Bretz's Flood Theory Earned Vindication

American geologist J Harlen Bretz endured decades of ridicule after arguing in 1923 that a catastrophic Ice Age flood had carved the Channeled Scablands of eastern Washington. Researchers eventually identified glacial Lake Missoula as the flood's source, while open-channel hydraulics research and NASA satellite images further vindicated his theory in the 1970s. In 1979, the Geological Society of America awarded the 96-year-old Bretz its highest honor, the Penrose Medal. He told his son, "All my enemies are dead, so I have no one to gloat over."

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