The earthquake in Mexico reminds us that catastrophes are a frequent, although unpredictable, experience. Geologists have emphasized the ordinary event, under the name uniformitarianism, but are increasingly accommodating to the reality of catastrophism. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 2.

The practice of science does not depend on the beliefs a scientist has about origins. Creationists are able to conduct scientific research , and may even be aided by ideas that derive from the Bible. Conflicts may arise between science and religion, but this is an indication of the need for more study. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 2.

A review of the book, The Expanding Earth. A prominent scientist has written a book advocating an expanding earth rather than conventional plate tectonics theory. The idea has not been accepted by the scientific community. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 1.

The ocean floor is largely covered with a layer of sediments derived from the remnants of dead organisms, such as the "shells" of foraminifera. At present, these accumulate too slowly to account for the depth of sediments in a few thousand years. However, a catastrophic flood would provide difference conditions with very large amounts of nutrients and the opportunity for rapid growth of these organisms. More data are needed to analyze the situation more satisfactorily. Published in Origins v. 12, n. 1.

Geological processes are conventionally considered to be relatively constant, but erosion associated with the eruption of Mt. St. Helens is a reminder that rates of erosion may be much faster under catastrophic conditions. Published in Origins v. 11, n. 2.

A review of Chapters 3 and 4 in the book, Scientists Confront Creationism. Creationism is roundly criticized for poor arguments. Published in Origins v. 11, n. 2.

NASA is planning to send a satellite to study Jupiter and take measurements of its atmospheric composition. Published in Origins v. 11, n. 1.

A period of unusual cold in the Northern Hemisphere extended from about 1450 to around 1850, known as the Little Ice Age. The causes are not well understood, but could have included variation in solar output and/or volcanic activity. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 2.

Some rocks show magnetic properties that align with the present geomagnetic field, while others show a reverse alignment. This is taken to indicate that the earth's geomagnetic field has reversed many times during earth history. Patterns of magnetic alignment have been used to correlate geologic layers and to support the concept of plate tectonics. Much remains to be understood concerning the causes and rates of magnetic reversals. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 2.

Mount St. Helens, the once beautiful mountain with a blue forest-ringed lake at its feet, is now a shattered remnant of its former self and the lake is stark and foreboding. But this loss is partially compensated by the information this volcano is giving us, not least of which is a glimpse of what could have happened to many trees during the Genesis flood. Continuing research will undoubtedly enlarge and refine this picture. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 1.

This paper introduces the basics of magnetism, the magnetic field of the earth and how the rocks can record the ancient magnetic field of the earth. Published in Origins v. 10, n. 1.

El Niño is an interannual catastrophic event caused by massive amounts of warm water flowing in from the mid-Pacific instead of the more normal northerly warm current. These events have a 6-8 year cycle, Published in Origins v 10, n. 1.

The cause of the 1908 Tunguska explosion in Russia remains somewhat mysterious. The most probable explanation is that a small comet exploded in the air and produced a blast wave that uprooted thousands of trees and killed many reindeer. Published in Origins v. 9, n. 2.

The effects of glaciers are well-dccumented in modern and Pleistocene sediments. Some Precambrian and Paleozoic sediments show some features similar to those of modern glaciation, but there is some controversy over whether the features are the result of glaciers, submarine landslides, lahars, turbidity currents, etc. Published in Origins v. 6, n. 1.

Experimental evidence shows that wood can petrify in a few years or less when immersed in mineral-rich water. Published in Origins v. 5, n. 2.

The presence of various kinds of megabreccias in the geologic column, showing in some cases the transport of extremely large clasts, indicates energy levels on a scale that staggers our imagination. Published in Origins v. 5, n. 1.

Clastic dikes form when unconsolidated sediments are forced upward into overlying sediments by the weight of the accumulating sediments. Some clastic dikes intrude into layers supposedly many millions of years younger, indicating that the underlying sediments remained unconsolidated for unexpectedly long periods of alleged time. Such features challenge the conventional geologic time scale. Published in Origins v. 4, n. 1.

Major tektite falls in Australia in strata as young as 5700 years old according to radiocarbon dating have called in question both the fission-track and the K-Ar methods of dating which assign these identical tektites an age of about 700,000 years. Published in Origins v. 3, n. 2.

A review of two articles: On the Survival of Paleoforms, and The Tempo of Geomorphic Change. The scientific data of both papers indicate that much greater caution is warranted in approaching questions regarding the length of time involved in the past history of the earth. Published in Origins v. 3, n. 2.

A review of the book, The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record. The geologic record can be described as long periods of relative calm punctuated by brief catastrophic events. Numerous geologic features can be traced over large portions of the earth's surface. Published in Origins v. 2, n. 2.