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p.1 • Radioisotope Age, Part III: Time in Science
and the Bible • Benjamin L. Clausen
p.6 • Editor's Angle
p.6 • Scattered Scientific Notes
Biology
Paleoanthropology
Paleontology
p.7 • Geoscience News
1996 European Tour
1996 BRISCO Meeting
p.8 • What Happens When Rocks Melt? •
Elaine G. Kennedy
This issue of Geoscience Reports ends our series on
radiometric dating. We realize that there are still many unanswered questions; however, we
hope these articles have given our readers some insights into the approaches that have
been taken by our scientists with respect to the time issue. We know our explanations are
inadequate but our faith in the biblical account of earth history has not been shaken.
Frequent references to geologic ages in the scientific literature do not validate their
interpretations! We believe there is a reasonable explanation for the discrepancy between
the biblical record and the views held by the scientific community. We do not know how or
when these positions will be resolved but we are confident that God=s Word will be vindicated.
Our young people need to know just how challenging the radiometric time
frame is. The concepts and techniques used to determine radiometric dates should work.
Awareness of this fact may discourage some students with respect to our beliefs. Some may
even conclude that our faith is foolish. However, we believe our approach to science
contributes significantly to its advance. Our work challenges the time frame constructed
by the scientific community for earth=s history.
Our assumptions raise questions that secular scientists do not ask. Our perspective is
unique among scientists; consequently, the controversies serve to inspire
research — and this is good science.
SCATTERED SCIENCE NOTES
McKay, D.S., Gibson, E.K., Thomas-Keptra, K.L., Vali, H., Romanek, C.S., Clemett, S.J., Chillier, X.D.F., Maechling, C.R., Zare, R.N. 1996. Search for past life on Mars: possible relic biogenic activity in Martian meteorite ALH84001: Science 273:924-930.
Carbonate globules are described from fresh fracture surfaces of a
meteorite discovered in Antarctica and believed to have orginated on Mars. The carbonate
globules resemble those produced by some terrestrial bacteria, and are accompanied by
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. These observations are explained by the proposal that
bacteria-like organisms once lived on Mars.
Comment: This is an extraordinary claim, and has evoked a
great deal of discussion (e.g., Nature 382:575-577; Scientific American 275(4):20-22; see
also GRI web site). The mineral signature of the rock is consistent with a Martian origin.
Many other meteorites have been found in Antarctica; a task presumably made easier because
of its ice sheet. It seems plausible that meteorites might be produced by impacts of
asteroids or comets. In summary, it is plausible that the rock is of Martian origin,
although one might wonder whether some large asteroids might have similar minerals. There
is room for considerable skepticism, however, about the biogenic origin of the carbonate
globules. The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may not mean much--they are
common in interplanetary dust particles, interstellar dust, and some meteorites. The
carbonate globules are said to be 100 times smaller than the smallest ancient fossil
bacteria found on Earth. Some scientists have postulated that Mars might have received
bacteria from Earth by a similar mechanism. However, it is difficult to imagine how
bacteria could survive the conditions required for such an event. Unless more persuasive
evidence can be found, the identification of the carbonate globules as evidence for life
on Mars should be viewed with skepticism. Contamination and an inorganic origin are also
plausible explanations for the globules.
Thieme, H. 1997. Lower Palaeolithic hunting spears from Germany. Nature 385:807-810.
Researchers recovered over 10,000 fossil fragments, three throwing
spears, and other miscellaneous worked flints from a brown-coal mine east of Hannover,
Germany. The unit containing the fossils and artifacts is underlain by the Elsterian and
overlain by the Saalian glaciations. Timing for the deposit as constrained by these
glacial deposits, pollen and microfossil ages is estimated at 400 kyr. Horses dominate the
faunal remains but other mammals include elephant, rhino, red deer, bear, and small
mammals such as the vole and a beaver-like organism. Many of the bones had cut marks,
indicating the animals were butchered. Birds, fish, reptiles, molluscs, vegetation and
pollen were also identified. The three throwing spears are about 2 m long, made of spruce
and resemble modern javelins, i.e. they are thicker and heavier toward the front of the
spear.
Comment: This find implies that hominids (archaic Homo
sapiens? Neanderthals? Erectines?) were actively engaged in big game hunting and used
weapons that required time and skill to construct in order to properly balance the spear
for throwing. The society was probably nomadic and not restricted to scavenging for food
and clothing.
Hubert, J.F., Panish, P.T., Chure, D.J. and Prostak, K.S. 1996. Chemistry, microstructure, petrology, and diagenetic model of Jurassic dinosaur bones, Dinosaur National Monument, Utah: Journal of Sedimentary Research 66:531-547.
Researchers recovered from the Morrison Formation at Dinosaur
National Monument in Utah the tissue of 14 dinosaur bones that had been transformed to
francolite crystals. The process that altered the tissue preserved micron-scale structures
giving some of the material a fresh and unaltered appearance. The researchers suggested
that the bones were shallowly buried and that crystallization took place as bacteria
decayed the collagen. They believe that oxygen isotope ratios used to determine the body
temperature of the dinosaurs may actually be measuring groundwater temperatures. In
addition they concluded that the trace element concentrations in the francolite may also
reflect groundwater conditions rather than the diet of the dinosaurs.
Comment: One important question that was not clearly answered
in this paper is the rate of fossilization. The authors cited instances where collagen had
remained in bones for hundreds and even thousands of years. A comparison of preservation
conditions as well as the methods used to date the bone material would be helpful. It is
clear from the paper that conclusions drawn from elemental analyses are suspect.
GEOSCIENCE NEWS
GRI staff scientists, including European Branch Director, Jacques Sauvagnat, conducted a field conference in the Austrian and Swiss Alps August 12-21. Thirty-five church leaders from the world field began their tour in Salzburg, Austria. Participants were introduced to the complex geology of the Alps and attended a series of lectures on earth history. Highlights of the trip included the tour of a salt mine near Salzburg, reef structures at Lake Gosau, Austria, the contact of the Glarus overthrust in Switzerland, and a classic turbidite sequence at Le Sépey, Switzerland. Breath-taking views of various nappes and klippen, gave rise to lectures and discussions of overthrusting and gravity sliding events that occurred during large-scale plate tectonic movement in the region.
Abstracts for the BRISCO meeting (Oct 11-14) held at Union College
in Nebraska are available from Ben Clausen at the GRI.
The Cenozoic Geologic Period was the theme for the 1996 meeting, and
the well-attended pre-session field trip was conducted at the Ashfall Fossil Beds north of
Royal, Nebraska. The Ashfall site is famous for the articulated skeletons of numerous
mammals, most notably, rhinos and horses. For information on this locality, contact
Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, P.O. Box 66, Royal, NE 68773 or call (402)
893-2000.
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