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Bretz’s Flood: The Remarkable Story of a Rebel Geologist and the World’s
Greatest Flood
By John Soennichsen The Riddle of the Scablands: The land between Idaho and the Cascade Mountains in Eastern Washington is characterized by dramatic coulees, gullies, and deserts; it is a wholly unique place on Earth. J Harlen Bretz was the geologist to answer the riddle of how this land came to be. Conventional scientific thinking held that the scabland region was formed gradually over millions of years. Bretz recognized that the region’s bizarre formations and geologic oddities didn’t conform to the patterns shaped gradually over time. Instead the scablands could only be caused by a sudden rush of an unprecedented volume of water. Scientists decried his views even as they refused to visit the scablands for themselves and Bretz suffered various forms of public and academic humiliation for decades. Meticulously researched and delivered in stunning prose, Bretz’s Flood brings to life the dramatic story of how the channeled scablands came to be and how one man persevered against the odds to change the course of geologic history. Praise for Bretz’s Flood "John Soennichsen puts a face on the Northwest’s geologic Darwin, painting J Harlen Bretz as a character dogged enough to do the detective work, stubborn enough to fight the establishment for decades, and visionary enough to see the landscape as it was truly formed." --Jack Nisbet, author of Sources of the River "Having become familiar with the Bretz story over many years, I have come to consider him one of my heroes, whose picture hangs on my living room wall. Mr. Soennichsen has honored him with an outstanding, detailed biography, which I'm sure would have given Bretz great pleasure, were he here to read it." --Charlie Mason, IAFI member, author, tour guide "As a founding member of the IAFI, I have read and have copies of all the books and videos on the floods story. It was great to read about Bretz life from the viewpoint of his children and folks that knew of his trials and tribulations. It is written very interestingly. It is a great book for anyone interested in the Ice Age Floods story." --Jim Pritchard, IAFI member "When J Harlen Bretz first visited the rugged Martian-like landscape of eastern Washington in the early 1920s he reached a conclusion he did not want to reach: that a flood of biblical proportions was the likely explanation for the terrain surrounding him. The hypothesis flew in the face of the prevailing geological paradigm of the time which insisted that the earth’s landforms were created by slow and steady processes. But the field evidence was irrefutable and with no better explanation Bretz stood his ground. Shunned by the geological establishment for decades, Bretz’s theory of a catastrophic flood was finally accepted with the advent of satellite imagery in the mid-seventies which provided a big enough view of the terrain to be able to finally see in one fell swoop the braided channels and giant ripple mark--features typical of a water-formed landscape but on a magnificent scale. In this well told story, John Soennichsen weaves together a richly detailed tapestry of Bretz’s life and his renegade theory with all the trappings of a Hollywood movie: a reluctant hero, a loyal and supportive wife, the dogged determination to stand up to the establishment, and eventual vindication--all set against the backdrop of one of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet." --Sylvie White, IAFI member "Most Floods enthusiasts are familiar with the outlines of Bretz's research career on the Ice Age Floods, but this book fills in rich detail on his long efforts and setbacks to gain acceptance for his work. And much of the new and interesting information about Bretz for many IAFI readers will be his life from childhood through graduate school, Bretz the teacher, Bretz in retirement, and views from his family." (See the Winter 2009 Pleistocene Post for full review.) --Scott Waichler, IAFI member
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