Our area was safe, but a massive flood from Lake Spokane and Lake Missoula hit this area, stripping the soil from ancient flood basalts. Resident Native Americans on the Columbia have a story about the fall of a bridge that Jane thinks may relate to the Missoula Floods. You might have seen unfortunate mammoths and all our geologic record from the Jurassic/Cretaceous floating past on its way to the sea, and California.

Our house would have sat high and dry, but the flood ripped not only the soil, but the rocks themselves: basalt may be hard and heavy, but it’s segmented, and the flood treated it like unseated Lego blocks.
So the modern area is quite low near the river, while the rest of us who sit on the several heights of Spokane sit on glacial till atop ancient flood basalt.

Now…across from us and nearer the edge of the heights, which stairstep down to the Spokane River, someone is digging a basement. A massive hammer, a very large crane-type thing,
…is hitting the basalt substructure on which we all live, with a resonance that touches off the china cabinet doors, and that disturbs the cats. THis has been going on with the persistence of a water-drip, for two weeks.

The upside is, if we can get a truck (and we have a friend!) we can get some free basalt for the garden this weekend. We did ask permission. 😉