Posted on January 10, 2014
Moving Earth, Part 1
Earthquake. The word alone can make people tremble. Today I want to tell you a little about earthquakes, what causes them, and what they have to do with the Bible. I’ve been reading some very interesting articles recently, packed with finds I would love to share with you. However, before I can explain those things, you are going to need some basic background information, which is why we are talking about earthquakes today. If you already know some of these things, just bear with me; you might never have thought of them in this way.The main scientific theory for what causes earthquakes, as well as many other geologic phenomena, is called plate tectonics. In my first college geology class, I was taught that there are three main ideas in geology: deep time (belief that earth is billions of years old), evolution, and plate tectonics. I do not accept the first two of these because they are based on a worldview with wrong assumptions that bring people to the wrong conclusions. Plate tectonics, however, is an observable theory with plenty of good evidence in support of it. Let me explain how it works.
Earth is made up of rock layers. There are two main layers, called the lithosphere (outer layer) and asthenosphere (inner layer). The lithosphere is broken up into sections along earth’s surface, called plates. These plates of lithosphere move around on top of the softer asthenosphere. When plates slam into each other, causing earthquakes, the denser ocean plates get subducted under the less dense continental plates, causing the plate to start sinking into the asthenosphere.
It is easy to misunderstand plate tectonics and think that earth’s crust is made up of plates floating on top of something like magma. While the lithosphere does include earth’s crust, it also includes the upper part of earth’s mantle and the asthenosphere is made up of both the lower mantle and core of earth. Also, the asthenosphere is softer than the lithosphere, mostly due to the extreme heat and pressure in the asthenosphere, but it is still rock, just a little softer than the layer on top of it.
In the next several weeks, we will be talking about catastrophic plate tectonics. This week I hope you are starting to get a picture of what plate tectonics really is about, and how the world wide flood, mentioned in the Bible, would completely re-shape our world forever. I’m sure that you have heard about the kind of destruction that earthquakes and tsunamis do today. Compared to what happened in the flood with plate tectonics, the kind of movement and destruction we see today is small. We will be talking about what was probably the driving physical force for the most catastrophic event in earth history.
Hello, I just found your blog, and I wanted to let you know how encouraging it is to find a geology undergrad who is a young earth creationist! I got my BS & MS in geology almost 30 years ago, but I was an evolutionist until a I had a conversion experience in grad school, and God immediately began to challenge me on the issue of origins. I “retired” shortly after graduation to raise our children, but have kept up with creation geology all these years.
I just wanted to mention that there are YEC geologists out there who question the catastrophic plate tectonics model–I would recommend Mike Oard’s book, “Plate Tectonics: A Different View.” There are also conventional scientists who question the model as well (see here: http://www.newgeology.us/presentation20.html).
Creationists are well-trained to distinguish between data that support a theory, and data that are merely consistent with a theory, and I would just ask that you keep that in mind when investigating the subject of plate tectonics.
May God bless your studies and your future endeavours!
Thank you! It’s good to hear from creation scientists out there. I am about to finish my AS degree in geology and am trying to decide what God has in mind for me next. You probably heard some people say things like, “you’re throwing away your talents” when you put geology to the side to focus on your kids. Investing in the lives of your kids is a high calling. I like to say that I’d rather have a big influence over the live of a few than have a barely noticeable influence over millions of people.
I didn’t know that Mike Oard had written about plate tectonics, even though I’ve actually had the chance to meet him. I’ll have to check out those resources. I have primarily seen Dr. Baumgardener’s and Dr. Snelling’s work.
Thank you for the advice. Although I know that creationists are all very independent thinkers, I think it’s a good idea for us to have several different theories. This is science, after all. Regardless of differing opinions, creationists really need to get along with one another, treating other creationists as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are fighting on the same side of this battle.
Amen to that! Sadly, I have seen ideological issues become stumbling blocks between scientists, more so in the secular realm, but also between creationists. I think part of the problem is intrinsic to the nature of the profession, because ideas are the coin of the realm in science, and one’s reputation, and one’s professional career, can rise or fall based upon the acceptance or rejection of one’s ideas. And I venture to say, stereotypical as it may seem, that men tend to be more competitive than women, which can come into play during the course of scientific discussion.
If you have the means, and if your personal circumstances support it, I hope you will consider continuing your geology studies. As Mike Oard says, we need more geologists! And while it is definitely a boom and bust profession, there’s plenty of well-paying geology jobs in the oil field right now. However, as the parent of several college graduates, I always would counsel keeping debt in check–we’ve seen too many young people whose lives are severely constrained by their college debt.
One more comment–I am guessing from your sidebar snippet about the Mt. Blanco museum that you are in Texas. If you have the opportunity, I’d highly recommend Texas A&M for upper class studies. Not only do they have a topnotch geology program, but their student body is one of the most conservative and religious among public universities–I have two sons there myself, right now.
Thank you for the advice! I have not seriously considered A&M yet. I briefly considered Cedarville University in Ohio, but the prices are so high and, like you said, I am not interested in debt. I have had several very good scholarship offers for academic achievement at different colleges, especially Texas Tech.
I love geology, college, and learning in general. But I also love children’s ministry, missions, music, art, and writing so I often feel like I am being pulled about a dozen different directions. I have always wanted to marry, have a large family, and homeschool my kids so I frequently wonder just how practical much more college will be for me, as a young woman. I am definitely learning to trust God each step of the way and wait for His timing. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with me! God bless!
You sound like a lovely intelligent young woman who will make a wonderful wife and mother, and, should that be your path, an excellent geologist as well. May I suggest a few advantages of pursuing your educational path in upperclass geology? First, as I tell my daughters, if you want to be a homeschooling mother of a large family, you need to find a husband who can support a stay-at-home wife, and one of the best places to do that is at a school where Godly young men are pursuing careers that will allow them to have stay-at-home wives. Texas Tech and Texas A&M are two excellent choices for that. Second, as I also tell my daughters, until you get married, it would be a good thing to earn as much money as you can so as to help make it possible to stay at home, and geology, at this time, offers the opportunity to do that, especially in Texas. And last, I have found my geology degrees to be immeasurably helpful in homeschooling my children in science so as to give them a sound view of the origins issue.
However, I’m sure that you will do well in whatever path you follow, and I will keep you in my prayers as you discern further–please express to your parents my congratulations in raising such a wonderful young woman.
Thank you so much! I will definitely seriously consider more college. I know that A&M is a lot better about field experience than most other universities, and my boss at Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum has done some digs with them. I really appreciate your encouragement. It’s rare to find someone who can understand loving science and being a strong enough creationist to want to get a degree while at the same time wanting to be a stay at home mother. May the Lord bless you and your family!
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Sara, I have just “happened upon” your blog, via linkage from an article you wrote for David Rives Creation Club (also a new ‘find’). Though far from my childhood, I would like to think I’m childlike enough at my age–by the good grace of God–to receive a ‘better word’ on matters (geological) that have interested me FROM childhood! Thank you for committing your way to Him on these matters for you, as well. In due time I hope to probe your thinking on the origins of the chert “family”, as to whether they may represent a fossilization of the “sanies” and “ichors” of the old world’s decomposition… Anyway, GLAD to know you’re out there!
Tom
Glad to hear from you, Tom! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your example of humility. God is good and I’m here by His grace. I’ll keep chert in mind for future articles – thanks for the idea. On a similar line of thought, you might enjoy the article on “paleo-karst” landscapes I wrote a few months ago (link below). Blessings!
http://creationclues.org/2015/09/18/ancient-buried-landscapes-the-flood/