The Canyons of the world

In the state of Washington, there is a large area called the Scablands. The area received this name because it is mostly a large barren area of solid rocks.
This area have many channels and canyons. Some o these canyons are hundreds of feet deep and extend over fifteen miles in length.
The standard thought was these channels and canyons formed was by long process. Rivers running through the Scablands formed these formations. J Harlan Bretz argued for a catastrophic even as the cause of the many channels and canyons. However, when invited to speak by the Geological Society of Washington D.C, his idea was rejected and ridicule because all the geologists agreed that it requires a long and slow process.
After J Harlan Bretz's presentation at the Geological Society. Every person express their disapproval.
A field trip in 1952 by geologists explained in a major change of opinion. The evidence observed by those geologists appeared in two major publication. Both articles produced arguments in favor of Bretz's original claim of catastrophic formation of the channels in the Scablands.
It required 15 more years until the geologists accepted the idea that canyons can be formed by catastrophic events in a short period. The long ages are not necessary for Scablands.