Top of page The Problem of Sexes Advanced organisms have two sexes. Gradual evolution could not have produced sexuality. To say that it could have done so is to assume that both sexes evolved from the same ancestor. Even if one sex of a species evolved, it would have died without a mate. As put by Parker, ” It is the oldest hominid fossil ever found to date, dated at 4. This puts it before any other supposed “ape-men,” including the australopithecines “Lucy”. If this is true, evolution cannot be true. As put by Lubenow, “The concept of human evolution decrees that it is impossible for true humans to have lived before the australopithecines—even though the fossil evidence would suggest otherwise—because humans are supposed to have evolved from the australopithecines. Top of page The Problem of Geologic Catastrophes Evolution demands long, uninterrupted spans of time.
Earth’s Ancient Scars Explain Strangeness of Mount St. Helens
This followed a discussion where I regrettably did not put as much effort into the discussion as I should have. He suggested Learning the lessons of Mount St Helens. Here is a line by line break down of the article:
The dating method Dr Austin used at Mount St Helens was the potassium-argon method, which is widely used in geological circles. often millions of years. The Mount St Helens lava dome gives us the opportunity to check these assumptions, because we know it formed just a .
What Actually Happened at Mount St. One of the first places we filmed was Mount St. I knew from the start I wanted to show people how quickly a landscape could be transformed through catastrophic processes. While researching the project, I had read Dr. The Explosive Story of Mount St. We were loaded down with backpacks, cameras, and gear.
Shop Now Radioisotope dating conveys an aura of reliability both to the general public and professional scientists. Can we really trust it? The lava dome at Mount St Helens provides a rare opportunity for putting radioisotope dating to the test. It was one of those experiences that was well worth every exhausting moment! It sits directly over the volcanic vent at the south end of the huge horseshoe-shaped crater that was blasted out of the mountain by the spectacular eruption on 18 May It is made of dacite, a fine-grained volcanic rock that contains a sprinkling of larger, visible crystals, like chopped fruit in a cake.
The conventional K-Ar dating method was applied to the dacite flow from the new lava dome at Mount St. Helens, Washington. Porphyritic dacite which solidified on the surface of the lava dome in gives a whole rock K-Ar ‘age’ of ± million years (Ma).
Helens When Mount St. Helens erupted 35 years ago, officials were ill-prepared for the magnitude of the emergency. Helens erupted 35 years ago Monday, killing 57 people and blanketing much of Central Washington in ash, officials were ill-prepared for the magnitude of the emergency. While the west side was dealing with mud and debris flows taking out bridges and roads, the prevailing winds pushed an estimated million tons of ash eastward, turning Sunday morning in Yakima into midnight.
We could have an eruption with a few days of warning; it could be years from now. Mount Adams, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker and Glacier Peak are also capable of producing destructive mud and debris flows, known as lahars, and spewing ash. Countless tons of it fell across much of the county during the eruption. It clogged waterways and cut visibility on roads to levels so dangerous that highways were closed for days.
Merely walking in it kicked up clouds of ash. Inhaling ash can cause lung damage, especially for those with existing respiratory conditions. Volcanic ash is acidic and when it combines with water it can create a form of sulfuric acid that can, in some cases, be strong enough to burn skin, damage crops and corrode machinery.
Preparing to deal with ash is the most important thing communities in Yakima County can do, Erwin said. He recommended that all area residents add dust masks and goggles to their emergency kits to be prepared for an ash event. Each plan is different because each volcano is different, he said.
THE END of LONG AGE RADIOMETRIC DATING
Helens by Brian Thomas, M. Helens in Washington state uncapped a violent volcanic eruption, completely altering the surrounding landscape. It is the most studied volcano in history and has reshaped thinking regarding catastrophic earth processes.
In June of , Dr. Steven Austin took a sample of dacite from the new lava dome inside Mount St. Helens, the volcano in Washington state. The dacite sample was known to have been formed from a magma flow, and so its actual age was an established fact. Dr. Austin submitted the sample for radiometric dating to an independent laboratory in.
Software About the Volcano Hazards Program The mission of the USGS Volcano Hazards Program is to enhance public safety and minimize social and economic disruption from eruptions through delivery of effective forecasts, warnings, and information of volcano hazards based on scientific understanding of volcanic processes. The USGS Volcano Hazards Program VHP monitors and studies active and potentially active volcanoes, assesses their hazards, and conducts research on how volcanoes work in order for the USGS to issue “timely warnings” of potential volcanic hazards to emergency-management professionals and the public.
Thus, in addition to collecting and interpreting the best possible scientific information, the program works to effectively communicate its scientific findings and volcanic activity alerts to authorities and the public. Volcano monitoring networks and scientific observation are basis for warnings, research, and situational awareness. Data collected by volcano-monitoring networks and extensive fieldwork surveys are indispensable; they help scientists interpret volcanic behavior, forecast eruptions, identify likely eruption impacts, and provide situational awareness — information relating to eruptions and unrest.
The most effective monitoring is achieved by applying a combination of techniques seismic, geodetic, hydrological, and geochemical via arrays of several instruments at single volcanoes on a continuous near-real-time basis. Airborne and satellite remote-sensing technology provide enhanced capabilities for detecting and tracking signs of unrest and eruption including gas emissions, topographic changes, ash clouds, and lava flows.
Monitoring data feed into research studies that help scientists discriminate whether signals are eruption precursors or signify temporary fitfulness without eruption, evaluate whether a volcanic eruption is building up or calming down, and identify what factors trigger and control the style and explosivity of eruptions.
Is the Lava Dome at Mount St. Helens Really 1 Million Years Old
Helens, Washington – An overview of the eruptive history and petrology, tephra deposits, pyroclastic density current deposits, and the crater This field trip will provide an introduction to several fascinating features of Mount St. The trip begins with a rigorous hike of about 15 km from the Johnston Ridge Observatory 9 km north-northeast of the crater vent , across the Pumice Plain, to Windy Ridge 3. Helens, Washington—An overview of the eruptive history and petrology, tephra deposits, pyroclastic density current deposits, and the crater: Geological Survey Fact Sheet — , 4 p.
An enormous lava dome grew episodically in the crater until , when the volcano became relatively quiet
Radiometric dating of rocks and minerals using naturally occurring, long-lived radioactive isotopes is troublesome for young-earth creationists because the techniques have provided overwhelming evidence of the antiquity of the earth and life.
Carbon dating can not be much use to them since it is inaccurate beyond a few thousand years and is easily polluted, but radiometric dating seems to hold better promise. While it is true that radioactive elements decay at a predictable rate, one simply CAN NOT KNOW whether the “daughter” elements present in a rock sample were present during formation or are merely the result of the decay process. In other words, how do we know whether or not a sample had ONLY parent materials when it formed.
If the samples are not in a perfect ratio, it is fair to dismiss any age proposed by this method on that sample. This does NOT mean, though, that one can dismiss the idea of God creating the sample that way, so like it or not, we are still left with a choice which will be determined by our philosophical bias. Those who believe in God will admit to the possibility, and those that do not will cry foul. While I am well aware that there is an ongoing debate about whether or not the variation observable within species leads to new species, I am also aware that geology and biology are two different fields.
When one studies evolution, however, they are overlapping magesteria, so one is useful in understanding the other. Don’t let people tell you it’s not so. I say have faith.
Learning the lessons of Mount St Helens Reviewed : DebateEvolution
Helens, located in southwestern Washington about 50 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon, is one of several lofty volcanic peaks that dominate the Cascade Range of the Pacific Northwest; the range extends from Mount Garibaldi in British Columbia, Canada, to Lassen Peak in northern California. Geologists call Mount St. Helens a composite volcano or stratovolcano , a term for steepsided, often symmetrical cones constructed of alternating layers of lava flows, ash, and other volcanic debris.
The method used at Mount St. Helens is called potassium-argon dating. It is based on the fact that potassium (an isotope or “variety” of the element potassium) spontaneously “decays”, becoming argon (an isotope of the element argon).
First Published August Mount Saint Helens has been one of the creationists main focus over the last 15 years. There are rebuttals for all of these issues, and you can check out some of them with the links at the bottom of this page. However, old earth creationists don’t need these rebuttals to show that Mount Saint Helens does not support young earth creation science.
There are two sides to Geology. Catastrophism — The belief that the past history of the earth and of living things has been interrupted or greatly influenced by natural catastrophes occurring on a worldwide or very extensive scale. Uniformitarianism — The belief or principle that the past history of the earth and its inhabitants is best interpreted in terms of what is known about the present. Uniformitarianism explains the past by appealing to known laws and principles acting in a gradual, uniform way through past ages.
Naturally, young earth creationists believe totally in catastrophism, and the main cause of catastrophism is the Flood of Noah. When they look at Mount Saint Helens, they see catastrophic forces at work They view them as evidence of a young earth, because they can produce rock layers quickly through catastrophism. What they fail to realize is that Uniformitarianism includes Catastrophism. Since we see catastrophic events in the present, we see evidence of catastrophic events in the geologic record.
Yes, there is some evidence in the geologic record of catastrophic events, but most of the geologic record is not “catastrophic” in nature.
A Visit to the Institute for Creation Research
However, rather than dealing with this issue and critically evaluating Austin’s other procedures including the unacceptable mineral and glass impurities in his ‘fractions’ , YECs loudly proclaim that the results are discrepant with the AD eruption. They then proceed to assault the validity of the K-Ar method. Therefore, it’s not surprising that some of Austin’s dates, such as the result for the amphiboles, etc.
Global leader of the dacite lava dome at mount st helens emits a trip to hawaii from. Following the directors of a new lava dome at mt. I’m thinking there are other radiometric dating is .
Helens and triggered a colossal eruption which devastated over square miles within a few minutes. Lessons abound challenging time-elements of Darwinian evolution and supporting the Genesis Flood. Helens in May, The initial blast of steam was equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT. The total energy output during the subsequent 9-hour eruption was equivalent to million tons of TNT, approximately 33, Hiroshima atomic bombs.
The ash-cloud stem was 10 miles wide, the mushroom top was 40 miles wide and 15 miles high. Winds dispersed the ash eastward at 60 mph blanking 11 states and several Canadian provinces with dust. Some towns were engulfed in complete darkness at midday. Geologists Astounded The eruption provided a rare opportunity for scientists to study natural catastrophic processes at work.
This belief in long ages for the earth and the existence of life is derived largely from radiometric dating. These long time periods are computed by measuring the ratio of daughter to parent substance in a rock and inferring an age based on this ratio. This age is computed under the assumption that the parent substance say, uranium gradually decays to the daughter substance say, lead , so the higher the ratio of lead to uranium, the older the rock must be.
Claim CD The conventional K-Ar dating method was applied to the dacite flow from the new lava dome at Mount St. Helens, Washington. The whole-rock age was +/- million years (Mya).
The Radiometric Dating Game Radiometric dating methods estimate the age of rocks using calculations based on the decay rates of radioactive elements such as uranium, strontium, and potassium. On the surface, radiometric dating methods appear to give powerful support to the statement that life has existed on the earth for hundreds of millions, even billions, of years.
We are told that these methods are accurate to a few percent, and that there are many different methods. We are told that of all the radiometric dates that are measured, only a few percent are anomalous. This gives us the impression that all but a small percentage of the dates computed by radiometric methods agree with the assumed ages of the rocks in which they are found, and that all of these various methods almost always give ages that agree with each other to within a few percentage points.
Since there doesn’t seem to be any systematic error that could cause so many methods to agree with each other so often, it seems that there is no other rational conclusion than to accept these dates as accurate. However, this causes a problem for those who believe based on the Bible that life has only existed on the earth for a few thousand years, since fossils are found in rocks that are dated to be over million years old by radiometric methods, and some fossils are found in rocks that are dated to be billions of years old.
If these dates are correct, this calls the Biblical account of a recent creation of life into question.