Joseph Pardee

Joseph Thomas Pardee (May 30, 1871, in Salt Lake City, Utah; † March 2, 1960, in Philipsburg, Montana) was a U.S. geologist who worked for the U.S. Geological Survey, and contributed to the understanding of the origin of the Channeled Scablands.

He discovered that when the dam broke, the water flowed towards the scablands, supporting J Harlen Bretz's theory of the cataclysmic floods.

After college he opened an assay office and operated a gold and sapphire mine, but a growing interest in geology led him to the USGS.

Joe Pardee spent most of his career on geology in the northwestern United States, with particular emphasis on Montana.

[1] His research in Montana helped to reveal how the Channeled Scablands in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington were created.