Location
Douglas Wilson Johnson
Years: 1878–1944 | Role: Geomorphologist | County: Harris
Topics
Description
A Columbia University professor and coastal geomorphology expert, Johnson was co-author with Wallace Pratt on a 1926 paper showing the mechanics of land subsidence along the Texas coastal plain due to extraction of oil, gas, and groundwater. He reasoned that fluid extraction led to dehydration and compaction of the “gumbo” clays, and then to surface subsidence. The insights by Johnson and Pratt underlay a key judicial finding and state statute. In State v. Humble Oil & Refining Co., Johnson provided the scientific testimony that subsidence in the Goose Creek oilfield was a man-made change due to pumping, allowing the company to keep title to the field even as it subsided into Tabbs Bay. Their research also underpinned the Legislature’s 1975 creation of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, leading to limits on groundwater withdrawals.
Location Notes
Bayland Park and Waterfront, at the mouth of Goose Creek, overlooking Tabbs Bay would be a fitting site for a marker honoring Johnson and his work understanding subsidence in the area.
Files
Bibliography
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Wallace E. Pratt and Douglas W. Johnson. “Local Subsidence of the Goose Creek Oil Field”, in The Journal of Geology, October-November 1926, Volume XXXIV, Number 7, Part 1, pp.577-590.
Archives
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Syracuse University, Douglas W. Johnson Papers – https://library.syracuse.edu/digital/guides/j/johnson_dw.htm