The Rocks Cry Out - Green Oaks Church of Christ · The Rocks Cry Out • Geology is the ... • Earth history is summarized by “vast periods of silence, with brief moments of terror”

Brent Wilson 4/11/2015

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The Rocks Cry Out

• Geology is the study of the Earth– Physical Geology – examines Earthen

materials, such as minerals and rocks, as well as the processes operating within the interior and upon the surface of the Earth.

– Historical Geology – examines the origin and evolution of the Earth; including its continents, oceans, atmosphere, and life.

(The Changing Earth: Exploring Geology and Evolution, 1997)

WHAT IS GEOLOGY?


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Uniformitarianism • Uniformitarianism is the underlying principle of historic geology, “which is the beliefthat there are inviolable laws of nature that have notchanged through time”

• Gradualism – earth formed by very slow geologic processes

• Actualism – “the present is the key to the past” (Hutton & Lyell)

• “Although it is agreed that natural laws have not varied over the course of geologic time, not all past events have been duplicated in recent times”

• Earth history is summarized by “vast periods of silence, with brief moments of terror”

(Earth and Life through Time, 1989)

Catastrophism“Floods caused by supernatural forces formed

most of the rocks visible at the earth’s surface”(Earth and Life through Time, 1989)

“Catastrophism is the theory that the Earth has been affected in the past by sudden, short-lived,

violent events, possibly worldwide in scope”(Turney & Brown, 2007)


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Two Contrasting World Views

NATURALIST VIEW

• Ancient Earth

• 4.5 billion years

• Uniformitarianism

• Natural / Gradual

• Random chance

• Atheistic faith

CREATIONIST VIEW

• Young Earth

• 6,000-10,000 years

• Catastrophism

• Supernatural

• Intelligent design

• Biblical faith

Mount St. Helens

8:32 – 8:33 A.M.May 18, 1980


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• Bulged more than 450’ (5’ per day) by intruding magma• Collapse (initiated by a 5.1 M earthquake) produced the

largest single-event landslide recorded in modern time• Resulting avalanche:

– Consisted of intermixed volcanic debris, granitic rocks, mud, glacial ice, steam and hot gases

– Swept down the valley at 110-155 miles per hour, ramping over a 1,200’ ridge

– Covered more than 24 square miles, advancing more than 13 miles down the North Fork of the Toutle River

– Filled the valley to an average depth of 150’ (640’ max) in only 10-12 minutes total elapsed time

• Eruption equaled more than 400 million tons of TNT, or about 20,000 Hiroshima-size atomic bombs

Before


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After

Before


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After

• A small, short-lived phreatic eruption rapidly melted a large snow pack that had accumulated in the crater over the winter

• Over 1 billion gallons of water quickly mixed with loose material along the slope of the mountain

• Resulting in an enormous mudflow, which in turn altered the landscape once more

Second Eruption – March 19, 1982


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Mudflows eroded a canyon system up to 140’ deep in less than 9 hours

Stratified deposits from 1980 eruption landslide exposed in canyons carved by 1982 mudflow


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Canyon Comparison

Crater Comparison1 mile


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Calderas SupervolcanoesValles Caldera,

New Mexico

15 miles

Crater Lake,Oregon

6 miles

A supervolcano is one that has produced an

exceedingly large, catastrophically

explosive eruption resulting

in a massive caldera or crater

AniakchakCaldera,Alaska

5 miles

Santorini Caldera, Greece

Yellowstone Caldera


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Eruption Comparison

Ash Deposits Comparison


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Lava Volume ComparisonEarly 1980 Late 1980

2004 2007

MountSt. Helens

Columbia River Basalt:• 63,000 square miles

• Up to 6,000 feet thick

• 175,000 cubic kilometers

MSH Lava Dome:• 1 cubic kilometer

Columbia River Basalt

Columbia River Gorge:• 80 miles long

• Up to 4,000 feet deep

• 1/5th size of Grand Canyon


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1917

1904

1937

Timeless Setting

How did this seemingly ancient

gorge form?

Glacial Missoula Lake & Flood Map

Gorge


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Scablands

BEFORE:

• GlacialDam

• LakeMissoula

AFTER:

• OutburstFlooding

• ScablandChannels

The Missoula Flood


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RIPPLESFormed by Rapidly Moving Water


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Rapid Erosion

Resulting in scablands,

megaripples, canyons,

waterfalls, etc.

• <15,000 years old

• Over 30 cyclothems

• Some believe indivi-dual flooding events

• Others debate that deposited in just one flooding event

• Visible faults!

Sediment Deposition


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Cut an 80-mile long gorge through massive volcanic rock

Resulting in the Formation of the Columbia River Gorge

• 1/5 the Scale of the Grand Canyon

• Formed by a catastrophic flood


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• Was the Grand Canyon formed over millions of years by extremely slow geologic process, or by a massive, catastrophic flooding event?

• “The truth is that no one knows for sure, though there are some pretty good guesses”

• Grand Canyon Explorer (www.kaibab.org) 2002

What Can We Conclude?


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MARINE SEDIMENTS


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Present

Dr. Ron BlakeyEmeritus ProfessorGeology, NAU

50 MyaTertiary


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65 MyaCretaceous

75 MyaCretaceous


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345 MyaMississippian

450 MyaOrdovician


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?? ByaPre Cambrian

450 MyaOrdovician


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345 MyaMississippian

75 MyaCretaceous


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65 MyaCretaceous

50 MyaTertiary


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Present


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Psalms 104:5-9 (NASU)

5 He established the earth upon its foundations, so that it will not totter forever and ever. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters were standing above the mountains. 7 At Your rebuke they fled, at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. 8 The mountains rose; the valleys sank down to the place which You established for them. 9 You set a boundary that they may not pass over, so that they will not return to cover the earth.

Psalms: 3,000 years ago Plate Tectonics: 50 years ago

When we consider the potential of global flooding…

Catastrophism is more than plausible


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Hebrews 11:1,3

1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen… 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

2 Corinthians 5:7

7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Salvation Plan

Hear – Romans 10:17

Believe – Mark 16:16

Repent – Acts 2:38

Confess – Matthew 10:32

Baptism – 1 Peter 3:21

Faithful – Revelation 2:10

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The Rocks Cry Out - Green Oaks Church of Christ · The Rocks Cry Out • Geology is the ... • Earth history is summarized by “vast periods of silence, with brief moments of terror”