Walt Brown (creationist)

Walt Brown (born c. 1937) is an American young-Earth creationist author, engineer, and former military officer. He is best known for his "Hydroplate Theory," a pseudoscientific model he developed to explain various geological features and events, including the origin of the Grand Canyon, the ice age, and the formation of mountain ranges.

Brown holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and taught courses in mathematics, physics, and computer science at the United States Air Force Academy for several years. After retiring from the military, he dedicated himself to promoting creationism and his Hydroplate Theory.

Hydroplate Theory: Brown's Hydroplate Theory posits that before the biblical flood, the Earth had a thick layer of subterranean water located about a mile beneath the surface. He proposes that this water suddenly burst forth, causing a global flood of immense proportions. This event, according to Brown, carved out canyons, triggered the formation of ice sheets, and led to the rapid uplift of mountains. He believes that the Hydroplate Theory provides a better explanation for geological features than conventional geological models based on plate tectonics and gradual processes over millions of years.

Criticism: Brown's Hydroplate Theory has been widely rejected by the scientific community. It is considered pseudoscientific because it lacks empirical evidence, contradicts well-established scientific principles, and relies heavily on selective interpretation of data and biblical literalism. Geologists and other scientists point out numerous inconsistencies between the Hydroplate Theory and observed geological phenomena. They argue that the theory fails to account for the vast amount of energy required for such a catastrophic event, and that the geological record clearly indicates processes occurring over vast stretches of time, rather than a single, rapid event.

Publications: Brown is the author of the book In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood, which details the Hydroplate Theory and presents his arguments against mainstream scientific explanations for geological phenomena. He also maintains a website devoted to promoting his views.

Impact: While largely dismissed by the scientific community, Walt Brown's work has had an impact within some segments of the creationist community. His Hydroplate Theory is often cited as an alternative explanation for Earth's geological history and a challenge to the theory of evolution and the established timeline of Earth's age.