J Harlen Bretz[1] ( - ) est un géologue américain, principalement connu pour avoir suggéré et finalement démontré l'existence des Inondations de Missoula ainsi que pour ses travaux sur les grottes.
↑Bretz's daughter explains how he got his name. "He invented the Harlen thing, just as he had invented the J in front of his name--made the whole thing up. 'Harley Bretz' was his given name, but it just didn't ring a bell for him; maybe he didn't think it sounded professional enough." Says Bretz's daughter Rhoda Bretz Riley in the book Bretz's Flood page 12. Bretz's Flood, by John Soennichsen, published by Sasquatch Books Seattle, Copyright 2008 .