J. T. Jutson: A Master of Synthesis

Abstract

John Thomas Jutson (1874–1959) spent most of his life as a practising solicitor in Melbourne. He studied the Victorian coast as a hobby in his later years, though he became known for his work on the Sydney shoreline and the proposal that different processes have simultaneously generated platforms at various levels. Between 1911 and 1918, however, Jutson had been employed as a field geologist by the Geological Survey of Western Australia. Drawing on the work of colleagues as well as his own brief field experiences, he produced an explanatory account of the Western Australian landscape that was published in 1914 and reprinted in revised form in 1934 and 1950. In his synthesis he discussed hitherto neglected arid zone landforms and processes. He presented evidence and argument pointing to the plateau and high plain that occupies so much of the interior of the State being a two-stage development. He attributed it to what would later be called etching, resulting in double planation at a regional scale. His innovative interpretations brought Jutson international recognition.