Posted on 06/14/2002 7:32:58 AM PDT by aculeus
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Professor Part of International Research Group Refuting Popular Theory
In 1996, marine geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman published a scientifically popular hypothesis, titled Noah's Flood Hypothesis. The researchers presented evidence of a bursting flood about 7,500 years ago in what is now the Black Sea. This, some say, supports the biblical story of Noah and the flood.
But, such a forceful flood could not have taken place, says Jun Abrajano, professor of earth and environmental sciences at Rensselaer. He is part of an international team of scientists who refute the so-called Noah's Flood Hypothesis.
Abrajano cites evidence of a much more gradual rising of the Black Sea that began to occur 10,000 years ago and continued for 2,000 years.
According to the Noah's Flood Hypothesis, the Black Sea was a freshwater lake separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a narrow strip of land now broken by the Bosporus Strait. Ryan and Pittman argue that the Mediterranean broke through the land and inundated the Black Sea with more than 200 times the force of Niagara Falls. The salty powerful flood swiftly killed the freshwater mollusks in the Black Sea. This, they say, accounts for fossil remains that can be dated back 7,500 years.
Abrajano's team has challenged the theory by studying sediments from the Marmara Sea, which sits next to the Black Sea and opens into the Mediterranean.
The team found a rich mud, called sapropel in the Marmara. The mud provides evidence that there has been sustained interaction between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea for at least 10,000 years.
"For the Noah's Ark Hypothesis to be correct, one has to speculate that there was no flowing of water between the Black Sea and the Marmara Sea before the speculated great deluge," says Abrajano. "We have found this to be incorrect."
GSA (Geological Society of America) Today magazine recently published a paper in its May 2002 edition based on Abrajano's research. His research also will be published this year in Marine Geology, an international science journal.
For a map of the area go to http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/maps/tu-map.jpg
That's good.
I believe that throughout history, it's always been a human that has said that the bible is the word of God.
If you don't believe the Bible is the word of God, how would you know God's words?
God states "I, on my part, am about to bring the flood on the earth, to destroy everywhere all creatures in which there is the breath of life; everything on earth shall perish"(Genesis 6.17)
How far had all life on earth spread out from Eden by the time of Noah?
The flood might be only need to be local to kill all life
Obviously, if there is an omnipotent being undertaking such an activity, he or she could create water from scratch, destroy it when done, etc., and contain or limit the consequences of the event in any way desired.
According to the Bible, these kids were stained with the original sin, and therefore bound for hell.
What a crock. "Original sin" is a man-made unbiblical concept. I challenge you to provide any Scripture that teaches damnation of children.
The article claimed this hydrogen would have burned from the top, down, thus the hydrogen supply would have been exhausted before the oxygen content would reach the critical point. It had credited the former hydrogen "shell" of the atmosphere as causing a perfect "greenhouse effect" which aided the longer life pre-flood humans were known for. This "shell" could have been ignited by an astroid (which also could have opened those groundsprings on impact), but surface flames couldn't ignite it because the resident hydrogen altitude was too great. Also, it was suggested that the sun's highest radiation was restricted from reaching the earth's surface and this caused the water vapor not to rise as fast as present day, thus thundershowers and rainstorms were not possible. In scripture, only after the flood do we find God promising that heat and cold will continue on the earth, indicating the climate of pre-flood days may have been more constant or temperate - concurrent with the "greenhouse" conditions.
Whether true or not, I don't know. But it certainly correlates well with scriptural descriptions of that era of earth's history...
I hear what you say...but you may have a bigger problem to consider.
Linking to a creationist group that uses the Bible to "prove" scientific claims does not equal "scientific evidence"
Then why did you begin in the first place? The topic is Noah's flood, which is in a religious text called the Bible.
I guess it depends on whether you consider the geological evidences of the topic (i.e, the flood of Noah), science.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.