Ringold Formation
| Ringold Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Late Miocene-Pliocene, 8.5–3 Ma | |
The Columbia River flowing through the Ringold Formation. | |
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Deposits from Missoula Floods |
| Overlies | Columbia River Basalt Group |
| Thickness | 1,000 feet (300 m) |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 46°40′01″N 119°26′10″W / 46.667°N 119.436°W |
| Region | Washington (state) |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Ringold Post Office |
| Named by | John C. Merriam, John P. Buwalda |
The Ringold Formation is a geological formation in Eastern Washington, United States. The formation consists of sediment laid down by the Columbia River following the flood basalt eruptions of the Columbia River Basalt Group, and reaches up to 1,000 feet (300 m) thick in places. It preserves fossils dating back to the late Miocene and Pliocene epochs of the Neogene period.
Exposures of the Ringold Formation can be found from Hanford Reach National Monument north to the Moses Lake area. Large portions of the formation are buried by other sediment deposits, extending as far as Wallula Gap southeast of Kennewick. In recent years, irrigation water entering the groundwater system has destabilized some Ringold Formation slopes and cliffs, causing landslides. The formation was named in 1917 for a school of the same name that existed at the time. Ringold School was located on the Franklin County side of the Columbia River to the south of Savage Island.