Oil and Coal Do NOT Require Millions of Years to Form

Posted in Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on May 13th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

(Picture credit www.changingworldtech.com)
Evolutionists and other various Deep Time advocates believe that oil and coal require millions of years to form … but they don’t. They just require the right conditions. Consider the following recent article …

Nuclear microprobe analysis of artificial coal

Alan M. Bailey, William A. Hollerman, Rudolph Gibbs, Arthur D. Cohen, Gary A. Glass, Shelly F. Hynes, Justin Fournet and Richard Greco

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, Volume 189, Issues 1-4, April 2002, Pages 418-420
Department of Geology, University of Louisiana at Lafayette – 70504-4530, Lafayette, LA, USA, Acadiana Research Laboratory, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, P.O. Box 44210, Lafayette, LA 70504-4210, USA, Department of Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina – 29208, Columbia SC, USA

Abstract
An artificially coalified Taxodium peat was used to examine the behavior of inorganic constituents in terrestrial organic matter during the early coalification process. The artificial coal is produced by subjecting the peat to incremental increases in temperature up to 60 °C and pressures to 14.48 MPa over a four-week period in a partially open reactor.

4 weeks, folks. That’s all it takes given the right conditions. Read more »

Lake Suigetsu: No Help for Old Earthers

Posted in Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on April 11th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

Lake Suigetsu is a small lake in Japan which is often used by Old Earth believers to try to disprove the Young Earth timescale. They say that Lake Suigetsu has a continuous record of varves (fine laminations deposited annually) in the sediment below the lake for the last 100,000 years or so. Here’s Glenn Morton’s description of Lake Sugetsu. One person I debated recently claimed that Lake Suigetsu disproves the Book of Genesis as a historical record. But does it really? Or is this just one more false claim put forth by anti-creationists?

We cannot say for sure yet, but it’s looking like yet another false claim. I have now been investigating Lake Suigetsu off and on since June 2007 and I have discovered some very fascinating stuff. For instance …

1) INCREASING RECOGNITION THAT MANY “VARVES” ARE NOT ANNUAL LAMINATIONS AFTER ALL.

“It is very unfortunate from a sedimentological viewpoint that engineers describe any rhythmically laminated fine-grained sediment as ‘varved.’ There is increasing recognition that many sequences previously described as varves are multiple turbidite sequences of graded silt to clay units … without any obvious seasonal control on sedimentation.”
Quigley, R. M, Glaciolacustrine and glaciomarine clay deposition: a North American perspective; in: Eyles, N., editor, Glacial geology—an introduction for engineers and earth scientists, Pergamon Press, New York, p. 151, 1983.

Read more »

Could Creationist Walt Brown be Right About Comets?

Posted in Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on February 25th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

“Comets are literally out of this world. As the flood began, the extreme pressure in the interconnected subterranean chambers and the power of supercritical water exploding into the vacuum of space launched about 50,000 comets, totaling less than 1% of the water in the chambers.” –Dr. Walter Brown, Creationist

“Scientists were stunned to find a huge range of minerals in the particles captured by NASA’s Stardust probe as it swooped past the comet Wild 2 on 2 January 2004. Many of the compounds could only have formed close to a star [Ed. like deep under the surface of the earth?]— far from the chilly outskirts of the Solar System where the comet first coalesced.” –Nature 440, 260 (16 March 2006) (See below)

Dr. Walter Brown is somewhat of a contrarian creationist … that is, he doesn’t subscribe to the ICR/AIG theory of the Flood of Noah, which currently is Dr. John Baumgardner’s Catastrophic Plate Tectonics (CPT). He has his own theory called the Hydroplate Theory and the parts I’ve studied seem to make a lot of sense, including his comet theory, given this new “stunning” information about high temperature minerals in comets. You can read an overview of his theory online HERE. One interesting part of his theory is his belief that comets originated in the “Fountains of the Deep” (Genesis 7:11), contra to the mainstream view of the Oort Cloud Theory. Read more »

The Budding Discipline of Geomythology

Posted in Biblical, Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on February 4th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

noahsark_meister_150.jpgMyths are not the only records that scientists should take notice of. They should also take notice of one of the most carefully recorded and transmitted collection of records on the planet — the collection of documents we now call “The Holy Bible.”

There’s a new scientific discipline out there called “Geomythology.” What is it? And how does it work? Here’s the article that alerted me to it … “Tracking Myth to Geological Reality” …

Science 4 November 2005:
Vol. 310. no. 5749, pp. 762 – 764
DOI: 10.1126/science.310.5749.762

Tracking Myth to Geological Reality

Kevin Krajick*

Once dismissed, myths are winning new attention from geologists who find that they may encode valuable data about earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and other stirrings of the earth

More and more geoscientists are willing to combine their work with such stories these days, in a budding discipline called geomythology. Read more »

World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind

Posted in Creation/Evolution on January 26th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

This interview happened late last year but I think it’s worth bringing up again. Notice at the end of this paragraph that Flew says it was the evidence that changed his mind. Theists like me are often accused of ignoring the evidence and clinging to our cherished beliefs in spite of the evidence. But the truth is that it is the atheists that behave this way. Someone has said that it takes much more faith to be an atheist than a theist and this is true. Here’s an extract from the interview with Flew …

“There were two factors in particular that were decisive [in changing my mind]. One was my growing empathy with the insight of Einstein and other noted scientists that there had to be an Intelligence behind the integrated complexity of the physical Universe. The second was my own insight that the integrated complexity of life itself – which is far more complex than the physical Universe – can only be explained in terms of an Intelligent Source. I believe that the origin of life and reproduction simply cannot be explained from a biological standpoint despite numerous efforts to do so. With every passing year, the more that was discovered about the richness and inherent intelligence of life, the less it seemed likely that a chemical soup could magically generate the genetic code. The difference between life and non-life, it became apparent to me, was ontological and not chemical. The best confirmation of this radical gulf is Richard Dawkins’ comical effort to argue in The God Delusion that the origin of life can be attributed to a “lucky chance.” If that’s the best argument you have, then the game is over. No, I did not hear a Voice. It was the evidence itself that led me to this conclusion.
http://www.tothesource.org/10_30_2007/10_30_2007.htm

Comet or Meteor Impact Around the Time of the Flood?

Posted in Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on January 21st, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

Landsat Data Used in Chevron Discovery
Contributor: USGS (The Landsat Project Update)
Posted: Feb. 20, 2007
The chevrons are found within the red circles on this Landsat 7 image.

Recently a landform called a chevron was noted on a Landsat 7 image of Madagascar. These chevrons may have been formed by a mega-tsunami produced 4,800 years ago by a meteorite or comet impact with the Indian Ocean. I have included a close up Google Earth photo of the chevron on the left in the Landsat photo. madagascar_chevron.jpg You can type in the coordinates in Google Earth and go there yourself and investigate.

Discover Magazine (2007)article on this topic … “Did a Comet Cause the Great Flood?

New York Times (2006) article on this topic … “Ancient Crash, Epic Waves

This is very interesting to me because I have noted for some time how the work of Henry Morris and other neo-catastrophists has had the effect of pushing mainstream geologists ever closer to reconsidering the Global Flood as a starting point for all inquiries in historical geology.

It is also interesting because of my interest in Dr. Walter Brown’s Hydroplate Theory which postulates a catastrophic bursting open of the Fountains of the Deep. Brown says that comets and asteroids were launched during this time. Did some of them “return home” shortly after or during the Flood? Read more »

Creationism on the Rise in the UK

Posted in Creation/Evolution on January 17th, 2008 by dhawkinsmo

scicreationism.jpg“Experts call for creationism in the classroom

Anthea Lipsett
Friday October 5, 2007
EducationGuardian.co.uk

Growing numbers of pupils believe in creationism, and science teachers should be prepared to cover the topic in their classes, education experts said today.

Creationism – the belief that life came into existence thousands of years ago as described in the Bible or the Qur’an, rather than millions of years ago, which scientists believe – is on the rise in the UK.

This makes the teaching of the scientific theory of evolution a problem in some schools.

But academics from the Institute of Education in London and Valdosta State University in the US say the theory of evolution should be taught as a significant part of science lessons, with room to discuss creationism.”

Full story here … http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2184632,00.html Thanks, Dr. Monty White of AiG and others! Your work is paying off.

Mudstone: Geologists Should Have Read Morris and Whitcomb First

Posted in Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on December 26th, 2007 by dhawkinsmo

“The entire [Biblical] account plainly yields the inference that tremendous quantities of earth and rock must have been excavated by the waters of the Flood … and the materials that were eroded must eventually have been redeposited somewhere, and necessarily in stratified layers, such as we find everywhere around the world today in the great sedimentary rock systems.” –Henry Morris & John Whitcomb, The Genesis Flood, 1961, p. 123.

“Many ancient shale units, once examined carefully, may thus reveal that they accumulated in the manner illustrated here, [in moving water] rather than having largely settled from slow-moving or still suspensions. This, in turn, will most likely necessitate the reevaluation of the sedimentary history of large portions of the geologic record. Elucidating the mechanisms of mudstone deposition not only helps to better understand the rock record but also benefits hydrocarbon exploration, hydrogeology, and coastal and shelf engineering.” — Schieber et al., December 2007

Wow. How did a hydraulic engineer and a theologian know that mudstone was deposited in moving water 46 years ago, but mainstream geologists are just now realizing it? Simple. They realized that the Genesis Record is an accurate record of history after all. And they realized that the reasons people reject the account of the Genesis Flood are often philosophical, not scientific.  So Morris & Whitcomb studied the evidence and wrote a book explaining scientifically how the account of the Flood is true. Now, after much educational effort on the part of organizations like ICR and AIG, mainstream geologists are slowly coming back around to catastrophism as an explanation for the geologic record. Also, critics like Glenn Morton who say that “ICR theories on oil formation were useless to actual oil exploration” are mistaken. Creationist theories could actually enhance oil exploration and provide new ideas about where to find it as this recent article from the leading journal Science makes clear. Just think how advanced our geologic knowledge would be if all geologists would have read The Genesis Flood as part of their graduate programs!

Science 14 December 2007:
Vol. 318. no. 5857, pp. 1760 – 1763

Accretion of Mudstone Beds from Migrating Floccule Ripples

Juergen Schieber,1* John Southard,2 Kevin Thaisen1

Mudstones make up the majority of the geological record. However, it is difficult to reconstruct the complex processes of mud deposition in the laboratory, such as the clumping of particles into floccules. Using flume experiments, we have investigated the bedload transport and deposition of clay floccules and find that this occurs at flow velocities that transport and deposit sand. Deposition-prone floccules form over a wide range of experimental conditions, which suggests an underlying universal process. Floccule ripples develop into low-angle foresets and mud beds that appear laminated after postdepositional compaction, but the layers retain signs of floccule ripple bedding that would be detectable in the rock record. Because mudstones were long thought to record low-energy conditions of offshore and deeper water environments, our results call for reevaluation of published interpretations of ancient mudstone successions and derived paleoceanographic conditions. Read more »

Glenn Morton: Mistaken Critic of Young Earth Creationists?

Posted in Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on December 18th, 2007 by dhawkinsmo

WHY SHOULD BURROWS CA– USE A PROBLEM FOR THE YEC/DILUVIALIST VIEW?

Glenn Morton is a professional geophysicist who is involved in oil exploration for major oil companies. He is also a former YEC (Young Earth Creationist) who has had fairly high level contact with prominent YEC scientists such as John Baumgardner, John Morris, Steve Austin and others. At some point, Mr. Morton decided that the YEC view is wrong and he became an OEC and an outspoken critic of the YEC view. His criticism is quite vehement: he claims YECs are dishonest, hide data and are “cowards.” Here’s a typical example of his strong language …

“Yes, I will make more serious allegations about YEC leaders. I have challenged any of them to come here and debate with me one on one in the gym so that they won’t be swamped. Not one of them will do it. They are all cowards. They play you like a fiddle telling you nonsense and letting you and your fellows go out and take the heat for them. Baumgardner is the only one I have ever seen come out on very rare occasions. And this is only the second time I have seen it in 12 years. Why do you think these cowards huddle out of the light? Like cockroaches, they can’t stand the light of scientific data and so run for cover quickly when it comes their way.” http://www.theologyweb.com/campus/showpost.php?p=2168510&postcount=482

Read more »

Burrowing Shrimp and The Global Flood of Noah

Posted in Creation/Evolution, Genesis Flood on December 7th, 2007 by dhawkinsmo

“The preponderance of evidence favors the hypothesis that the [eight meter long] structures are escape burrows of animals that had colonized, or were concentrated in, the lag and were suddenly buried by the deposition of the massive sand.”–Journal of Paleontology (May, 1990). See 2nd citation next page.

Glenn Morton is a professional petroleum geologist and critic of Young Earth Creationists. He recently challenged Dr. John Baumgardner to explain Animal Burrows in the fossil record because Morton believes they present a great challenge to the YEC/Flood view. I don’t know if Dr. B will take the time to join Morton’s discussion, but I am. We have only just begun this discussion at TheologyWeb and it should be interesting. You can read what Morton says at this link … http://home.entouch.net/dmd/burrows.htm Morton says that “YECs have not addressed the burrow problem” but I found that they have indeed, if only recently. These pictures come from an article in the prestigious journal Science entitled “Supershrimp: Deep Bioturbation in the Strait of Canso, Nova Scotia,” (Science, Vol. 192, pp 790-791).This genus of shrimp, Axius, has been found in water almost 700 meters deep and digs very deep burrows (evidently greater than 3 meters), and can burrow very quickly (the animals are able to escape the dredge). The article says …

Although several square meters of bottom were excavated to a depth of 3 m, no live shrimp were recovered. The burrow systems are evidently deeper than 3 m, and the animals are able to escape the dredge by seeking lower levels. The dredge was used to remove the upper meter of sediment in several areas of high burrow concentration. Fresh sediment was then used to refill excavated areas. Overnight, burrows were reestablished in the same densities, and in approximately the same locations. (p. 791)

I found out about this article by reading prominent YEC author John Woodmorappe, “Are soft-sediment trace fossils (ichnofossils) a time problem for the Flood?,” (Journal of Creation 20(2) 2006, p. 113). In speaking of these shrimp, Woodmorappe says Read more »