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Noah's Flood Hypothesis May Not Hold Water
RPI ^ | June 14, 2002 | Jun Abrajano

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


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: blacksea; blackseaflood; catastrophism; grandcanyon; greatflood; junabrajano; noah; noahsflood; walterpitman; williamryan
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1 posted on 06/14/2002 7:32:58 AM PDT by aculeus
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2 posted on 06/14/2002 7:33:48 AM PDT by Mo1
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To: aculeus
Summary:
The word of marine geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman are correct.

The word of God is wrong.

Haha, Who do you believe, Ryan & Pitman or God?

3 posted on 06/14/2002 7:40:11 AM PDT by Tai_Chung
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To: aculeus
"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.

Must one so speculate? Why?

4 posted on 06/14/2002 7:42:35 AM PDT by maryz
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To: aculeus;RightWhale;JudyB1938;ruoflaw;farmfriend;LostTribe
I have Ryan and Pitman's book Noah's Flood. I trust their judgement. I have followed this story closely, R & P's hypothesis for the suddeness of the flood is that there would be one major underwater shoreline for a 'quick' flood and numerous and many leveled shoreline for a 'slow' flood. To my knowledge, only one underwater shoreline has been detected and this is also supported by a 'quick' change in the type of shellfish (freshwater to saltwater types) that have been discovered. Abrajano will have to produce more evidence before I change my opinion.
5 posted on 06/14/2002 7:50:06 AM PDT by blam
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To: Tai_Chung
I think Ryan and Pittman concluded that there could have been a flood. Did one of us read that wrong?
6 posted on 06/14/2002 7:52:37 AM PDT by FreeTally
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To: Tai_Chung
"Summary: The word of marine geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman are correct. The word of God is wrong. Haha, Who do you believe, Ryan & Pitman or God?

I believe Ryan & Pittman. The people who wrote the bible spoke of this flood but, I have yet to see anything written by God about it. (Besides, the stories are compatable)

7 posted on 06/14/2002 7:55:39 AM PDT by blam
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To: aculeus
Anyway, it rained nonstop for 40 days and nights, and the entire planet was flooded, right. And then the water receded and the raven didn't come back, and then the dove did with an olive branch. So what's all this Black Sea stuff about anyway? It was the whole world that was covered with water in the version they taught me.
8 posted on 06/14/2002 7:55:55 AM PDT by babble-on
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To: babble-on
"Anyway, it rained nonstop for 40 days and nights, and the entire planet was flooded, right. "

The word '40' is a mistranslation and should in fact be 'many,' not 40. (That's why you have so many 40 this and 40 that everywhere, should be 'many.')

9 posted on 06/14/2002 7:59:11 AM PDT by blam
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To: Tai_Chung
If God wrote the Noah story, and it was only about the Black Sea, why did he say that the whole world was flooded?

Was God just using a literary device? Or was God just uninterested in the Europeans, Chinese, Indians (Subcontinental and American) and the Polar Bears?

10 posted on 06/14/2002 8:00:43 AM PDT by Vladiator
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To: blam
The people who wrote the bible spoke of this flood but, I have yet to see anything written by God about it.

I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.

I don't believe it is just another book written by man.

I guess it is all a matter of faith.

11 posted on 06/14/2002 8:04:01 AM PDT by Tai_Chung
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To: Vladiator
If God wrote the Noah story, and it was only about the Black Sea, why did he say that the whole world was flooded?

Was God just using a literary device? Or was God just uninterested in the Europeans, Chinese, Indians (Subcontinental and American) and the Polar Bears?

Exactly.

I don't believe Ryan & Pitman are correct. The whole world was flooded and it was sudden (40 days and 40 nights).

It is foolish to try to prove God wrong.

12 posted on 06/14/2002 8:07:17 AM PDT by Tai_Chung
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To: Tai_Chung
"I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God.

No argument from me.

13 posted on 06/14/2002 8:08:11 AM PDT by blam
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To: Vladiator
If God wrote the Noah story, and it was only about the Black Sea, why did he say that the whole world was flooded?

I'm still scratching my head about Noah having (at least) 2 of every species on board. Even if you were just to count insects, that would be one big boat......

14 posted on 06/14/2002 8:10:32 AM PDT by gdani
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To: aculeus
Forget this nonsense and pick up a Bible. Noah's flood was a reality, and it covered the ENTIRE world, not just the Bosporus like this fairy tale tells us!
15 posted on 06/14/2002 8:11:07 AM PDT by RaceBannon
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To: Vladiator
If God wrote the Noah story,

Moses wrote the Noah story. God inspired it.

16 posted on 06/14/2002 8:13:12 AM PDT by AppyPappy
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To: blam
How do you know it was mistranslated?
17 posted on 06/14/2002 8:15:05 AM PDT by MEGoody
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To: gdani
It was a big boat. As I recall, someone once 'did the math' and proclaimed that it was, indeed, possible to hold two of each animal. (And don't forget the 7 of each clean animal.)
18 posted on 06/14/2002 8:16:51 AM PDT by MEGoody
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To: blam
"I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God."

No argument from me.

However, you believe Ryan & Pitman are correct.

Do you believe the flood was not global and not sudden?

19 posted on 06/14/2002 8:17:19 AM PDT by Tai_Chung
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To: blam
The word '40' is a mistranslation and should in fact be 'many,' not 40.

Do you have any references for this. I can find no evidence to support this claim.

20 posted on 06/14/2002 8:21:11 AM PDT by asformeandformyhouse
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