J Harlen Bretz
J. Harlan Bretz (1882- 1981) was an American geologist. He made important discoveries of the formation of Channeled Scablands.
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 PhD 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 long been interested in unusual erosion features in the area. Bretz coined the term Channeled Scablands the 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 short and immense water flows to form the landscape.
Bretz encountered resistance to his theories from the geology establishment, who held Uniformitarianism views. The Geological Society of Washington, D.C invited Bretz to present his research at a 1927 meeting where several other geologists presented competing theories. This kicked off a forty year debate over the origin of the Scablands. Bretz's position in academia allowed him the freedom to continue to develop his theories, which were eventually accepted.
J. Harlan Bretz received the Penrose Medal; the American Geological Society's highest award, in 1979, at the age of 96.