Earth Science Module 21 Plate Tectonics: The Earth in Motion Plate Tectonics Module Study Notes and Outline Creationist Model I. Scientists shift their paradigm A. When the data supporting plate tectonics was first published, creationists, many who were amateurs, it, calling it a new attempt at evolutionary explanations of the earth. B. However, by the 1980s there were enough professionally trained creationists to take the data. C. In the late 1980s a group of professionally trained creationist scientists got together and said, Hey, can we make of these data in light of the biblical history? D. They asked, Can plate tectonic data also be used to explain, especially the amount of rain needed? E. What they concluded is the example of creationist model building, as you will see! II. How the plates
A. Actually the creationists incorporated much of the mechanisms of plate tectonics in their model of earth history. However they replaced uniformitarian rates with much rates to fit in a year global flood catastrophe. B. Their version of plate tectonics has miles per hour speeds (or meters per second) and is called Plate Tectonics or CPT. C. CPT uses of the magmatic mantle, and the conveyer belt type push and pull. D. However, in this model, the friction is overcome by subduction. 1. CPT sees the original ocean floor in a delicate balance with the mantle. That is God created the Earth with an ocean floor denser than the mantle below and denser than the continental crust. 2. However it was held in place by attachment to the crust. a. When something broke the connection of the ocean crust to the continental crust, the ocean crust began to. 3. However, the only thing to stop it was friction. But once runaway subduction started, the friction heated the mantle and made it more so the ocean crust sank faster. a. The friction was reduced so it didn t stop movement but was enough to keep heating the mantle. b. This continued faster and faster, heating and softening the mantle all the way to the Earth s. So the subduction was in runaway mode until all the original ocean floor was used up. This is what drove plate movement.
4. Because the mantle got so liquid from the friction, the movement was up to several (not cm/year) within several weeks. 5. After the original ocean floor was used up, residual convection still moved plates by a decreasing speed until the movement slowed to the crawl. E. The deep convection currents and cold crust in the lower mantle next to the core caused the liquid outer core suddenly to develop strong convection currents. This caused the magnetic field of the earth to suddenly and erratically back and forth every few days. 1. The rapid reversals occurring at the same time as churning lava flows made new ocean floor. This resulted in the magnetic stripes being mottled and rough margined. III. Rodinia The World from the to the Flood A. In terms of Earth history, the creationist model also picks up with Rodinia, the world as God created it, with a stable mantle, precariously balanced ocean, and relative low mountains. B. Rodinia stayed stable until something it about 1650 years after creation (2200 by genealogies in the Septuagint). Perhaps God suddenly caused it supernaturally or perhaps something set in motion at the Fall caused it. One possibility is an asteroid strike because many creationists think that the global flood catastrophe touched all creation, including the Universe, not just the Earth.
C. Whatever caused it, the ocean floor began to sink in runaway subduction and sank into the deep mantle where convection through the mantle began. D. As soon as subduction started, the mid-oceans rifts (and probably continental rift valleys) up in a single day around the whole globe. E. The excessive amount of magma superheated the ocean water sending steam and water pulled by the steam ( of the great deep) high into the atmosphere where it then began falling as rain ( of heaven) for 40 days and nights. F. The convection up the middle of the oceans and subduction down the continental margins so that ocean water, as well as the rain falling down, flooded the continents. G. Rodinia was apart in the initial stages of the Flood, and the continents began moving at least partly submerged. IV. Pangea the World A. Pangea actually formed during the of the Flood. It never supported growing populations of plants or animals. Only fossils of Glossopteris were deposited in the southern part of Pangea, and that was under water. B. Pangea was never. Creation geologists interpret the rock formation that somewhat resemble eroded glacial deposits as deposits from underwater landslides. C. Dinosaurs were finally drowned and buried as Pangea was up, which lasted only a few weeks.
D. The Flood waters began after Pangea broke up and before the continents took their current position V. The modern world from the Flood A. One year after the Flood began, the continents began taking modern positions, the runaway subduction ran out of fuel and the movement rapidly. B. However there was enough movement to slam into Asia to raise the Himalaya Mts. C. Animals came off Noah s ark and plants settle on soft mud. They and humans began reproducing and. Animals and plants spread out across the earth and diversifying into the modern species we see today. D. Catastrophic activity of volcanoes, earthquakes, and heavy rain storms continued for decades or centuries at a much level than had been in the Flood but at a higher level than today. E. This localized catastrophic activity resulted in local and fossilization of the animals and plants in the process of diversifying and spreading out over the earth. F. The warmth of the oceans and volcanic dust shading the continents led to excessive snow in the north and developed an that lasted about 500 years. VI. Problems as with the model there are still problems that have to resolved and understood. A. of heat
1. The lateral movement of continents and other factors would have generated tremendous. a. Would warming the oceans to about 30 C be sufficient to the heat from the continents or would the heat build up too much for creatures to live? 2. Future work on this in needed you can help if you get training in geophysics. B. after Pangea formed 1. If all the original ocean floor was used up between Rodinia and Pangea, where did the additional crust come from to keep the split up of Pangea? 2. are working on this now, but more young-earth scientists are needed. VII. Great Power what is really exciting is that CPT is well formed and explains observed data in a scientifically sound way consistent with a straight-forward reading of the Bible! A. The development of the CPT model of the Flood demonstrates that future work by professionally trained creationists can and will lead to many more scientifically sound to explain what the Bible simply hints at.