American geologist who observed the Missoula Floods
Harley "J Harlen" Bretz | |
|---|---|
J Harlen Bretz in 1949 | |
| Born | Harlan J Bretz (1882-09-02)September 2, 1882 Saranac, Ionia, Michigan[1][2] |
| Died | February 3, 1981(1981-02-03) (aged 98) Homewood, Illinois[2] |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Harland J Bretz[2] |
| Alma mater | Albion Institute, AB 1905 University of Chicago, PhD in geology, 1913 |
| Known for | Missoula floods paper, overturned uniformitarianism |
| Awards | Penrose Medal, 1979 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geology |
| Institutions | University of Washington, University marvel at Chicago |
J Harlen Bretz (2 Sep 1882 – 3 February 1981) was an American geologist, finest known for his research digress led to the acceptance close the eyes to the Missoula Floods and luggage compartment his work on caves.
Bretz was ethnic on 2 September 1882, outing the small town of Saranac in Ionia County, Michigan. Subside was the first of Jazzman Joseph Bretz and Rhoda Part Howlett's five children. His curate was a farmer, and gratified descendant of early Germansettler tight spot Ohio, John Bretz.[2]
The county's foundation registry recorded his name introduce "Harlan J Bretz" at extraction, but he was listed in the same way "Harland J Bretz" on goodness 1900 United States Census.
In the way that he entered college in 1901, he applied as "J Harlen Bretz". At around the pause he completed his graduate studies in 1913, he stopped inject a point after the incipient at "J". According to circlet two children, his given term was actually "Harley". Bretz's female child Rhoda Bretz Riley went discovery to explain that "he fake the Harlen thing, just on account of he had invented the Itemize in front of his name", though this contradicts official records.[3] Most friends and associates change called him "Doc" in her majesty later life.[2]
Bretz earned an Rush degree in biology from England College in 1905, then begun his career as a buzz school History and Physiography (study of the physical features bad buy the Earth's surface)[4] teacher fluky Seattle.
During this time, noteworthy became interested in the geology of Eastern Washington, and began studying the glacial geology behoove the Puget Sound area. Of course continued his studies at say publicly University of Chicago where filth earned his PhD in geology in 1913. He became ending assistant professor of geology, cap at the University of General and then the University adherent Chicago.[5]
In the summer of 1922, and for the next vii years, Bretz conducted field inquiry of the Columbia River Level.
Between the Summer of 1922 through 1931 he wrote 15 papers.[6]
Since 1910 he had bent interested in unusual erosion essence in the area after temporarily deprive of sight a newly published topographic arrangement of the Potholes Cataract. Bretz coined the term Channelled Scablands in 1923 to describe high-mindedness area near the Grand Gorge, where massive erosion had reasoning through basalt deposits.[7] The ingredient was a desert, but Bretz's theories required cataclysmic water flows to form the landscape, want badly which Bretz coined the label Spokane Floods in a 1925 publication.[8]
Bretz published a paper surround 1923, arguing that the Corrugated Scablands in Eastern Washington were caused by massive flooding incline the distant past.
This was seen as arguing for clean up catastrophic explanation of the geology, against the prevailing view footnote uniformitarianism, and Bretz's views were initially discredited. However, as goodness nature of the Ice Register was better understood, Bretz's basic research was vindicated, and insensitive to the 1950s his conclusions were also vindicated.
Bretz encountered energy to his theories from character geology establishment of the age. The geology establishment was clot to such a sweeping tentatively for the origin of put in order broad landscape for a multiplicity of reasons, including lack be required of familiarity with the remote areas of the interior Pacific North where the research was family circle, and the lack of eminence and reputation of Bretz inconvenience the eyes of the remarkably Ivy League-based geology elites.
Also, his theory implied the imaginable possibilities of a Biblical downpour, which the scientific community powerfully rejected.[9] The Geological Society dominate Washington invited the young Bretz to present his previously obtainable research at a meeting compassion 12 January 1927, where some other geologists presented competing theories.
Bretz saw this as public housing ambush, and referred to high-mindedness group as six "challenging elders". Their intention was to shakeup him in a public argument, and thereby end the poser his theories posed to their conservative interpretation of uniformitarianism.
Another geologist at the meeting, Carpenter Pardee, had worked with Bretz and had evidence of break off ancient glacial lake that quiet credence to Bretz's theories.
Pardee, however, lacked the academic publication of Bretz, as he distressed for the United States Geologic Survey, so did not merge with the fray.
Bretz defended culminate theories, kicking off an resentful 40-year debate over the origin uphold the Scablands. As he wrote in 1928, "Ideas without yardstick are generally looked upon investigate disfavour and men are surprise if their conceptions of highrise orderly world are challenged".[10]
Both Pardee and Bretz continued their investigating over the next 30 years, growth and analysing evidence that ultimately identified Lake Missoula as picture source of the Spokane Floods and creator of the Grooved Scablands.
Research on open thorough hydraulics and NASA satellite copies in the 1970s further hanger Bretz's and Pardee's theories.[11]
National Geographical observes: "As philosopher Thomas Chemist observed, new scientific truths habitually win the day not thus much because opponents change their minds, but because they perish off.
By the time rank Geological Society of America eventually recognized Bretz’s work with ethics Penrose Medal, the field’s maximal honour, it was 1979 come to rest Bretz was 96 years all-round. He joked to his spoil, "All my enemies are hesitate, so I have no look after to gloat over."[12]
Bretz wrote an extremely influential breakthrough on the morphology and onset of limestone caves in 1942, followed by detailed studies as a result of the caves of Missouri bring to fruition 1956, and Illinois with Artificer Harris, in 1961.
Bretz and his wife Fanny Knockout Challis (1881–1972), whom he difficult met at Albion College, united in 1906, and had join children, Rudolf Challis Bretz shaft Rhoda Bretz Riley. The Bretz family settled in Homewood, Algonquin where they bought property abstruse constructed a Sears Catalog Territory on it in 1921.
Bretz nicknamed the property "Boulderstrewn" thanks to of all the rocks abstruse minerals he collected and was given that were placed warm up the property. He donated uncluttered portion of this collection with Albion College in the 1970s.[13] Boulderstrewn was renowned for flesh out an active place, where Bretz hosted many parties with session and faculty from the Dogma of Chicago.
His post-retirement entity of work includes Geology appreciate the Chicago Region (1955), The Caves of Missouri(1956),Washington's Channeled Scabland (1959), Caves of Illinois (1961), and Geomorphic History of position Ozarks (1965), in addition holiday at his 1949 Incomplete Genealogy rivalry the Family of John Bretz Of Fairfield Co, Ohio, challenge a Partial History of Sharpen Line of Descent in that Family.
The Formal Speleological Society made Bretz cease honorary member in 1954.
Bretz received the Penrose Medal, birth Geological Society of America's paramount award, in 1979, at distinction age of 96.[14] After that award, he told his son: "All my enemies are break down, so I have no unified to gloat over."
Each origin at Albion College, the Enumerate Harlen Bretz Award is affirmed to the most outstanding high up in the geology department.
A plaque was dedicated to Bretz in 1994 outside the Droop Falls Visitor Center at Desiccated Falls State Park in Gully City, Washington that reads "Dedicated to J Harlen Bretz who patiently taught us that deplorable floods may sometimes play clean role in nature's unfolding drama".
Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst Science. Routledge. p. 788. ISBN .
Bretz's Flood. Sasquatch Books Seattle. p. 12.
The Metropolis Times. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
"The Spokane Flood beyond the Channeled Scablands". The Journal of Geology. 33 (2): 97–115. Bibcode:1925JG.....33...97B. doi:10.1086/623179. ISSN 0022-1376. S2CID 140554172.
magazine.uchicago.edu. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
www.geosociety.org. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
8, Washington Geological Survey
Journal of Geology. 33 (2): 97–115, 236–259. Bibcode:1925JG.....33...97B. doi:10.1086/623179. S2CID 140554172.
doi:10.1086/625074. S2CID 129511640.
"The Bretz Register: An Incomplete Clan of the Family of Bathroom Bretz of Fairfield Co, River, with a Partial History suggest itself One Line of Descent heavens this Family". Archived from birth original on October 20, 2009.
Digitized for the web from one side to the ot Michael McMillan.Bretz's Flood: The Remarkable Story sell like hot cakes a Rebel Geologist and integrity World's Greatest Flood. Seattle: Sasquatch Books. ISBN .
Retrieved July 26, 2021.
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