Genesis of Late-Quaternary Loess and Paleosols on the Columbia Plateau, Eastern Washington

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This research project is a renewal of EAR8318909, differing by its focus on regional source areas, distribution of loess, and properties of paleosols in the wind-blown loess deposits on the Columbia Plateau, Washington. Thirty loess exposures will be mapped, described and sampled. Key volcanic marker layers will be studied, thermoluminescent dating and analysis of loess and examination of chemical properties of paleosols will be undertaken. Outcomes of this research include identification of loess source regions, knowledge variations in paleosols in response to paleoclimatic regimes, and identification of episodes of cataclysmic flooding in association with activities of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. The Palouse loess sequences of Washington contain the most complete record of Quaternary paleoclimatic history in the U.S. Also of practical importance, the region is under consideration for a nuclear waste repository. and a detailed stratigraphy of the area is of vital importance to the nation.