 feet above sea level (ASL). So, there are two different elevations to work with on the "high" side, which can be used to find the "head pressure" range for leakage through the network of cracks and faults beneath the dam.
Using Google Earth, is shows that the surface level of the river below Grand Coulee Dam is at an elevation of 970 feet. At a reservoir "full pool" elevation of 1290 feet above sea level, there would be a water column of 320 feet to work with in the "head pressure" calculations. At a minimum pool elevation of 1208 feet, there is a water column of 238 feet to work with in the calculations.
There are two ways to do the calculations for head pressure in pounds per square inch (PSI). In the first method, the water column height, in feet, is divided by 2.31, as shown in pages at the following links: (1)(2). In the second method, the height of the water column, in feet, is multiplied by 0.433 to get the PSI, as noted in a page linked here. Using either of the methods for doing the calculations, at a full pool elevation of 1290 feet ASL, the head pressure for water leaking beneath the dam would be approximately 138 PSI. At the minimum pool elevation of 1208 feet ASL, the head pressure for leaking water would be approximately 103 PSI. So, the range of pressures for the leaking water would be from 103 PSI to 138 PSI.
There is more to think about in this scenario of water leaking beneath the dam. The first thing to think about is the size of the leak beneath the dam. The larger the combined cross-sectional area for all avenues of leakage through the bedrock beneath the dam, at any given water pressure, will translate to a larger volume of flow, or more gallons per minute of flow. But there is more to this story. Things do not remain the same with this leakage. There is erosion to consider. As erosion does its work, the combined cross-sectional area for all avenues of leakage will steadily increase. And again, this means even a greater, steady increase in flow.
Eventually, it could be like a "river" of leakage beneath the dam, steadily eroding more and more. As time goes on, more and larger pockets and voids can be created in the bedrock beneath the dam. And, everything can appear to be just fine, until a major earthquake strikes. Suddenly, it could be found that the dam is not really sitting on dense, "solid" granite.
On June 14, 1966, President Lyndon Johnson authorized the construction of a third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam, as noted in a page linked here. Construction on this third powerhouse "began in early 1967." The page states that "the first new generator went on line in October 1975; the sixth began operating on April 1, 1980. Since 1980, a number of upgrades have been done to the third powerhouse to increase its output.
There is some history relating to the construction of the third powerhouse, which can be observed in the page linked in the paragraph above. President Johnson authorized the construction of the third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam, and this powerhouse was originally supposed to have "12 giant generators." The linked page also declares: "Three years after authorizing construction of the third powerhouse at Grand Coulee, Johnson signed the National Environmental Policy Act into law. Partly as a result of provisions in that law, the powerhouse remains only half finished."
So, the third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam only has 6 generators, instead of the 12 it was supposed to have. It appears that this happened basically because of the conflicting acts of President Johnson. But, there is a lot more to consider in this third powerhouse than just the political side of things, which can be understood from the information presented in the page linked above. It is time to consider the "solid" granite in which this third powerhouse is built.
When considering the integrity of the rock to which the third powerhouse and its Wing Dam is attached, let us turn to the Spokesman-Review newspaper, which is from Spokane, Washington. Let us consider what is found in the Thursday, October 21, 1971 issue of that newspaper, which is linked here. At the top-left of the linked page (page 1 of 32) is a picture. The title under the picture is Cover Cap at Grand Coulee Dam. The caption which follows declares: "A reinforced 'shotcrete' cover cap for protection against fluctuating water level and weathering is being applied to a fault zone in the Wing Dam area of the Third Powerplant at Grand Coulee Dam."
The Third Powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam, and the Wing Dam for that powerhouse, are found at the lower-left of a photo linked here. Now, that Third Powerhouse and its Wing Dam, according to the Spokesman-Review information noted above, are built directly in a fault zone. And, from the information included with the picture in the newspaper, it is rather obvious that they knew they were building this Third Powerhouse and its Wing Dam directly in a fault zone. But, why should they care? They already had built Grand Coulee Dam and the first two powerhouses, plus the large pumping station, directly in a major fault zone. So, by now, the geologic predicament of the Grand Coulee facility should be rather obvious.
So, (if a bit of sarcasm can be used), let's just keep putting more tax dollars (that money constantly taken from taxpayers' pockets) into a facility that is built in an area where two major fault zones cross. If they are lucky, maybe they can get at least a few more years service out of this facility before the next seismic episode causes "massive ground changes" in this region, as the quake event did in 1872 (link). And now, for a bit, it is time to rest our minds about what is possibly happening at and beneath Grand Coulee Dam, and its geologic predicament. For a moment, let us turn our attention in another direction. There is more to consider about that major earthquake event which occurred in December of 1872.
A paragraph further up on this page (link) speaks about the largest earthquake ever experienced by white man in Washington. The main quake for this earthquake event occurred on the night of December 14, 1872. Sections further above (1)(2) present the possibility that the major quake of 1872 was actually a number of simultaneous or near simultaneous earthquakes which formed a composite earthquake. In this event, it appears that a number of faults in the region were triggered into seismic activity. So, how far south from the Grand Coulee area were faults triggered? Was there a potential that faults associated with the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament were triggered into seismic activity in 1872?
There is a good reason for questioning if at least certain sections of the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament were set in motion during the earthquake of 1872. The first reason is presented further above in the section titled Claimed Epicenter and Earthquake Waves (link). In that section, it is noted that at Walla Walla, during the 1872 quake, the buildings "rocked dangerously from SW to NE."(see: Source ID 1944) In other words, the seismic energy was coming from the southwest at Walla Walla. To the southwest of Walla Walla is the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament and the faults associated with it (map), like the Horse Heaven fault (HHF), the Rattlesnake Hills fault (RHF), and the Wallula fault (WF).
As a side note, on the map linked above, note the dike swarm in the upper left portion of the map. This dike swarm is where the earth split open and basalt flooded out across the surrounding region. This dike swarm is associated with the Columbia River basalt flows of earlier times. In the upper left corner of the map, note the location of the 2009 Wooded Island earthquake swarm. This earthquake swarm was located in the Columbia River, right on the eastern border of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. And yes, the dike swarm is also located just to the east of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. As a further note, the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament, which appears to have been affected during the major earthquake of 1872, passes to the south of the Hanford nuclear site.
Now, back on track. About 30 miles to the west of Walla Walla is Wallula. Wallual is located along the Columbia River. It appears that things were shaken more at Wallula than at Walla Walla. This is noted near the bottom of a page from the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) site, linked here, under the December 21, 1872 entry from the Walla Walla Weekly Statesman.
Further down on the PNSN page, linked above, is a report from Captain Ainsworth, who was President of the O.S.N. Co (Oregon Steam Navigation Company). He reported his experience at Wallula: "At twenty minutes past 9 o'clock last evening we were visited with quite a heavy shock of earthquake, lasting about fifty seconds, I should judge, followed by five lighter shocks at intervals of about fifteen minutes, after which a heavy, rumbling sound was heard as distinctly as a heavy peal of thunder." There is now something to quickly note. The heavy shock at Wallula was felt at 9:20 pm. The main quake in other areas was felt at 9:40 pm.
Wallula, where Capt. Ainsworth experienced the 1872 quake, is located just north of Wallula Gap, as seen in the lower left portion of a map linked here. This Gap is located on the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament (OWL), as seen on a map linked here. So, possibly there is a reason why things got shaken more strongly in Wallula than at Walla Walla, because Wallula resides closer to faults associated with the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament (approximate distance: 3 miles or 5 km) than does Walla Walla (approximate distance: 10 miles or 17 km).
From the information available, the writer believes that at least sections of faults associated with the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament were set into motion during the major earthquake of 1872. And, since the Olympic-Wallowa Lineament passes through the region near Hanford Nuclear Reservation, should there be a repeat of the 1872 quake, there is a potential that the nuclear reservation could be greatly affected.
What could things potentially look like for the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, in the event of a major earthquake in the region, with the failure of Grand Coulee Dam? For our potential answer, there are things to note in a 456-page document from 1985, which was produced for the Rockwell Hanford Operations and is linked here. The document is titled PUREX Plant Final Safety Analysis Report. Its document number is SD-HS-SAR-001, Revision 3, with an EDMC Number of 0035786. It is listed as Section 1 of 3, for a document which in its complete form appears to have a total of 1,324 pages.
At the bottom of PDF page 136 of 456, in the document linked above, are found these words: "Estimates of the consequences of hypothetical (artificial) floods have been reported. A worst-case event would result from a postulated 50% breach of Grand Coulee Dam. The ensuing flood of 8,000,000 ft3/s would crest at about 460 ft above MSL in the channel between 200 East Area and Gable Mountain." A map linked here shows the Hanford site and Gable Mountain, plus the 200 East Area. Checking things out further, it appears that the 200 Area at Hanford, at 678 ft above MSL (link), may not necessarily be flooded by a Grand Coulee Dam breach, but there is more to this story.
A document linked here is titled Columbia Generating Station Final Safety Analysis Report. The document is noted as being Amendment 58, which was published in December 2005. This document notes: "The elevation of the facility is 420 ft msl." In a 50% breach of Grand Coulee Dam, using the height of the flood waters as declared in the 456-page document linked in the preceding paragraph, the flood waters would be 40 feet above the surface level at the nuclear-powered Columbia Generating Station. It does appear that this facility could be seriously damaged, with this depth of debris-laden flood waters crashing through this area. In such an event, there could be a nuclear disaster also experienced in the region.
When it comes to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, in the event of a major earthquake and/or the failure of Grand Coulee Dam, there is another thing to consider. Especially in the event of a flash flood from a failed Grand Coulee Dam, there is the erosion factor to consider at Hanford. As debris-laden flood waters swiftly pass through this area, they would have a scouring effect in certain areas at Hanford. This scouring could work to expose much more chemical and radioactive materials to the surrounding environment, which are now in the ground and groundwater at Hanford.
So, once again, in the event of a repeat of the major Washington earthquake of 1872, the Pacific Northwest may have a very complex, composite disaster to deal with. First, there would be the serious effects of the natural disaster, with the damage caused by the main shock and a number of aftershocks. And second, there appears to be the potential for a serious nuclear disaster, with radionuclides spread far and wide across the region via wind and rushing surface waters, plus radionuclides spread even further in an already contaminated regional aquifer system (link), as a result of seismic waves stirring things up and moving the radioactive wastes around in the groundwater and aquifer.
There is further information of which the public should be aware. A document linked here is a testimony presented to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Petition Review Board, in May of 2013. In the middle of PDF page 2 of 3, it declares that if Grand Coulee dam were completely breached, it "would send a wall of water blasting out the seven dams below it on the Columbia River and reach the edges of the ultimate heat sink of the Columbia Generating Station." But, the information in the section above indicates that the wall of water could be 40 feet deep at the generating station. Again, the testimony above was from May of 2013. That testimony was made before certain problems came to light about two dams on the Columbia River, upstream from the Hanford site. So, let us now consider the situation at these two dams.
Pages at the following links --- (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) --- speak about a 2-inch wide by 65-foot-long crack which was discovered in one of the spillway monoliths at Wanapum Dam (link) in February of 2014. This breaking loose of the spillway monolith occurred under normal operating conditions, without an preceived seismic activity in the area. But in the event of a major earthquake event in the region, the mainshock and aftershocks could work to greatly increase the effective water load against the dam, possibly in waves of pounding energy. If this were to occur, along with a flood from a failed Grand Coulee Dam, even with the repair work done to fix the crack and reinforce the dam, possibly Wanapum Dam could still be catastrophically "blasted out," sending a massive, debris-filled flash flood downstream.
Chief Joseph Dam is the next dam downriver from Wanapum Dam (link). Pages at the following links --- (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8) --- declare that in early 2018, it was found that this dam was leaking in the spillway structure as a result of a "debonded lift joint" in at least four of the spillway monoliths. The seventh page linked above states that "other old dams along the Columbia River have suffered leaks in the past as a result of pre-construction problems." The eighth linked page states: "Officials are also conducting a root-cause analysis to discover why the lift joint became disbonded." Once again, the lift joint on the four monoliths became disbonded, without any perceived seismic activity in the area. So possibly, in a major earthquake event in the region and a failed Grand Coulee Dam, Chief Joseph Dam could easily be "blasted out."
Once again, it is noted in the paragraph above that "Officials are also conducting a root-cause analysis to discover why the lift joint became disbonded." It is time to look further at geologic things which are happening in this region. A link here goes to a section titled Regional Folding, which is in the right-side-margin of a rather large page about the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. In that section, a 2012 document is linked, which, on PDF page 1 of 12, speaks about "the occurrence of the vigorous 2009 Wooded Island earthquake swarm beneath the Hanford nuclear reservation..." The linked pages indicate that the quake swarms could be the result of "active regional deformation" and "ongoing folding in the YFTB [Yakima fold-and-thrust belt]." If there is "active regional deformation" and "ongoing folding in the YFTB," there is now more to think about.
If there is "active regional deformation" and "ongoing folding in the YFTB," this deformation and ongoing folding could be part of the reason that at least portions of the two dams noted above are breaking loose from their lower sections. And, as long as there is "active regional deformation" and "ongoing folding in the YFTB," there possibly will be cracking, leaking and potentially failing dams. So, what could be the outcome of rapid, even greater deformation during a major or a great earthquake event in the region? Possibly these dams could fail even without a debris-laden flash flood from a failed Grand Coulee Dam crashing into them.
Now for an important question. Just how long are we going to have to deal with this active deformation and ongoing folding in at least the Hanford region? Are you ready for the answer? It appears we will have to deal with this situation for just as long as the Pacific Tectonic Plate keeps moving in a northwesterly direction (link), and the North American continent keeps pushing in a southwesterly direction (link) against the Pacific Plate. And, when could there be a repeat in the Pacific Northwest of the 1872 Washington earthquake event? Well, possibly the most reasonable short answer is, "Whenever the conditions are just right." It could be 30 years from now, or 5 years from now, or next year, or even...
It is time to once again revisit the Grand Coulee dam site. While they were excavating down to "solid" bedrock, in preparation for placing the foundation of the dam, they found that there were "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" and "joints striking about N70°W dipping steeply northeast." In other words, there were joints which were generally north-south trending and there were joints which were generally east-west trending. If looked at from above, these sets of joints would be crossing each other at virtually right angles.
Further above in this page, the "joints striking about N70°W" were discussed and what they are potentially associated with. There were references made to the Lewis and Clark Fault Zone, plus to a large, cross-continent rift of shear zone. Now it is time to consider what the "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" are all about and what they are likely associated with.
On geologic maps which identify the Republic Graben, it is commonly shown as being located to the north-northeast of Grand Coulee Dam. A map linked here is from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Note the location of the Republic Graben. If a line was drawn through the words "Republic Graben" and then extended downward to the curvy blue line, which curvy blue line represents the Columbia River, the line through the words would generally pass through the area of Grand Coulee Dam. Note also the Torado Creek Graben and the Keller Graben, plus the Okanogan Detachment and the Kettle Detachment. All those thick black lines on the map represent faults, even major faults.
Linked here is a satellite photo with the generalized boundaries of the Republic Graben and the Torada Creek Graben marked. Note the gold mines which are located in these grabens. Note also that the grabens extend up into British Columbia, Canada. Linked here is another satellite photo which indicates the general area where the Republic Graben is located. A satellite photo linked here indicates some of the more major gold mines associated with these grabens, plus some information on gold production from some of these mines. Note all the gold mines in the Knob Hill area.
A page linked here, from one of the Canadian gold mining companies involved with extraction in this region, also indicates the general location of the Republic Graben, with its many gold mines. The page states: "In geology, a graben is a depressed block of the Earth's crust bordered by parallel faults. The Republic Graben, named after the town of Republic, Washington, is an important major structural feature in both Washington and British Columbia that contains important base and precious metal deposits."
So, in this area to the north-northeast of Grand Coulee Dam is located a major structural feature, which is a down-dropped block of the Earth's crust, which is bordered by two parallel faults or fault systems. Think about that for a moment, and the implications of it. Near Grand Coulee Dam is this block of the Earth's crust which just slid deeper into the earth, possibly during some incredible convulsion of Nature. With this type of geologic activity having happened, it sounds like this region has the potential for being quite unstable. And, with those two, major parallel faults or fault systems located along each side of the graben, it sounds like a place which could potentially experience some serious seismic activity.
To the east of the Sierra Nevada in California is located Owens Valley (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). A Wikipedia page on Owens Valley is linked here. Down the page is a section titled Geology. This section declares: "Owens Valley is a graben—a downdropped block of land between two vertical faults... It is also part of a trough which extends from Oregon to Death Valley called the Walker Lane."
In 1872, the same year as the major Washington earthquake, the Owens Valley, located within that California graben, also experienced a major earthquake. A USGS page, linked here, states: "The 26 March 1872 Owens Valley earthquake is among the largest historical earthquakes in California. The felt area and maximum fault displacements have long been regarded as comparable to, if not greater than, those of the great San Andreas fault earthquakes of 1857 and 1906, but mapped surface ruptures of the latter two events were 2-3 times longer than that inferred for the 1872 rupture." A map linked here indicates the area affected by the 1872 Owens Valley earthquake.
A Wikipedia page, linked here, calls the Owens Valley earthquake of 1872 the 1872 Lone Pine Earthquake. The page states: "The 1872 Lone Pine earthquake struck on March 26 at 02:30 local time with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.4 to 7.9... Its epicenter was near Lone Pine, California, in Owens Valley." The page states further: "The earthquake resulted from sudden vertical movement of 15-20 feet (4.5-6m) and right-lateral movement of 35-40 feet (10.6-12m) on the Lone Pine Fault and part of the Owens Valley Fault." The page states: "The earthquake occurred on a Tuesday morning and leveled almost all the buildings in Lone Pine and nearby settlements."
As a small aside, there is another piece of information relating to the story of this graben in which Owens Valley is located, which adds a different aspect to the whole event. A page linked here is titled Lone Pine, CA, Earthquake, Mar 1872. The page contains various pieces of information relating to this earthquake. On Page 2 of the linked information is found these words: "Indians in the vicinity have all left, fearing a recurrence of a general convulsion of nature, which according to tradition, occurred there some hundred years ago, and created what is now known as Owen's River Valley, but what was before a chain of mountains."
There is a comment which could be made about the Indian's tradition. If it is true, it would indicate that humans were around when Owens Valley was created. This tradition indicates that a block of the Earth's crust, in what was formerly a chain of mountains, sunk deep into the Earth during "a general convulsion of nature." In other words, there were massive earthquakes accompanying this event. And then, in 1872, the Indians were indicating that this "general convulsion of nature" occurred "some hundred years ago." That saying, "some hundred years ago," is not very precise, but it appears that the Indians were indicating that this massive convulsion of nature which created Owens Valley happened not all that long ago.
Looking at the wording used by the Indians in 1872, that the Owens Valley was formed "some hundred years ago," could potentially leave some people with the impression that the Owens Valley was formed even in the early 1700s. Was this tradition indicating that this "general convulsion of nature" which created the Owens Valley actually happened somewhere close to the time of the massive Cascadia earthquake in the year 1700? This may possibly be something which some can ponder on. Anyway, the Indian story from 1872 does add a different aspect to the whole Owens Valley event.
About this time, there may be some asking, "Weren't there Catholic missions in California back then, and wouldn't they have recorded if something that big had truly happened around the year 1700?" Something like that may have been very helpful, but the first Franciscan mission came to California in the summer of 1769 (link), so there would be no help from that direction. Anyway, time to get back to business and things which relate to a major Washington earthquake in 1872, plus the perdicament of Grand Coulee Dam and the surrounding region.
Is there more of a deep geologic connection between regions of the north and south, in the western United States, than is commonly realized? Could a spreading of the landmass in the south, like occurs in the graben where the Owens Valley is located, transfer stress through lower features in the Earth's crust and cause an earthquake much further north? Are major geologic features in the south really that connected with major geologic features in the north? For just a minor incident which might help answer this question, let us consider that which is said to have happened to Denver Island in the early 1900s.
A link here goes to a section titled Looking Even Deeper, which is part of a rather large page titled Current Expectations for a Cascadia Mega-Quake. The section linked above, plus the section which follows, that is titled More Information, presents the story about Denver Island, plus provides links to documentation. The short story is this. During the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake, things appear to have been affected way north in the Puget Sound region. During the San Francisco quake, Denver Island in Puget Sound sunk under the water. Later, this island once again rose above the water.
If the information about Denver Island which appears in the publications from the early 1900s is truly accurate, there may be much more which we need to learn about how things are interconnected deeper in the earth, especially in the western part of the United States. And, whenever spreading and quakes happen to the east of the Sierra Nevada in California, possibly there may be a reason to become more watchful of any seismic activity further north, even in Washington State.
At this point, there is a question to ask. Did the Republic Graben and the other grabens located to the north and northeast of Grand Coulee Dam also form during "a general convulsion of nature," or during a period of massive earthquakes, as it appears was the case with the Owens Valley in California? And, as happened in 1872 to the graben in which Owens Valley is located, is there a chance that the Republic Graben near Grand Coulee Dam, with its major fault lines, could once again experience major earthquakes?
A document linked here is part of the Washington State Publications in Pacific Northwest Geology. It is identified as Information Circular 86. The chapter in the linked document is titled Plutonism, Volcanism and Sedimentation Associated with Core Complex and Graben Development in the Central Okanogan Highlands, Washington. PDF page 3 of 14 notes that "The central Okanogan Highlands in north-central Washington...is characterized by...three en echelon, NNE-trending, volcanic- and volcani-clastic-filled grabens..."
On PDF page 4 of 14, in the document linked in the paragraph above, is found a generalized geologic map of the central Okanogan Highlands. On the map, note the general trend of the Republic Graben. Note also the location of Grand Coulee. Linked here is another generalized geologic map of the Republic Graben and the other grabens in the area. Does it appear that those "vertical joints striking north to N20°E," which were found in the bedrock beneath Grand Coulee Dam, could line up with the general trend of the Republic Graben?
A document identified as Bulletin 80, 1994, from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, is linked here. It is titled Regional Geology of Washington State. On PDF page 32 or 120 if found a map which indicates the location of the Republic Graben. Note the fault systems on each side of the graben. At the bottom-center of the map, the fault system on the west side of the graben is indicated as crossing the Columbia River in the region just north of where Grand Coulee Dam would be located. The fault system on the east side of the graben is also extending south into the general region near Grand Coulee Dam. Again, are those "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" at the dam aligned with the graben?
A book linked here is titled Geology of the Curlew Quadrangle, Ferry County, Washington. On page 70, under the section titled Boundary Faults, are found these words: "The Bacon Creek fault is the boundary fault on the west side of the Republic graben, and the Sherman, St. Peter, and Drummer Mountain faults are the boundary faults on the east side of the graben. All the boundary faults except the St. Peter fault dip steeply, as shown by their almost straight surface traces."
The book linked above states further: "The St. Peter fault dips steeply in ist southern part but becomes more gently dipping towards the north. The vertical component of movement along the edges of the graben is large but decreases northward. The extent of lateral movement betwen [sic] the graben and the adjacent blocks is not known but is thought to be small." The information in the linked book may be considered as being old, but most of it is still applicable today.
In the linked book, further up on page 70, is the section titled Republic Graben. That section states: "The generalized picture of the structure in the Republic graben is that of a downdropped block bounded by normal faults which range in trend from north to slightly east of north. The structural elements in the graben are faults, dikes, and stratification planes within remnants of the intruded country rocks. With exceptions in a few areas, these structural elements are generally parallel to the north-trending boundary faults. A large proportion of the remnants of country rocks are elongate in this same direction."
The book section linked above speaks of "many north-trending faults within the graben." On page 72, in the book linked above, is the section titled Other Faults. It states: "Many other steep normal faults occur in the graben. Most of them are close to, and trend in the same direction as, the boundary faults. They probably represent local adjustments of individual blocks within the graben." And, in the bedrock at the Grand Coulee dam site, they found "vertical joints striking north to N20°E," which would align with the other features in the Repubic Graben.
At this point, there is something rather important to note. All the maps which have been linked so far show those major faults associated with the Republic Gaben as ending a ways to the north-northeast of Grand Coulee Dam. When looking at these maps, a person could easily be left with the impression that the major faults associated with the Republic Graben end a "safe" distance from the dam. But, it appears that there is much more to this story.
An older document from 1964, linked here, is titled Geology of the Bald Knob Quandrangle, Ferry and Okanogan Counties, Washington. In 1964, it was stated: "Only a part of the Republic graben lies within the Bald Knob quadrangle... The north end of the graben is in the northern part of the Curlew quadrangle; it trends from there south-southwest for 52 miles to the southern end of the Bald Knob quadrangle. The graben has not been traced south of the Bald Knob quadrangle, but it could probably be traced for another 14 miles to the Columbia River; south of the river, the area is covered by Columbia River Basalt." And again, that was 1964. More has been learned about this graben since then.
A map linked here shows the Republic Graben (RG) continuing south and joining up with the basalt flows in the Columbia Basin. So, is this map accurate in what it is indicating? Looking further, a map on page 300 in a book linked here shows the same thing, with the Republic Graben joining up to the basalt flows. If this is true, then Grand Coulee Dam, which has a foundation on faulted granite, is built directly in the Republic Graben. And, if this is all true, then there are two major fault lines which are bracketing the Grand Coulee dam site, to the east of it and to the west of it. So, is there any further information on the Republic Graben continuing south, all the way to the basalt flows in the Columbia Basin?
Pages at the following links --- (1)(2)(3) --- state this about the Republic Graben: "The graben projects to the south-southwest under the Miocene basalts in the Columbia Plateau." If this information is correct, then Grand Coulee Dam is definitely built directly in the Republic Graben. This fact also appears to be indicated by those "vertical joints striking north to N20°E" which are in the bedrock beneath Grand Coulee Dam. But, there are also those "joints striking about N70°W" in the bedrock beneath the dam, which appear to be associated with the Lewis and Clark Fault Zone and the giant cross-continent rift or shear zone, as noted earlier on this page. Those "extensive shear zones" at Grand Coulee definitely mean something.
About this time, there are some important questions which should be asked. Is there more information to add to the story about the Republic Graben, with its major fault lines which pass on either side through the area where Grand Coulee Dam is built? Is there more to add to the story about this geologic hazard continuing southward, even potentially far beyond Grand Coulee Dam? Is there yet more to the story of two major fault lines, which appear to bracket the Grand Coulee site, as they continue on a track southward under the basalt flows of this region?
An abstract linked here is titled Geology of Republic Graben and Implications for Eocene Sedimentation in North-Central Portion of the Columbia Basin. This abstract speaks of the Republic Graben as "the largest of a series of en echelon structural depressions that adjoin the Columbia River Basalt in north-central Washington." That word "adjoin," in the preceding quote, means: "to lie next to or in contact with."(link) But there is more to this story. The abstract states: "Gravity and structural trends suggest that the Republic graben and other analogous extensional basins may exist beneath the Columbia basin..." Note the use of the words "other analogous extensional basins."
In all of this, there is one extremely important question which should be asked. Could there be a major earthquake on this large fault system associated with the extensional basin called the Republic Graben, which associated fault system is in close proximity to and appears to be bracketing the Grand Coulee dam site? At this point, there is one thing to say. Tectonic forces are still at work on this earth. The Pacific Plate is still moving in a northwest (⇖) direction, while the North American Plate is still pushing against it in a southwest (⇙) direction. The northwest movement of the Pacific Plate then tends to deform, or possibly even pull apart, western sections of the North American Plate.
A page linked here is about the Republic Graben. It is the product of a Geology 210, Spring 2010 class. The page speaks about "A network of detachment faults" which are associated with the elevated domes which are on either side of the Republic Graben. It speaks about a syncline "running down the middle of the graben." The page speaks about "a widespread swarm of igneous dikes" which are located to the south and southeast of the Republic Graben. The page then states: "The dikes intruded as a result of extensional forces as the continental crust was being pulled apart."
Things may appear to be geologically "locked" in the Pacific Northwest right now. No great earthquakes have been experienced here in our lifetimes. But, while things are quiet here, earthquakes are constantly "popping off" at other places around the Pacific Ring of Fire (link). And, one day, our time will come (link). The rapidly building geologic stresses will cause the Cascadia region to break loose and slip, but in a very major way. The fulness of what will happen then is anybody's guess. In the aftermath, Grand Coulee Dam may no longer be functioning properly, and many downriver lives will be lost. These are things which are not being told to the public. These are things which it appears the scientists are ignoring.
When it comes to the accuracy of the scientists regarding what will likely happen during an earthquake event, possibly we should consider some words of wisdom from a famous writer of former times. The writer is Ralph Waldo Emerson. His words appear to be especially applicable in our day, when the scientists appear to be having such a hard time "getting things right," as they are often blindsided by the magnitude of the events which have been happening during major earthquake events around the world. Examples of just some of these "surprises" for the scientists are noted in the following sections --- (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18) --- from a very large page about the coming Cascadia earthquake event.
And now for those important words of wisdom for the scientists, from Emerson: "We learn geology the morning after the earthquake, on ghastly diagrams of cloven mountains, upheaved plains, and the dry bed of the sea."(1)(2)(3)
There is something which the general public should look at, and that is the true value of certain of the scientists and their expensive and time-consuming computer models which they produce about potential seismic events. For certain of them, yes, it may be fun getting all that high pay (money from taxpayers' pockets?), while playing with these computer models in their fancy laboratories. But, when it comes to the actual value to the general public, whose pockets are being steadily "lightened" to pay for all this stuff, how much value is there truly in all this expensive modeling, especially in certain cases? Well, let's take a look at what has really been happening over time. The track record should tell the true story.
A section from a large page about the rapidly approaching Cascadia earthquake event is linked here. The linked section is titled Lessons from New Zealand. It, along with the one which follows it, should help to educate the public about all this expensive earthquake computer modeling by the scientists, and the true value of it. The second section which follows (link) makes it very clear that the nature of the 2016 New Zealand earthquake event "could not have been predicted by existing models." And that is possibly the way it will continue to be with these costly and time-consuming computer models. It does appear that part of the problem is certain scientists who are actually doing these computer models, as we shall soon see.
As long as scientists are using a certain set of chosen variables in their equations, while ignoring other extremely important variables, their computer models could be virtually worthless --- worthless, except of course to that clique group which made a lot of money making these costly and time consuming models, often at taxpayers' expense. So, what else should we look at? Well, there is another section in that large page about the rapidly approaching Cascadia earthquake event, which section is titled Those Surprised Scientists (link). That section notes that in 2004, there was the large Sumatra earthquake and tsunami. For the record, this 2004 event killed more than 230,000 people. Now for some facts.
The section linked above, from the Cascadia earthquake page, speaks not only of the 2004 Sumatra earthquake and tsunami, but it also notes the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, plus the 2016 quake in New Zealand. It is noted that all these earthquake events had something in common. And what is that? Well, "in every case, the Earth did something scientists absolutely did not expect."(link) The preceding linked article notes that the scientists are "consistently surprised by megaquakes that rupture areas larger than they thought possible or in places they never predicted." So much for the scientists and those expensive and time-consuming computer models, often made at taxpayers' expense.
Possibly it is exactly like one geophysicist declared, especially when it comes to a number of the scientists and their success with forecasting the nature of coming earthquake events, even when using all their fancy equipment and very expensive "toys." This geophysicist, in a moment of pure honesty, declared: "We're still at the blind-man-feeling-the-elephant's-butt stage of plate tectonics. Nobody likes to think of it that way, but it's true."(link) So, what else do we need to see about at least certain of the scientists who mostly rely on these costly and time-consuming, yet often wrong computer models?
Another section from that large Cascadia earthquake page, linked here, is titled Taken by Surprise. That section includes a link to a page which now appears to have been conveniently removed from general access via the Internet. The formerly accessible page had information about a seismologist from the University of California at Santa Cruz, who declared: "What we've seen is that we can have multiple faults activated. We've seen it off Sumatra and off Japan. Once earthquakes get going they can activate faulting in areas that were thought not physically feasible." But, there is more to this story.
The page noted above as being conveniently removed from general access on the Internet also stated: "These earthquakes ruptured right through areas that had been considered to have low risk. We thought that would not happen. But it did, so we have to adjust our understanding." So, certain scientists think that they simply need to "adjust" their understanding, in order to get things right? There possibly is much more to the story than just a simple adjustment in their understanding. Possibly there may need to be a whole paradigm shift in their understanding.
It's possibly way past time for some genuine accountability from the scientists, especially when lives are being lost, time and time again, when their forecasts are wrong. It is time for the scientists to show their true value directly to the general public, in return for all that taxpayer money which they have been steadily spending. Now, moving onward, a section from the page about the rapidly approaching Cascadia earthquake event, linked here, is titled Even in Japan. The linked section includes information from a 2012 article (link) which states the following:
"One year after Japan's devastating Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, scientists are still trying to figure out how the world's most organized and earthquake-ready nation could have been taken so much by surprise. They were hit by an earthquake roughly 25 times more powerful than experts thought possible in that part of the country. How could the forecast have been so wrong? The short answer is they didn't look far enough back in geologic time to see that quakes and tsunamis just this big had indeed occurred there before." But the truth is, the scientists in control of "the scientific industry" negligently rejected the information which was available to them, as we shall soon see.
So, Japan was "hit by an earthquake roughly 25 times more powerful than the experts thought possible." But, there actually is a lot more to this story. It is time to expose the screw-ups of the scientists and their models. The Cascadia earthquake page contains a section titled Another Lesson from Japan (link). That section has a link to an article which proclaims the following about the 2011 Japan quake and tsunami: "Many researchers before Tohoku had published the tsunami records, but earthquake modelers didn't believe the geological data because their models didn't replicate them." What? These so-called scientists rejected the actual geological data from the field, "because their models didn't replicate them."
In one event in Japan in 2011, over 15,000 people died because of asinine things like that noted above! It appears there needs to be some serious changes in the "scientific" world. Possibly a certain segment of the scientists need to have their computer models, airplanes and other expensive "toys," paid for at taxpayers' expense, taken away. Possibly they need to then be sent out into the field with a map, a pick, a shovel, a simple Brunton compass (1)(2)(3)(4), and a notebook, plus maybe a few other inexpensive items, in order to collect the necessary data. Possibly then they can be more accurate in their findings, plus possibly many more lives can be saved. But there is more to this story, especially in Japan.
An article linked here is titled Tsunami Warnings, Written in Stone. The article makes known that there are hundreds of "tsunami stones" which are scattered in the coastal region of Japan. These stones have writing on them which warns people not to build their houses below the elevation of these stones. The article makes known that some of these stones are "more than six centuries old." Oh, but we are smarter now and we have computers! So, it appears that some so-called "scientists" and their computerized model-makers utterly rejected what these stones were clearly indicating. Possibly they blatantly ignored or rejected this obvious information, because it did not fit what their worthless computer models were telling them.
Well, the computer model is no smarter than the person programming it. And, it is obvious that the computer programmer was missing a number of extremely important variables in their equations, especially in Japan and in at least those other instances noted further above from New Zealand and Sumatra. It appears that in many cases these "intelligent" computer models are blinding certain scientists to such an extent that they can no longer see simple and obvious truth, even when it is right in front of their faces. And, it appears that those who believe what certain of these scientists, with their costly and time-consuming computer models, are telling them are possibly just as blind.
It is time to seriously consider the computer modeling of potential earthquake events, and the extremely important data which is consistently missing from the equations used in making these computerized models. A 2011 article, linked here, declares: "Sometimes, scientists are blindsided by earthquakes because they occur along undiscovered faults. The deadly earthquakes in New Zealand this year; in Haiti last year; in Northridge, Calif., in 1994; and in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 1989 all happened along faults that scientists were unaware of until the ground shook."
When considering quakes on, or affected by unknown faults, the article linked in the paragraph above also declares: "That raises a worrisome question: How many major quakes are lurking in underestimated or unknown faults or rifts?" About this issue, reality is possibly beginning to set in and there is one thing that can honestly be said. So much for the accuracy of at least a number of those costly and potentially time-wasting computerized earthquake models, especially when there are unknown faults being dealt with in the real world, which faults cannot be factored into the earthquake equations.
An article linked here is titled Earthquakes Can Happen in More Places Than You Think. The article notes that there are some faults which we know about. But then it states that "there's a much larger number of faults we don't know about." The article states further that "we still don't know where most faults lie." Clearly make a mental note of the fact that "we still don't know where most faults lie." The article then brings up a very important point, with these words: "If you look at the last 100 years of major earthquakes in the U.S., they've all happened on faults we didn't even know existed."
If it is true what the article linked above is stating, then the very important variable of how all these unknown faults will affect an earthquake event is consistently missing from the computer models. That means that these models are often seriously flawed. They potentially are consistently inaccurate, possibly even to a very large degree. If this is true, then in essence, a number of these computer models of potential earthquake events are basically worthless. In such a case, it appears that these costly computer models are a waste of time and taxpayers' money.
The unknown faults can greatly alter what happens during a real-world earthquake event. And, should the scientists ever be completely successful at mapping all the faults in the upper crust of the earth --- which it appears that they won't --- they still will never know how things are interacting deeper in the earth, which then affects how things respond closer to the surface. The bottom line is this. It appears that many of the scientists are wasting a lot of time and money which could be spent in better ways. And, to add insult to injury, because of those majorly flawed earthquake models and the resulting false forecasts, may lives are needlessly being lost and much property is being damaged.
In one of the paragraphs further above (link), it speaks about the scientists, time and time again, being wrong about how real earthquake events would unfold. One scientist thought that they just needed to adjust their understanding. Again, it appears they need a whole paradigm shift in understanding, because it appears there is one very major variable missing from all the equations used in computer models, plus in their "scientific" thought and general theories. A hint to what is missing now follows. The true wisdom of the ages has declared: "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."(link) If scientists are rejecting or neglecting this one important variable, it appears that they are running blind.
And now, it is time for the general public to start considering, for themselves, what is actually being dealt with in the Pacific Northwest. It is time to look at what history and the simple rocks in the ground can tell us or at least can strongly indicate to us. Because of the seriousness of the situation, for those who care about their health and wellbeing in the future, this is possibly not something to leave to the scientists with their costly and time-consuming computer models, nor to any government officials who may be ignorant, or to anyone else for that matter. It is something which people may possibly want to do for themselves. And now, some further information about Grand Coulee Dam and the geologic situation in that region.
A page in a 1980 document from the National Academy of Sciences is linked here. The title of the document is Continental Tectonics. In the left column, at the bottom of page 85, are these words: "Unfortunately, the southward extent beneath the Columbia Plateau basalts of the steep bounding faults of the Chiwaukum, Methow-Pasayten, and Republic grabens is not known." At this point, there is something rather logical to seriously consider, especially when it is known that Grand Coulee Dam is built on top of faulted granite.
If the "steep bounding faults" of the Republic Graben extend southward beneath the Columbia Plateau basalts, there should be absolutely no doubt about Grand Coulee Dam being built in a fault zone and bracketed by at least those two major faults which are associated with the graben. And, looking northward, these two major faults appear to extend all the way up into Canada. So, when considering all things, it appears that there is some serious seismic potential here in this extensional basin. And truly, there is a very good reason for those "extensive shear zones" which were found in the bedrock which exists beneath the dam, during the construction phase.
And, lest we forget, there are also those east-west trending joints that are spoken about further above in this report, which are crossing at the site of Grand Coulee Dam. This east-west trending set of joints, once again, appears to be associated with the Lewis and Clark Fault Zone, which in turn, appears to be associated with that giant, cross-continent rift or shear zone in the "basement" of the continent, which was identified in an earlier NASA document that is noted further above in this report (link). So, in the times ahead, it appears that there is a chance that things could get rather interesting in this region, especially when it comes to seismic activity.
In closing, there are some serious questions to ask and some things to consider. What will be happening first in the Pacific Northwest, in the days ahead? Will it be something like a repeat of the Washington earthquake of 1872, or will it be a repeat of one of those full-potential, very devastating Cascadia megaquakes? And, whichever happens first, will it trigger the other? Could there actually be a number of fault lines triggered virtually at the same time or in close proximity to one another, in a large-scale, regional event?
When such an event takes place, what will be the outcome for Grand Coulee Dam and the other dams further downriver, plus for those residing or working in any downriver flash-flood zones? What will be the outcome at the downriver Hanford Nuclear Reservation, if its radioactive wastes are scoured up and spread widely by a debris-laden flash flood? And also, what will it by like in the region, if there is a loss of at least Grand Coulee's electrical production and that very important irrigation water which is currently supplied for agricultural purposes?
It possibly is time for things to be taken seriously and for some realistic emergency plans to be put in place. It is time for some realistic plans to be put in place which could potentially help to reduce the loss of life and property to a large degree, in the event of a serious seismic event in the region and the failure of at least Grand Coulee Dam. It is also time for the public in the Pacific Northwest region to be properly made aware of this and any other potential situations which could detrimentally affect them, so they can properly plan ahead and be prepared for their survival in the times ahead.
There is now something to consider further. Again, if there is a failure of at least Grand Coulee Dam during a major seismic event, there will be some serious problems created for those in the agricultural industry. There is now a large area of crops under irrigation in this region. But, the Odessa Aquifer is declining. If something restricts or ends the water supplied by Grand Coulee Dam for irrigation purposes, what are the farmers going to do? Where will they then get their water for irrigating those crops?
It appears that possibly other sources of irrigation water should be considered now. Possibly the other sources should even be tapped now. After the destructive earthquake is not the best time to start the planning process. If other sources of water are not secured now, then once an earthquake event happens which restricts or eliminates the supply of irrigation water provided by the Grand Coulee facility (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9), the region now irrigated (1)(2)(3)(4)(5) with water supplied by the Grand Coulee facility or the aquifer will rapidly dry up. The formerly irrigated region of high food production (1)(2)(3) will then return to being a desert-like region once again (1)(2)(3)(4)(5). Right now, much depends on the Grand Coulee facility (1).
Some say that government agencies and universities need more funding so they can check things out further, so they can then make some plans. Well, that may not necessarily be the best way to serve the people from whose pockets is constantly being taking a considerable amount of money already. Possibly there needs to be accountability for the money already taken. Possibly the available money needs to be spent more wisely. And, the real bottom line is, there just needs to be much more openness and honesty toward the general public. Simple, open communication, plus warning the public of serious problems, does not require the further fleecing of the public.
A lot of the information is already out there which can help to discern serious problems. But during the research for this report, it appears to the writer that there is a general denial of, or cover-up of, a potentially major, life-threatening problem in the region. When it comes to Grand Coulee Dam, many sources of information state that Grand Coulee Dam is built on solid granite, when in fact it is known that Grand Coulee Dam is built on fractured and faulted granite --- granite which includes numerous shear zones and other defects. It is also known that the fractures and faults in the granite bedrock beneath Grand Coulee Dam align with the major fault zones which cross in this area. This is definitely not a good situation.
Again, officials need to be open and honest, especially about potentially life-threatening situations which could negatively affect the health and wellbeing of many people, plus the regional economy, in the times ahead. Research indicates that the original intent for government officials was not to do everything possible to keep land values up, even by hiding the truth in various cases, so more tax money can be obtained from the people. Their intended purpose was to help protect the general public and work for the public's best interest, not the best interests of a small select group. That is the first step toward truly serving the people.
Realistically, officials should be diligently working to identify problems --- like Grand Coulee Dam and its pumping station which are built in an area of major fault zones --- and then work to find realistic solutions for the problem. Information about any associated problems which could suddenly occur and harm citizens should be quickly and clearly communicated to the general public. Anything less and it appears that officials are being utterly derelict of their duty and simply continuing in a traditional government practice, on "both sides of the political fence," of fleecing the public for their money, for themselves and for their friends (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12), rather than really doing the job which is supposed to be done (link).
"Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given."(link)