In part one of this article, a
reference to laboratory experiments
that falsify the consensus view of
sediment deposition mentioned that
fossil ages could not be reliably
determined based on the so-called
"geologic column." The geologic
column is defined as a series of
depositional layers that form a
chronological sequence. It is also
called the "stratigraphical column."
Considering the position of
fossils in rock strata, the
following sequence is generally
accepted:
ERA |
PERIOD |
EPOCH |
END DATE IN MILLION YEARS |
Quaternary |
|
Holocene |
|
|
|
Pleistocene |
|
Tertiary (Cenozoic) |
|
Pliocene |
2 |
|
|
Miocene |
|
|
|
Oligocene |
|
|
|
Eocene |
|
|
Jurassic |
|
135 |
|
Triassic |
|
190 |
Primary (Paleozoic) |
Permian |
|
225 |
|
Carboniferous |
|
280 |
|
Devonian |
|
345 |
|
Silurian |
|
395 |
|
Ordovician |
|
440 |
|
Cambrian |
|
500 |
|
Precambrian |
|
570 |
Thus, the extinction of the
dinosaurs is said to have taken
place over 135 million years ago.
However, the popular notion that the
geologic column represents vast
periods of time is being questioned
by a number of geologists who
realize that it most likely results
from a series of catastrophic
events.
Nicolaus Steno is often said to
be the father of geology. His
"principle of superposition"
influences geologists to this day,
even though it was formulated in the
late 1600s. In many ways it seems to
be completely straight forward, but
only now is it recognized that it
was not based on experiments but on
field observation.
"At the time when any given
stratum was being formed, all the
matter resting upon it was fluid,
and, therefore, at the time when the
lower stratum was being formed, none
of the upper strata existed."
In February 2000, Guy Berthault
wrote
a paper in which he
described several experiments that
analyzed the hydraulic processes
involved with sedimentary layering.
His conclusions were subsequently
published in Lithology and
Mineral Resources,
Vol. 37, No. 5. Under conditions of
constant flow rate and a continuous
supply of particles, he discovered
that a mixture of coarse and fine
particles would separate into thin
laminations.
Material flowing through a flume
under simulated flood conditions
created a downstream deposit that
sorted into several horizontal
strata that continued to build up on
the advancing face. The unusual
aspect to the deposition of
particles is that each layer was
composed of laminations younger than
those farther back. Rather than top
stratum being younger than the
bottom, all strata were deposited
simultaneously in a horizontal
fashion. As the paper states:
"Superposed strata are not,
therefore, necessarily identical to
successive sedimentary layers."
Another problem with the
superposed strata theory is speed of
erosion. The current weathering rate
for the continental shelves is
thought to be six centimeters per
thousand years. Therefore, in less
than 10 million years today's
continental shelves will erode away.
The difficulty with that assessment
is that sediments hundreds of
millions of years old are on top of
all the continental shelves. How can
this be when that material should
have all washed away in the Cenozoic
era?
Since rock layers are often dated
by the type of fossil contained
within them, and experiments reveal
that the deposition of sediments
containing pre-fossil skeletons can
no longer be based on the principle
of superposition, then rock layers
can no longer be dated in that way.
Another problem with gradualism
in geology is the radiometric dating
of rocks. Rocks are typically dated
using the principle of constant
radioactive isotope decay rates and
an assumption of the estimated
original isotope ratios. The oldest
rocks are dated using the
uranium/lead half-life ratios.
When rocks form, they contain a
certain percentage of elements.
Zircon contains uranium and thorium
atoms, but no lead. Therefore, the
assumption is that all the lead in
zircon must be radiogenic. This idea
depends on a uniform, gradual
process free of sudden alteration.
If the decay rates of various
elements can be altered by external
influences, then the percentage
formulae that indicate a sample's
age are unreliable.
"There has been in recent years
the horrible realization that
radiodecay rates are not as constant
as previously thought, nor are they
immune to environmental influences.
And this could mean that the atomic
clocks are reset during some global
disaster, and events which brought
the Mesozoic to a close may not be
65 million years ago but, rather,
within the age and memory of man."
Fred Jueneman, FAIC, Industrial
Research & Development, p.21,
June 1982.
A foundation of Electric Universe
theory is the flow of electricity
through space and the catastrophic
influence it had on planets and
moons in the recent past. Whatever
phenomenon it was, within the
recorded history of humanity a great
cataclysm engulfed the Earth.
Canyons were blasted out, mountains
raised, ocean basins shifted, and
great swathes of plants, animals,
and people obliterated in the blink
of an eye.
Those enormous energies, the
rearrangement of the topography, and
the intense radiation make it
impossible to assign any measure of
antiquity. Repeated and rapid
sedimentation that hardened to stone
in mere minutes, fossilizing its
burden of organic detritus, means
that what is visible on the surface
might be the same age as what lies
beneath.
Stephen Smith
Hat tip to Mel Acheson
New
DVD
The Lightning-Scarred
Planet Mars
A video documentary that could
change everything you thought you
knew about ancient times and
symbols. In this second episode of
Symbols of an Alien Sky, David
Talbott takes the viewer on an
odyssey across the surface of Mars.
Exploring feature after feature of
the planet, he finds that only
electric arcs could produce the
observed patterns. The high
resolution images reveal massive
channels and gouges, great mounds,
and crater chains, none finding an
explanation in traditional geology,
but all matching the scars from
electric discharge experiments in
the laboratory. (Approximately 85
minutes)
Video Selections
Order Link