Bretz's Flood: The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World's Greatest Flood

by John Soennichsen

Book Overview

The masterful story of the scientific rebel who dared to think outside the box--and changed the course of geologic history

The land between Idaho and the Cascade Mountains is characterized by gullies, coulees, and deserts--in geologic terms, it is a wholly unique place on the earth. In the 1920s, legendary geologist and professor J Harlen Bretz peered back in time to answer the riddle of how this land came to be, becoming one of the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570616310
• ISBN13: 9781570616310
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Sasquatch Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A must read

If you love geology, if you love the geology of the Pacific Northwest...then this book is a must read along with Cataclysms on the Columbia. Just read it. The bio of this man and the way he researched is truly fascinating and engaging. I grew up in Ephrata, WA and for me the work of Bretz on the scablands was a no brainer. It is so obvious. Come visit....it's one of the most interesting geologic areas on earth.

Much deserved tribute!

J. Harlen Bretz was a remarkable researcher and had to overcome the conventions put into place by the geological professionals. He may have helped other researchers understand that field study is much better than hypothesis and previously known land events. Moreover, he changed the thinking of many learned genealogists who believed the standard of erosion and time is what shaped our canyons and valleys. Lastly, his personal life was interesting and showed his love of teaching and including his students with his everyday life. His recognition came late in life, but one has to admire his tenaciousness and intelligence.

Bretz's Flood: An outrageous hypothesis proves true

Bretz's Flood: The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World's Greatest Flood. By John Soennichsen (Sasquatch Books, 2008, 290 pp.) John Soennichsen has written a colorful geological detective story featuring a Michigan farm boy born Harley Bretz, who changed his name to J Harlen Bretz and, under that name, became the University of Chicago's legendary Professor of Geology. Bretz, when fortyish, under took to explain the origin of what he called the 'channeled scablands' around Spokane, Washington. To explain the mystery, Bretz adopted T. C. Chamberlin's 'Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses', marshalling every hypothesis that he or others could devise, then going out in the field to look for features that negated them. One negation, and that hypothesis was discarded. Amazingly, every hypothesis failed, if based on Geology's revered dictum of 'Uniformitarianism', namely, the 'present is the key to the past.' Left standing was what he himself called an 'outrageous hypothesis'. The channeled scablands had been formed by a flood of a magnitude never before witnessed on Earth! Geologists, particularly those from the U. S. Geological Survey, attacked Bretz and his sacred-cow-slaying theory to the extent that Bretz nearly suffered a nervous breakdown. From James Gilluly the words "preposterous", "incompetent" and "wholly inadequate" crackled in the air. Bretz challenged the doubters to go into the field and check for themselves. This fell on deaf ears until finally Gilluly did what Bretz asked. After that Gilluly had the grace to say of himself: "How could anybody have been so wrong?" Aerial photos of Mars, taken in 1971 by the Mariner 9 spacecraft were identical to aerial photos taken of the channeled scablands. Bretzian floods had once occurred on Mars! in 1979 the farm boy from Michigan received the Geological Society of America's highest award the Penrose Medal. Still feisty at 97, he complained all his enemies were dead. There was no one to gloat over. And why have I told you this? Bretz was my hero. In 1939 as a 19-year-old freshman I took Bretz's course in geology and found his presentation so fascinating that I changed my major from English to geology. And while I was a soldier overseas, he was the only professor who wrote letters to me. Moreover even while I was a freshman he predicted I'd be a famous geologist and I've tried to live up to that prediction (not in geology but in mineralogy). F. Donald Bloss Alumni Distinguished Professor Emeritus Geosciences, Virginia Tech

A Good Look at A Rebel

Soennichsen has brought Mr. Bretz alive. The other excellent books about Bretz talk in detail about what he did, but the author completes the circle. Even if this is your first book about Bretz, you will come away with a good understanding of Bretz's work. I heartily recommend this book. Bob Bushnell

Gives the reader a solid understanding of the event, and of the man who unraveled the mystery

Author Soennichsen brings to this work both the science of a significant geologic event and his considerable skills as a biographer. The result is a captivating account of J. Harlan Bretz's lifelong determination to convince a doubting scientific establishment that one of the postulates of their field was in error - that the earth's physical condiditon today could result at least in part from a catclysmic event, rather than only from predictable slow processes. While I knew the story of the event well from other readings (particularly David Alt), Soennichsen brought to me the character of the man who withstood the barbs and arrows of doubt and lived to see vindication.