Mon 24 May 99 8:26
Some might ask why I, as a Petroleum Geologist, get somewhat, well,
"upset" with our fundy brethren when they start spouting off about
such inanities as a "global flood", "young dinosaur fossils",
"polystrate trees", "eoliths" [see: 'Mantracks'] and other forms
of nescient idiocy.
I received a copy of this book from the National Academy of Sciences
in the mail the other day. A brief passage from the text succiently
states what I've always maintained:
"Nor is there any evidence that the entire geological record,
with its orderly succession of fossils, is the product of a single
universal flood that occurred a few thousand years ago, lasted a little
longer than a year, and covered the highest mountains to a depth of
several meters. On the contrary, intertidal and terrestrial deposits
demonstrate that at no recorded time in the past has the entire planet
been under water. Moreover, a universal flood of sufficient magnitude
to form the sedimentary rocks seen today, which together are many
kilometers thick, would require a volume of water far greater than has
ever existed on and in Earth, at least since the formation of the first
known solid crust about 4 billion years ago. The belief that Earth's
sediments, with their fossils, were deposited in an orderly sequence in
a year's time defies all geological observations and physical
principles concerning sedimentation rates and possible quantities of
suspended solid matter.
Geologists have constructed a detailed history of sediment
deposition that links particular bodies of rock in the crust of Earth
to particular environments and processes. If petroleum geologists could
find more oil and gas by interpreting the record of sedimentary rocks
as having resulted from a single flood, they would certainly favor the
idea of such a flood, but they do not. Instead, these practical
workers agree with academic geologists about the nature of depositional
environments and geological time. Petroleum geologists have been
pioneers in the recognition of fossil deposits that were formed over
millions of years in such environments as meandering rivers, deltas,
sandy barrier beaches, and coral reefs. The example of petroleum
geology demonstrates one of the great strengths of science. By using
knowledge of the natural world to predict the consequences of our
actions, science makes it possible to solve problems and create
opportunities using technology. The detailed knowledge required to
sustain our civilization could only have been derived through
scientific investigation."
- Reprinted with permission from Science and Creationism: A View from
the National Academy of Sciences, Second Edition. Copyright 1999 by
the National Academy of Sciences. Courtesy of the National Academy
Press, Washington, D.C.
Yeah. It's nice to be recognized in one's own lifetime.
... If you don't like Geology...Upper Jurassic!
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By: MARTY LEIPZIG
Pet. Geo. & Sci. Cre.
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