J Harlen Bretz
 |
J Harlen Bretz |
J Harlen Bretz (
1882 -
1981) was an
geologist, best known for his research that led to the acceptance of the
Missoula Floods. He was born to Oliver Joseph Bretz and Rhoda Maria Howlett, farmers in
Saranac, Michigan, as the oldest of five children. He earned a degree in
biology from
Albion College, in
1906, where he also met his wife Fanny Chalis. Thereafter he became interested in the geology of western
Washington state.
He made important discoveries regarding the origin of the
Channeled Scablands and wrote an extremely influential paper on the morphology and origin of
limestone caves together with a guide to the caves of
Illinois. He wrote a detailed study of Missouri caves published as
The Caves of Missouri in 1956.
Bretz started his career as a
high school biology teacher in
Seattle. During this time he began studying the
glacial geology of the
Puget Sound area, and eventually went to the
University of Chicago where he earned his
Ph.D. in geology in
1913. He became an assistant professor of geology, first at the
University of Washington and then the University of Chicago.
In the summer of
1922, and for the next seven years, Bretz conducted field research of the
Columbia River Plateau. He had been interested in unusual
erosion features in the area since
1910 after seeing a newly published
topographic map of the
Potholes Cataract. Bretz coined the term
Channeled Scablands, in
1923 to describe the area near the
Grand Coulee, where massive erosion had cut through
basalt deposits. The area was a
desert, but Bretz's theories required cataclysmic water flows to form the landscape, for which Bretz coined the term
Spokane Floods in a
1925 publication.
Bretz published a paper in
1923, arguing that the
channeled scablands in
Eastern Washington were caused by massive flooding in the distant past. This view, which was seen as arguing for a
Catastrophic explanation of the geology, was against the prevailing view of
uniformitarianism, and Bretz's views were initially discredited. However, as the nature of the
Ice Age was better understood, Bretz's original research was vindicated, and by the 1950s his insights were vindicated.
Bretz encountered resistance to his theories from the geology establishment who held
uniformitarianism views. The
Geological Society of Washington, D.C invited the young Bretz to present his previously published research at a
1927 meeting where several other geologists presented competing theories. Bretz saw this as an ambush, and referred to the group as six
challenging elders. Their intention was to defeat him in a public debate, and thus end the challenge his theories posed to the long standing uniformitarianism dogma.
Another geologist at the meeting,
J.T. Pardee, had worked with Bretz and had evidence of an ancient
glacial lake that lent credence to Bretz's theories. Pardee, however lacked the academic freedom of Bretz (he worked for the
US Geological Survey) and did not enter the fray.
Bretz defended his theories and this kicked off an acrimonious forty year debate over the origin of the Scablands. Both Pardee and Bretz continued their research over the next 30 years, collecting and analyzing evidence that eventually identified
Lake Missoula as the source of the
Spokane Floods and creator of the Channeled Scablands. Research on open channel hydraulics in the
1970's further vindicated Bretz's and Pardee's theories.
J Harlen Bretz received the
Penrose Medal; the
Geological Society of America's highest award, in
1979, at the age of 96. After this award, he told his son: "All my enemies are dead, so I have no one to gloat over."
*J Harlen Bretz, (
1923), The Channeled Scabland of the Columbia Plateau.
Journal of Geology, v.31, p.617-649.
*J Harlen Bretz, (
1925), The Spokane flood beyond the Channeled Scablands.
Journal of Geology, v.33, p.97-115, 236-259.
*J Harlen Bretz, (
1942), Vadose and phreatic features of limestone caverns:
Journal of Geology, v. 50, no. 6, Part II, p. 675-811.
*J Harlen Bretz, (1956),
The Caves of Missouri, Missouri Geological Survey and Water Resources, 490 pages.
*J Harlen Bretz, (
1947), An Incomplete Genealogy of the Family of John Bretz of Fairfield CO., OH, with a Partial History with One Line of Descent in this Family
* A program on
National Geographic Channel canvasses Bretz's hypothesis.
*
Ice Age Floods, National Park Service*
Penrose Medal 1979 to J Harlen Bretz*
An Incomplete Genealogy of the Family of John Bretz of Fairfield CO., OH, with a Partial History with One Line of Descent in this Family
