ABSTRACTS
A YOUNG EARTH? - A SURVEY OF DATING METHODS
EUGENE F. CHAFFIN
A survey of various dating methods and age indicators is given, including Lord Kelvin's result involving the Earth's thermal gradient, various methods relying on radioactive decay, the relevance of the geologic column, carbon 14 and attempts to calibrate it using tree ring chronologies and Egyptian archaeology, etc., the earth's decaying magnetic dipole moment, indicators from astronomy, fission track dating and other miscellaneous indicators. In each case, an effort is made to indicate the major creationist contributions that have been made in exposing the errors of evolutionary dogma.
'LUCY' OUT OF CONTEXT: A REPLY
PAUL DUBOIS
Anti-creationists do not always adhere to the standards they demand of creationists.SHIVA TEMPLE: ISLAND IN THE SKY?
JOHN R. MEYER
This paper is a review of the history of the 1937 American Museum of Natural History expedition to Shiva Temple, a butte in the Grand Canyon. The purpose of that study was to search for evolutionary development of animals isolated on this "sky island," as it was called. Preparations for the work and the actual expedition itself were noted by global publicity regarding the expected, positive, evolutionary implications. When it was finally determined that no significant differences were observed in Shiva's population of small mammals, the isolation of Shiva and its status as a "sky island" were called into question. A sequel to this paper will examine preliminary research data consistent with significant and recent biological isolation of Shiva and the implications this has for the age of the Canyon itself.MOUNTAINS, METEORITES AND PLATE TECTONICS
BERNARD E. NORTHRUP
The concept of plate tectonics with its corollary, continental drift, have been espoused by various creationists who have adapted them to fit the short time-span of young-earth catastrophism-Northrup (1968,1970,1977,1979, 1980), Austin (Nevins) (1978), Tippetts (1979), Elliott (1977), and Hansen (1983). Dwelling on the evidence that the continents at first were united, with the sea floor later spreading, these workers and I have envisioned an abrupt continental drifting and separation occurring much more rapidly than our uniformitarian colleagues would allow. My conclusion is that the physical evidences for rapid plate movement are found practically universally.
THE MECHANISMS FOR MOUNTAIN BUILDING FROM A CREATIONIST PERSPECTIVE ARE NOT YET UNDERSTOOD
WILLIAM WAISGERBER
For this symposium the writer and others were asked to prepare papers concerning orogenesis - the process of mountain making. Then each writer was to read other papers and question the papers' authors in accordance with the questioner's scientific background. Since the writer is a geologist, questions to authors are principally geological in nature.THE METAPHYSICS OF MODERN SCIENCE
LAURENCE A. MCGHEE
Chance as a mechanism of evolution is detrimental to true science and the concept of a rational universe. Also, observation, falsification, and repetition are not meaningful in a universe ruled by chance. Creationism offers the best philosophy of science. No neutral definition of science can be maintained.THE EFFECT OF NON-UNIFORM DENSITY ON SOLAR CONTRACTION ENERGY
DUDLEY J. BENTON
The potential energy of a spherical body with non-uniform density is developed. Data for solar shrinkage is analyzed using the derived relationships for a hypothetical radial density variation. The effect of non-uniform density on the energy generated by solar contraction is presented.