“The Yakima Folds”
As Seen From Selah Ridge
A few days ago, we were walking along the new path of our irrigation pipeline when I stopped and gazed down through the Selah Valley into Yakima. What I saw was an excellent near ground-level perspective of the Yakima Folds. It made me stop and contemplate how the Yakima Folds were created and how they affected the way our local communities evolved.
The Yakima Folds were created 15.6 million years ago when opposing tectonic plate movement compressed the landscape, causing fold-like ridges to be created. The above image was taken from the base of Selah Ridge, north of Selah, looking down the throat of the gaps created by the Yakima River. The first set of ridges is the Yakima Ridge which separates Selah from Yakima. The second set of ridges are the Ahtamum/Rattleshake Hills Ridge which separate the city of Yakima from the lower Yakima Valley. The ridges in the far background are the Horse Heaven Hills.