Geoscience Reports

Fall, 1981 No. 2

Geoscience Conducts European Field Conference

    The summer of 1981 marked a second phase of the international work of the Geoscience Research Institute. Though GRI efforts have always been for the world field (seven overseas lecture tours, extension classes and creation courses have been conducted since 1965), intensive personal contact with the entire GRI team at seminars, workshops and field conferences has been limited largely to those in North America. Thus this past summer's field conference in Europe for the Northern European Division (NED) displayed an expanding role for the Institute.
    The invitation to hold a field conference or teachers, pastors and administrators of the NED was given by Elder Walter Scragg, president of the division. The 50 participants represented over 14 countries. GRI staff members (Drs. Roth, Brown, Coffin and Tkachuck) as well as Dr. Leonard Brand, Chairman of Biology at Loma Linda University, provided lectures in areas of geology, radiometric dating, paleontology, and speciation. Elder Paul Gordon from the E. G. White Estate also presented materials on the nature of inspiration of the biblical record and the writings of Ellen White.

Geology Review

    The meetings began at Seminar Schloss Bogenhofen in Austria. In this quiet setting the introductory lectures provided a review of geology and an introduction to the structure of the magnificent and beautiful Austrian and Swiss Alps. Roth, who had spent part of the previous summer in Europe doing preparatory field work, presented evidence indicating tremendous uplift and movement of sedimentary and granitic rock over large distances in the Alps. The Alps are one of the most difficult and challenging geologic areas to explain, which causes some stress to the neophite but also emphasizes the tremendous forces at work within the earth. A field trip through parts of the Austrian Alps gave firsthand experience to these facts.
    After the short stay at Bogenhofen the group toured by bus through Switzerland to Seminare Adventiste du Saleve in Collonges, France. Several sites were visited along the way which displayed geologic features as well as evidences of a violent past.
    A stop at Zug, Switzerland illustrated the fact that some geologic events can occur quite rapidly. In the last century workmen were making a bank along the lake where the town is located. As work progressed, residents of some of the homes began to complain of flooding in their cellars. Before the problem was corrected, the bank gave way and a number of homes were washed into the lake in a large turbidity type of current. A few hours later a second similar flow broke free. This well-documented phenomenon displayed a widespread layer of sediment far into the lake. Not until the mid-1950s was it realized that such turbidity currents may be responsible for a significant portion of the geologic column.

Active Interchange

    At Collonges, lectures were directed to more specific topics such as reef formation, biblical chronology, vertebrate fossil record, speciation, biogeography, fossil forests etc. The GRI staff especially enjoyed the active interchange with the field conference participants.
    The highlight of the two-week seminar came at the conclusion with an extended field trip to Zermatt, site of the Matterhorn. In this area many significant geologic features can be seen. After taking a cog-rail train to the top of Gornergrat, the group was able to observe clear evidences of massive movement and collisions of huge land masses, the effects of glacial action and the results of erosion. A walk to the glacier below gave close-up views of an active glacier at work.
    In retrospect the GRI staff members were greatly encouraged by the aggressive attitudes displayed by the group towards learning new and sometimes difficult concepts.

 

Dutch Students Visit at GRI

    A chance encounter with Origins by two students from the Netherlands provided the stimulus for an exciting interchange. Tom Zoutewelle and Arjen van der Wolf, graduate students at the University of Utrecht, wanted to learn the state of creationism in America. Members of a conservative Protestant church, they are themselves creationists. With the approval of their major professor they were allowed to examine creationistic evidence as part of their course of study. For nearly four weeks they were on the Loma Linda campus talking with members of the LLU geology and biology programs and the GRI staff. A trip to the bottom of the Grand Canyon led by Arthur Chadwick (Biology department) was a highlight. The two men stayed in the homes of LLU faculty and GRI staff members. This arrangement gave much time for dialog. The friendships forged will do much to aid people on both sides of the Atlantic in their study of creationism.

 

Summer Field Course to Be Offered in 1982

    The western United States will serve as a classroom locality for the course Paleontological Interpretations. The course will be offered through Loma Linda University and is scheduled for August 23 to September 19, 1982.
    A few lectures will be given at Loma Linda but most of the course time will be spent at field localities of paleontological and geological interest. These include: the Permian "reef" of the Carlsbad Caverns area, the fossil forest and clastic features of the Front Range of the Rockies, the Yellowstone fossil forest, the Green River basin Dinosaur National Monument, coal deposits of the Price, Utah area, Monument Valley, features related to the formation of the Grand Canyon, as well as a number of paleontological and sedimentary features found around the Bryce and Zion National Parks areas. The trek will follow in general the localities visited by several of the Geoscience Field Conferences held in previous years.
    Several individuals will participate in the instruction of the course which is designed for advanced science students. A very limited number of visitors will be allowed to accompany the group. Interested persons should contact: Ariel A. Roth, Geoscience Research Institute, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California 92350.

 

Some Roses . . .

    I have just read the first issue of Geoscience Reports. I appreciate the recent news of changes at the GRI. Furthermore, I enjoyed reading Brand's reply to the anonymous student's letter.
    This newsletter is a welcomed addition to Origins in keeping us informed of events and issues related to the scientific study of creationism.
    Thank you for this service.

Joseph G. Galusha
Chairman, Department of Biological Sciences
Walla Walla College

    Please accept my congratulations on the appearance of Geoscience Reports. I found it full of interest and predict that it will do good things for the visibility and reputation of the Geoscience Research Institute.

Maurice Hodgen
Dean, Graduate School
Loma Linda University

    I just wanted to let you know how interested I was in your newsletter Geoscience Reports which arrived yesterday. For many years I have followed with interest, though afar off, the activities of the Geoscience Research Institute. I feel that this newsletter will help those of us who are interested in this aspect of the church's research. I found Dr. Brand's article "Proof or Evidence?" most enlightening as a way to approach a particular situation and seek to provide a scientific answer to a particular problem.

Walter R.L. Scragg
President, Northern European Division of SDA
St. Albans, Herts., ENGLAND

Errata

    Because of the omission of a line in the article in our last issue concerning Richard Tkachuck, it appeared that R. Tkachuck had three doctorates. Even though he wishes this were true, it is not. Only one was received — from UCLA, while five years of postdoctoral research were spent at Notre Dame and the University of Iowa.

 

Roth Speaks at Pacific Union Constituency

    Ten models for origins [published in ORIGINS 7 (2):71-86 (1980)] were presented by A.A. Roth at the Pacific Union Conference Constituency. The gathering, which is mainly for the transaction of Union Conference business, also provides an opportunity for ministers and teachers to upgrade their skills by attending seminars conducted by a variety of specialists. Two identical sessions on the models of origins were given to approximately 120 individuals. The seminar was marked by vigorous participation of the attendees. The intense interest in the problem of origins is probably the result of increased tension in the constituent's area of work, especially problems with interpreting inspiration in the context of modern scholarship. Roth believes the future will require more such seminars as these to fill the growing demand for information. While some recent interpretations in science are contrary to the biblical record, a significant number of new interpretations support it.

 

Handy Quick Reference Available

    Genesis and Geology is the title of a booklet published by the Review and Herald Publishing Association. This reprint of two chapters from the revised Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary contains much information which will aid the creationist in understanding the issues involved in the study of origins. It can also serve as a reference for non-creationists who wish to understand the creationist position.
    Written for the non-specialist, it covers topics such as the various theories of origins, the biochemical origin of life, problems in the fossil record, support for creation from the complexity of life, questions about radiometric dating, and how to look at both the Scriptures and science.
    A second section deals with the nature of the geologic record, geology and the flood, and areas of agreement and disagreement Several flood models are discussed.
    As an introduction to the creationist point of view, this booklet would be hard to beat. The cost is about $2, and copies can be obtained from the Review and Herald offices (Review and Herald Publishing Association, 6856 Eastern Avenue NW, Washington DC) or from a local Adventist Book Center.

 

Brown Visits New Cave

    When carbon-14 analysis was performed on a layer of bat guano in New Cave, New Mexico, it gave an infinite age. This finding brought into question the validity of biblical chronology. The conflict stimulated further study by R.H. Brown. The situation in New Cave presents some interesting problems. The modern discoverers of this cave found what appeared to be bat guano under the flowstone floor. First impressions in attempting to reconstruct the situation would lead one to conclude that the original cave floor was covered with bat guano to depths up to as great as over 20 feet; then a new floor was created when dissolved limestone leached out and covered this deposit with cap rock and speleothems. As mentioned above, the first samples that were analyzed 27 years ago showed undetectable carbon-14 activity. Supposed guano samples recently collected by Brown yielded a surprising result when examined for organic content and 13C/12C ratio. The material under the cap rock is not guano at all, but sediment that appears to have been deposited by washing and settling before being covered by cap rock.
    What appeared to present a unique problem for a short-chronology model for the history of organisms now appears to have a resolution on the basis of additional evidence.

 

Creation-Evolution Conflict Gains National Attention

In the public arena the interest in creation/evolution controversies waxes and wanes. The most celebrated confrontation occurred early in this century at the famous "Monkey Trial" in which the defendant John Scopes was tried for teaching evolution in a Tennessee high school. Defending creation was the well-known orator William Jennings Bryan, while Scopes' attorney was Clarence Darrow, the brilliant criminal lawyer. Even though Scopes was convicted (later reversed on technical grounds), the scorn and ridicule that attended the trial did much to force the creation movement underground, while the evolutionary ideas assumed a quiet dominance. There the situation remained until the early sixties when the conflict reappeared.

Textbooks Rewritten

    When the Sputnik launching caused fears that the Russians were academically and technically ahead of the United States, the U.S. government was forced to look at the science education programs in this country. Textbooks were examined and rewritten. In the biological series the rewriting updated the scientific material, stressing inquiry and the experimental approach to the science. In addition, other areas were emphasized, including sex education, anthropology, and evolution. Many parents who viewed these changes became alarmed when they realized that current educational philosophies were counter to ideas being taught at home. Although the anthropology question was not attacked until later, the areas of sex education and evolution stimulated much controversy.
    The conflict over evolution extended over several years and finally entered the higher levels of state government. At issue were the dogmatic statements that evolution is a fact. The conflict came to a head in 1972 with a ruling in California that evolution must be presented as a theory. Even though this ruling was made at the state level, it had a much wider impact. Textbook publishers realized that if they were to be competitive in the lucrative California market (the largest school system in the US), they would have to modify their texts. This they did, and while these changes rippled through the entire country, the creation/ evolution debate was temporarily subdued. The problem simmered vigorously on the back burner until about two years ago. Perhaps caused by, but surely coincident with, the conservative mood in the country, parents began questioning again the education and philosophies their children were receiving. Concomitant with this was an erosion of response to the 1972 California ruling, with evolution again presented in public schools as unassailable fact.

Sues State

    One concerned Californian, Kelly L. Segraves, sued the State on the behalf of his children. The case which was billed in the press as a Scopes II trial did not develop quite that way. To avoid a trial based upon the scientific merits of each side, the lines of argument were narrowly drawn. The first question at issue was, Does the teaching of only one theory of origins - evolution - constitute a violation of a child's freedom of religion? The U.S. Constitution requires that religion as indoctrination be banned from public schools, but it also states that the government must protect the free exercise of religion. Segraves contends that his children's rights were not being protected. The second question asked whether the 1972 guidelines had been enforced.

Witnesses Testify

    Prior to the narrow drawing of the legal issues, both sides presented the court with a list of expert witnesses who would defend their respective positions. The witnesses for the State (evolutionary) side included a Nobel laureate and the popular Carl Sagan of the Cosmos series on public television. Also included in the State's list were several theologians who were expected to testify that the biblical account was only myth and not reality.
    Depositions were taken and presented to the court. A.A. Roth, GRI director, was to have been called to witness for the plaintiffs.
    Judge Irving Perluss gave a split decision. On one hand, he ruled that the children's rights were not violated by the sole teaching of evolution, and yet he also ruled that the 1972 textbook decision must be upheld. Thus evolution must be taught as only a theory and not as a fact.
    Textbook publishers are responding to such legal decisions by significantly decreasing the amount of evolutionary theory presented within their texts.

Gives Keynote

    A more recent opportunity for the GRI to participate in public forum occurred when A.A. Roth was invited to give the keynote address at the Oregon House Education Committee hearing on House Bill 2633. Sponsored by Drew Davis and others of the Oregon House of Representatives, this bill attempted to expand the teaching of origins to include special creation as an alternative to evolution. At the hearing, speakers for creation and evolution presented their views. Some were thoughtful; others emotional. Roth testified that science should allow the free examination of all the issues, and that to limit alternatives is to limit truth. The hearing, which was televised, also drew a local audience of over 400 — the largest ever noted in that legislative session up to that time.

Church/State Separation

    Legislative actions such as the above have seldom aided the creationist cause. Most are struck down by the courts as infringing on the principle of church/state separation. The dilemma is a real one. It appears a fine line to tread. If one expresses the opinion that the earth may have been created by God, does this constitute a religious statement? The courts have mostly ruled yes.
    The scientific community until recently has viewed this revival of creationism as a troublesome insect to be swatted away; a nuisance, but of no lasting harm. This position has dramatically changed within the past year. Scarcely an issue of Nature or Science goes by without a letter to the editor, a news note, or some commentary on the rise of creationism. Popular articles denouncing creationism have appeared in such journals as Science 81 and Discover. The threat posed by the creationist philosophy is also being felt in the editorials of several geological journals. Even the weekly news magazines have had features. Rumors are rampant. Some say that if government funds are given for evolutionary research, equal funds for creation research must be provided. The situation is presently confused by the hue and cry from both sides.
    This controversy is fascinating to follow. Using Revelation 14:7 (where God asks men to worship Him as creator) as a major statement concerning the end time, some view the present conflict with great interest. Whether this will be a cyclic phenomena is too early to tell. Roth, in musing over the recent controversies, stated that there have always been cycles of interest, but the intensity of the present situation is greater than any previous one.

 

Research Grants Awarded

    The GRI funded seven research grants for the year 1981. Total grant awards amounted to $10,000. A listing below shows a wide diversity of research areas.

HPB Vertical and lateral radiometric date trends in Fossil Butte of Green River Shale
K. Nick and
HPB		 Depositional rates and environments in Stewart Valley, Nevada
M. Arct and
A.V. Chadwick		 Tree ring sequence in Yellowstone Fossil Forest
G. R. Tatum and
R. D. Tkachuck		 Temperature program for HPLC amino acid analyzer
A.V. Chadwick and
S. Barnett		 Stratigraphy of the Kentucky No. 12 coal
L. Brand Vertebrate taphonomy
J. F. Stout Reproductive isolation in crickets

    With the exception of Dr. J. F. Stout of Andrews University, all the applicants were from Loma Linda University. This represents an application bias and not a granting one, as no applications from other institutions were received. It is strongly hoped that interested persons at other institutions will apply for the upcoming granting period. For more information, see below.

 

GRI Research Grant Applications Due

    Research grants up to several thousand dollars are available from the Geoscience Research Institute on a competitive basis. Each year, the GRI sponsors study by qualified individuals outside the Institute. Research topics must have a direct bearing on some problem in the creation/evolution controversy. Proposals for philosophical, biblical hermeneutics, or scientific work are equally acceptable.
    Sponsorship may involve assistance with the costs of conceptual development, literature search, laboratory investigation, field studies, and publication. Awards are made by the GRI Board of the basis of recommendations from review committees that have been selected for technical competence.

 

WE NEED YOUR HELP

    The GRI is planning a conference on origins for Adventist university students attending secular campuses. Names and addresses of graduate and undergraduate students studying in the areas of geology and biology are desired. If you know of such, please contact us at GRI with the above information so that we may get in touch with them.
    Send information to:

Richard Tkachuck
Geoscience Research Institute
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA 92350

 

BRISCO Meets at Mt. St. Helens

    A picture may be worth a thousand words, but personal observation must be worth at least a thousand pictures. Such were the sentiments of many members of BRISCO as they flew over the devastated area caused by the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. BRISCO (Biblical Research Institute, Science Council) is a study group that meets yearly to present papers dealing with problems in science and biblical interpretations as they relate to origins. Because the meeting site is chosen for geologic interest, Mt. St. Helens, with its recent eruption, was an obvious choice.
    As the small Cessnas bumped their way over the edge of the crater, one could see an ugly mass that had grown at its floor. One tends to use emotional words when describing the site, but "huge," "fantastic," "incredible" and many other words failed to describe the enormity of the site. The blowdown area revealed what seemed an orderly array of matchsticks all nicely arranged in linear patterns. It was difficult to realize that these were mature trees which were knocked over in an instant with the shockwave. Observations from the air as well as a drive along the Tuttle River revealed the large amount of debris that flowed to the sea. Mud marks several times higher than a car along the side of the road were silent reminders of the enormous amount of material that flowed by. Destroyed homes and personal property were also seen. All reminded the observers of the tremendous power in nature.
    Between visits to the devastated area, the BRISCO participants heard papers on a variety of subjects ranging from biblical hermeneutics and archaeology to problems in speciation and the geologic record.
    Comments on papers provided an opportunity for the various authors to have their positions critically examined. Some presentations sought advice on research methods and directions. Other papers were continuations of studies started in previous years.
    Eventually, the material will surface in publications within the church and in professional journals. BRISCO makes a serious attempt to insure that a diversity of views are presented and evaluated.

 

New Research Instrument Purchased

    Extremely small amounts of amino acids and related compounds can be analyzed by a new high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system recently acquired by the GRI. This instrument makes possible easy detection of quantities of amino acids at the picogram level (1 picogram = 10-12 grams). Such sensitivity allows one to examine small amounts of sample. The apparatus was assembled by Richard Tkachuck while visiting the laboratory of Ed Hare at the Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institute in Washington DC. Hare, an early developer of this technology, has refined the system to its present sensitivity. Although similar commercial instruments are available, building the apparatus from component parts represents substantial savings and increased versatility.
    A unique feature of the instrument's system enables one to take it into the field and perform analyses at the site of collection. A small microprocessor calculates the data and allows immediate analysis of the sample.
    In studying the problems associated with speciation rates, it is necessary to have a means of rapidly screening biological samples to detect the metabolic changes which Tkachuck is seeking. This instrument meets the critical need in his research program.

 

Geology Degree Offered at LLU

    Already in its second year, a geology program that will be certain to attract many students is being offered by Loma Linda University. Because of the intensive search for petroleum and vital minerals, the number of positions available in geology, according to Geotimes, is greater than the supply. Thus a person majoring in geology is almost certainly assured of a position after graduation. The LLU program has three full-time staff as well as several part-time faculty. Current full-time staff are HPB, Ph.D., Knut Andersson (who is completing his doctoral work), and Lanny Fisk, Ph.D. Because of the newness of this program, not many academy and college students know of this option available to them. Readers of this newsletter should feel free to disseminate this information to potentially interested students. For further information, write to:

Dr. Lanny H. Fisk, Coordinator
Geology Program
Loma Linda University
Riverside, CA 92515

 

Pre-GSA Gathers in Indiana

    Over 40 individuals attended the Seventh-day Adventist pre-GSA meetings which were held from October 30-November 1 at the SDA youth camp near Spencer, Indiana. The group consisting of SDA scientists and others interested in the question of origins participated in discussion periods, religious services, fellowship, and field trips to the richly fossiliferous limestones of southern Indiana.
    In recent years, prior to attending the annual meetings of the Geological Society of America, a group of SDA scientists has met to discuss questions of geological and paleontological interest. Next year the meetings will be held in the vicinity of New Orleans, Louisiana. An individuals interested in attending should contact the Geoscience Research Institute for further information.

 

A Question About Varves

A concerned person has queried about varves [cyclic annual sedimentary deposits in quiet waters that display themselves as thin lines in the stratigraphic record]. Varves sometimes occur in sequences of many thousands, thus suggesting many thousands of years for deposition. Excerpts from a reply by Drs. Roth and Brown follow.

    The varve question is an important one as you suggest. To us the most serious question is the apparent correlation between some varve sequences and carbon-14 dates (e.g., Lake of the Clouds; Anthony 1977, Limnology and Oceanography 22:45-54). We suspect that both are wrong. We shall discuss with you some of the problems with varves.
    One of the most impressive series of varves is the Green River Shale of the western United States. Here are thousands of feet of varves, some of them only 0.1 mm thick. Estimates of 4,000,000 to many times that number of varves for the Shale have been made. Well-preserved fossil fish are found among these fine varves. Some of the fish are several feet long and several inches thick; most are smaller. It would take more than 1000 years to cover some of these fish at the rate of 0.1 mm/ year. Since dead fish normally disintegrate in a few weeks, there is no possibility that those "varves" were deposited on a yearly basis to cover up and preserve the fish. The fish would have long disintegrated before preservation. Anoxic (absence of oxygen) conditions have been postulated to preserve the fish for a longer period, but the presence of bottom dwelling catfish (Buchheim and Surdam 1977, Fossil catfish and the deposititional environment of the Green River Formation, Wyoming, Geology 5:196-198) seems to preclude an anoxic environment for the Green River Shale. The scientific data seem to be stating that these are not true annual varves.

C-14 Shortens Time

    Impressive glacial varve sequences have been worked out in Europe and North America, and by correlating one sequence with another, very long periods of time have been postulated. It seems evident that correlation is somewhat subjective, for after the development of C-14 dating, some correlations were revised to produce shorter dates that would agree with C-14 dating. Flint (Glacial and Quaternary Geology, 1971, p. 406) mentions Antev's work in North America which proposed a 28,000-year varve sequence which according to C-14 dating should have ended a little more than 10,000 years ago.
    A test that was conducted a few years ago on the rate of varve formation in the Walensee of Switzerland demonstrated that the rate of formation averaged more than 2 per year. Sometimes 5 per year were formed (see Lambert and Hsu, 1979, Non-annual cycles of varve-like sediment in Walensee, Switzerland, Sedimentology 26:453-461). This paper suggests that the varves in Lake Zurich are annual. How ever, Giovanoli (1979, Geophysical Research Letters 6:2 3 3 -2 3 5) questions this.
    Vogel (1970, in Ingrid U. Olsson, ed., Radiocarbon Variations and Absolute Chronology, pp. 313-325) questions the correlation between radiocarbon and some varves. According to him, either there is too little C-14 or there are too few varves. The discrepancy may be as great as a factor of 2. Henrik Tauder [(1980), quoting from a discussion reported in Radiocarbon 22(2): 1991 states, "The Swedish varve chronologies are increasingly uncertain about the absolute scale precision of the Late Glacial Swedish varve chronology. The varve dates quoted in my paper (1970), therefore, are considerably more uncertain than believed in 1970."
    You inquire about the possibility of subcycles to the annual pattern. We have examined some varves such as those of the Castille Formation of Texas and find that they are highly irregular in thickness and at least superficially do not seem to show a daily pattern as reflected in either a monthly (tidal) or yearly (seasonal) cycle. The pattern still could be there but masked by "noise." This could apply to a number of other similar sequences.
    This is the best information we can give you at present. The issue appears equivocal.
    Your interest and concern about this question is much understood and appreciated.

 

Largest Flying Fossil Bird Found

   Argentavis magnificens now holds the record for being the largest flying bird ever found. Discovered in Argentina in Miocene deposits, this mighty creature may have weighed 160-170 pounds and had a wingspan approaching 25 feet! To give a perspective of its size, an eagle with a wingspread of 8 feet would not even span one wing of this giant. Measuring about 11 feet from rip of beak to tip of tail, it would look a six-foot person in the eye while standing on the ground. Although ostriches and moas (a now extinct bird from the South Pacific) are taller and heavier, this large creature is thought to have been able to fly actively and probably soared much as present-day condors and eagles do. Bill structure implies that it was carnivorous in its habits. Belonging to a group of birds known as teratorns, A. magnificens is most similar to vultures in form. Its feathers are estimated to have been 6-7 inches wide and 5 feet long. Smaller species of teratorns have been found in California at the La Brea Tar Pits.

 

Science Teachers Convene for Creation Workshop

    A creation workshop for academy science teachers, conducted by the Geoscience Research Institute, was held at Mt. Ellis Academy in Bozeman, Montana, July 30 to August 15. Sixty-two participants, some from as far as Newfoundland and Bermuda, representing every union conference of North America were in attendance.
    The major objectives of the conference were 1) to acquaint the participants with current and valid research in creationism and 2) to relate science with the Bible in a sound and satisfactory way.
    A full schedule of lectures and discussions included such topics as the evidences for creation, flood modeling, rates of speciation, the age of the earth, dinosaurs, the origin and age of the Grand Canyon, and E.G. White statements on science and geology. Included in the two weeks were four days of field trips. One day was spent on the slopes of Specimen Creek where one of the finest displays of petrified trees in the world can be seen. Some participants, not familiar with mountain terrain, were petrified with fear. All returned safely, however, with an appreciation for a unique geologic phenomenon with interesting implications for catastrophism.
    A three-day field trip took the group through Yellowstone National Park, and east to the Bighorn Mountains. Specific areas of examination were Yellowstone thermal features, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Heart Mountain overthrust, Shell Canyon in the Bighorn Mountains, Bighorn River canyon, and the Hebgen Lake earthquake area. Unexpected transportation problems involving three of the four buses caused cancellation of a small portion of the itinerary originally planned but added suspense and excitement at the prospect of a night spent in the Dead Indian Pass wilderness. Fortunately everyone did eventually reach Cody motel accommodations by midnight.
    This creation workshop for North American secondary-school science teachers appeared to fill a long-felt need on the part of many of the teacher participants. It is hoped that such workshops can be repeated perhaps every five years.
    Staff for the workshop were Ariel Roth, Robert Brown, Harold Coffin, and Richard Tkachuck of the Geoscience Research Institute; Leonard Brand and Arthur Chadwick of Loma Linda University Biology Department; and Robert Olson of the E.G. White Estate. Fred Stephan of the General Conference Department of Education and Richard Fearing, President of the North Pacific Union Conference, assisted with weekend services.

 

AS WE GO TO PRESS . . .

    It had been given the nickname of "Scopes II." Some had even predicted that a circus-like atmosphere would prevail. True, a monkey-suited demonstrator was photographed on the steps outside the courtroom after being ejected from the trial. But the spectacle anticipated by the press never quite developed as the validity of the creation model as a science faced a legal test before a federal judge in Little Rock, Arkansas.
    With the signing of Act 590 by Governor Frank White last spring, Arkansas enacted a law requiring "balanced treatment for creation-science and evolution-science." The law also emphasized the presentation of scientific models of origins along with the exclusion of "any religious instruction or references to religious writings." While it did not require instruction in origins, it stated the necessity of presenting instruction in both scientific models (evolution and creation) "if public schools choose to teach either."
    In May, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit to declare the law vague, unconstitutional, and an abridgement of academic freedom. While the ACLU argued the law was an effort by fundamentalists to introduce religion into the science classes, attorneys for the state charged the ACLU with censorship and maintained that Act 590 protected true academic freedom.
    The trial opened on 7 December and lasted approximately two weeks. During the first week, both scientists and theologians testifying for the ACLU stated that creationism was rooted in biblical history and therefore could not be taught as a science. In the concluding week, the state attempted to show that creation-science was as scientific as evolution-science. Among the expert witnesses were GRI members A. A. Roth and H. G. Coffin.
    Roth testified that there was no strong evidence for either creation or evolution; however, biological and biochemical data pointed to the concept of a Designer. He also stated that the episodic nature of scientific theories as proposed by Kuhn suggests that at times scientific theories are not satisfactorily tested, and perhaps this is the case for evolution.
    Coffin presented evidence from catastrophism, the fossil record, and questions about the origin of life which supported the biblical version of creation.
    At the conclusion of the trial, U.S. District judge William R. Overton promised a ruling before the end of the year. He stated that he would not decide the validity of either the biblical account of origins for the earth and man, or the theory of evolution; rather, his opinion would stick to the narrow question of whether the creation model was religion. It is already anticipated that his ruling will be appealed, and the case is likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final decision. Meanwhile, the state of Louisiana has passed a similar bill and is also facing a legal challenge from the ACLU.

Geoscience Reports Fall, 1981 No. 2

Editor --- Richard D. Tkachuck
Associate Editor --- Katherine Ching

Subscription requests, correspondence, and notices of change of address should be sent to: Geoscience Reports, Geoscience Research Institute, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 92350.

Geoscience Reports is a newsletter published by the Geoscience Research Institute to present current happenings at the Institute as well as notes of general interest which deal with creation/ evolution issues. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the institute.

Staff of the Institute: Ariel A Roth-Director, Robert H. Brown, Katherine Ching, Harold G. Coffin, and Richard D. Tkachuck.