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Geological Periods |
Introduction:
The Geological column is used by archeologists, anthropologists and geologists to determine the geological period in which a fossil, rock, or artifact is found. This provides a date for the scientist to assign to the object. The Geological column is divided into "periods". Each period represents a geological timeframe as well as the species of plants and animals that evolved within that timeframe.
Because the Geological Column is based on an evolutionary view, the Young Earth advocates disagree with the reliability of this column. The question being researched here is the validity of the Geological Column, the dates assigned to each period and their accuracy.
Established Theory:
When an animal dies, it generally rots and decays removing any trace of its existence. But in some rare instances the dead animal is quickly buried, before it can rot or decay, such as in mud, sand, etc. Over time, several thousand years, the parts of the dead animal that did not rot away, usually the bones and teeth, are replaced with minerals from the surrounding ground and becomes a copy of the original but as a rock. These rocks are called fossils. A different type of fossil is called "trace fossils". This is where an impression of something is left in soft soil, sand or mud then is quickly covered over or becomes hardened. Common trace fossils are footprints where only the impression of a passing animal or man was preserved. When an artifact or fossil is found, the layer in the fossil is found in is dated by using as many dating methods as possible. Once the age of the item has been determined it is placed within one of the periods of the geological column.
The following sources were used in this research and can be referred to for additional and more detailed information concerning the geological column.
The following sites are related to the debate over the accuracy of the Geological Column from the established scientific community's point of view.
Alternative Theory:
On some occasions "out of place fossils" are found. This is a fossil from one geological period that is found in another geological period, which it does not belong. As an example, if a horse fossil is found in the same layer as a dinosaur fossil the evolutionist has a problem as these two animals lived at completely different times according to the geological column and the theory of evolution. These types of fossils are referred to as "out of place fossils" or "anomalous fossils". (See Talk.Origin's response to "out of place fossils".)
Radiometric dating is not possible on most fossils as this technique only dates the origins of the rocks, not when the fossil was formed. The rocks that the fossil was found may have been formed long before the fossil was deposited there. Therefore, the only method left for dating a fossil is by comparing it to other fossils found in the same layer. This is the major flaw in the Geological column as it assumes a specific timeframe for the evolution and extinction of certain species.
Conclusion:
Doctrinal Bias
Both the Young Earth and Old Earth advocates, as well as the Creationists and Evolutionists, have a high potential for doctrinal bias. According to the doctrines of the Young Earth advocates and Creationists the Earth is no more than 10,000 years old and any date beyond this is contradictory to the doctrine. On the other hand, the doctrines of the Old Earth advocates and evolutionists require long spans of time for their doctrine to be supported.
The Young Earth theory is solely based on Genesis 1:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" and the following chronology of the human race as recorded in the Bible. On a consistent basis the scientific evidence for the Old Earth theory and the theory of evolution is refuted by the Young Earth advocates but no scientific evidence is used to support the Young Earth Theory.
The Old Earth theory is solely based on the theory of evolution. In order for a species to change into another species, millions of years are required. Much scientific evidence has been presented to support this theory. The actual methods used for dating the geological layers is discussed in the "Dating Methods" section but, as the evolution and extinction of species is the major component in the geological column, it is the fossil record that will investigated here.
Fossil Dating
According to the Creationists the Evolutionary scientists will assign dates to the fossils found based on the evolution of that species. If a fossil of an animal that evolved in the Triassic Period and became extinct in the Jurassic period is found, the ground where it was found will be dated accordingly. If a different species is found in the same layer but is known to have become extinct in the Permian period, it is assigned a new species name and considered an evolved form of the previous species. The geological layer that a fossil is found is dated according to the geological column and the geological column is determined by the evolutionary theory.
According to the Evolutionist the fossils are not dated according to the evolutionary theory but by scientific means such as Radiometric Dating, Stratigraphy and other methods. This would imply that the geological column and the dates associated with it are determined through means other than the fossil record.
According to the International Commission on Stratigraphy a geological layer is usually defined by the presence of certain fossils called "Index Fossils". An "Index Fossil" is "The fossil of an organism known to have existed for a relatively short period of time, used to date the rock in which it is found." (WebRef.org). The dating of a geological layer through these "Index Fossils" is considered accurate by the United States Geological Survey which states the following. "The Law of Fossil Succession is very important to geologists who need to know the ages of the rocks they are studying. The fossils present in a rock exposure or in a core hole can be used to determine the ages of rocks very precisely. Detailed studies of many rocks from many places reveal that some fossils have a short, well-known time of existence. These useful fossils are called index fossils."
The International Commission on Stratigraphy describes a different view of using fossils for dating. "Dates are provided for all boundaries, but they clearly vary in accuracy and reliability. The best available dates have been listed with reference and error information. Most of the others represent some form of approximation. This may amount to either copying the approximate values given in other reference works or performing interpolations based on estimates of the length and position of a particular stage. In doing this, it is assumed that the boundaries and relations between various stages are generally better known than their exact ages. It should also be acknowledged that for many of the more obscure regional and faunal stages the exact boundaries are not only poorly known, but historically have been poorly defined. For these reasons, whenever precise dates are needed, it is recommended that work be done in reference to the ICS time scale." (The ICS Time scale uses radiometric dating for dating geological layers rather than the presence of fossils.)
The Palomar College web site states the following concerning the use of fossils in dating geological periods. "Our interpretation of the fossil record has been biased by differential preservation." (Context)
The major factor used in determining the boundaries between different geological periods is the presence or absence of index fossils. Because these fossils themselves cannot be Radiometrically dated it appears that the geological column is designed to fit the evolutionary theory and then is in turn used to date fossils to prove the evolutionary theory. While evolutionists claim a specific species evolved and became extinct within a specific geological period, one can only say that no evidence of that species has been found in any other Geological Period. The presence of one species within one geological period only indicates a mass burial of that species within that geological period and space. The presence of one species in the fossil record cannot provide a reliable date.
Anomalous Fossils
Fossils have been found that did not fit the Geological Column. Often these anomalies or "out of place fossils" are ignored, considered hoaxes or identified as a species that does fit the Geological Column. In order for the evolutionary theory to be true the Geological Column must be preserved. Unfortunately, this will strongly motivate a scientist to make the facts fit the Geological Column. Rather than adjusting the Geological Column to fit the evidence, the evidence is adjusted to fit the Geological Column.
Living Fossils
Evolutionists assume that the absence of a species in the fossil record prior to and after a specific timeframe represents the evolution and extinction of that species. Many species that were assumed to have been extinct for millions of years because of their absence in the fossil record have been discovered in remote areas of the world. From this we can conclude that an absence of fossils does not mean that they did not exist, it simply means that that species was not fossilized during a large span of time. The evolutionist states that the dinosaur evolved during the Triassic Period. The evidence presented to support this is the absence of fossils in prior geological periods but, as we can see this does not prove they did not exist in prior geological periods. Their only evidence is the Geological Column, which is based on the evolutionary theory.
The Cambrian Explosion
During the Cambrian Period (490 -543 mya) a sudden appearance of all major animal groups occurred. Scientists call this the “Cambrian Explosion”. There does not appear to be any evolutionary process to explain their appearance, they simply appeared without a trace of ancestors. It is possible that some catastrophic event caused the immediate burial of a large number of sea animals and other species not found in the Cambrian period were untouched by the cataclysm.
Comment
My conclusions on this subject neither confirm nor deny the theories of creation or evolution but simply conclude that the fossil record does not support the Geological Column.
Readers Comments:
anominuy 9-27-06
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khristen murdock 9-25-06
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Joe BoB Goerge 12-01-05
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Shane S. 8-8-2006
Go to http://www.creationscience.com/
to read about evidence which supports a young earth, rather than just criticizes evolution.
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