author
Clarence E. (Clarence Edward) Dutton
1841–1912
A Civil War veteran turned pioneering geologist, he helped transform the way Americans understood the landscapes of the West. His writing on places like the Grand Canyon is still remembered for combining sharp science with vivid, graceful description.
1 Audiobook
Report on the lands of the arid region of the United States, with a more detailed account of the lands of Utah
by John Wesley Powell, Willis Drummond, Clarence E. (Clarence Edward) Dutton, Grove Karl Gilbert, A. H. (Almon Harris) Thompson
About the author
Clarence Edward Dutton was an American geologist, seismologist, and U.S. Army officer, born in Wallingford, Connecticut, on May 15, 1841, and educated at Yale. He served in the Civil War before building a scientific career that became closely tied to the exploration of the American West.
He is especially known for his work with the U.S. Geological Survey and for influential studies of the Colorado Plateau, the Grand Canyon region, and volcanic landscapes in places such as Hawaii. He also helped develop and name the idea of isostasy, an important concept in geology about how the Earth's crust balances.
Beyond his scientific achievements, Dutton was admired for the quality of his prose. His books and reports stood out because they explained difficult geological ideas in clear, memorable language, making him one of the most distinctive scientific writers of his era.