An excavation at Apple Grove, West Virginia — 238 km downstream from the nearest mapped glacier margin — reveals a megaflood on the Ohio River. Paleohydraulic calculations indicate a mean flow depth of 210 ft and discharge of 212,000 cubic meters per second (7.5 million cfs). The greatest historic Ohio River flood was about 11 times smaller! 💧
Apple Grove, WV exposure records 7.5 million cfs megaflood on Ohio River
Key facts
- 15-17 m deep excavation at Apple Grove, West Virginia is 238 km downstream from the nearest mapped Lake Wisconsin glacier margin
- Site received meltwater from the Laurentide ice sheet
- Lower boulder unit is 0-1 m thick and lies directly on bedrock floor of the Ohio River valley
- Five largest boulders in lower unit have mean intermediate axis of ~3 ft
- Paleohydraulic equations indicate transport required mean flow depth of 210 ft and discharge of 212,000 cubic meters per second (7.5 million cfs)
- Greatest historic flood on the Ohio River measured 18,500 cubic meters per second (~11 times smaller)
- Canadian Shield erratic boulders suggest jökulhlaup (glacial outburst flood) origin rather than precipitation runoff
Site mentioned
📍 Apple Grove
Sources
Flood of 1937wvencyclopedia.org
On January 28, the Ohio River at Huntington reached 69.45 feet, more than 19 feet above flood stage. It inundated most of the city's downtown ...
Apple Grove, WV River and Lake Infoweatherforyou.com
River and lake levels, including flood, flow and stage information, for locations near Apple Grove, WV. ... Ohio River at Ashland - Gauge ASHK2, 36.06 ft. No ...
Crews respond to flash flooding in Ohio and W.Va.wowktv.com
A flash flood warning for much of that area has been extended until 11 AM Thursday, September 10, 2026. Despite the rain tapering off, it will ...
Apple Grove, WV Flood Map and Climate Risk Reportfirststreet.org
The city of Apple Grove has major risk from flooding. There are 49 properties in Apple Grove at risk of flooding over the next 30 years. This represents 31.4% ...
West Virginia officials confirm three dead, multiple missing ...wtrf.com
three people are dead and multiple others remain unaccounted for after 2.5 to 4 inches of rain fell in under 30 minutes around 8 p.m. Saturday.
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