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+ JMJ 7/8 General Science: Module 8 Uniformitarianism and Catastrophism Uniformitarianism and the Geological Record • • • • • • ________________ do not expect to find a layer of rock for each time period in earth’s past Layers have not been produced uniformly over the Earth; some layers have eroded Each layer represents a certain ____________________ Index fossils are used to determine which layers belong to a certain time period – _________: fossils that are assumed to represent certain period of time _______________ dating used to estimate age of fossils and therefore approximate the age of rock layer Geological Column __________________________ – Theoretical picture in which layers of rock from around the world are meshed together into a single, unbroken record of earth’s past – Assumes: • • Each layer of rock represents a period of the past Index fossils found in each layer are accurate indicators of a given ___________________ – Era • Time period covered by a collection of layers Uniformitarianism and Evolution • • • Fossils of simple organisms found in deep layers; increasingly complex organisms found sequentially in more superficial layers Does this provide evidence for the Theory of Evolution? ______________________________ – All life on earth has one (or a few) common ancestor(s) that existed a long time ago – As billions of years passed, small differences between parents and offspring accumulated and some simple organisms became increasingly complex • • • • E.g., Fish ____________ into an amphibian, p.192 Geological column a chronological record of life on earth and a record of evolution Catastrophism and the Geological Record Catastrophists believe the worldwide flood is responsible for most of the geological record Evidence for this belief comes from a recent earthquake – In 1980, ______________________ erupted • • • • • • Magma released Severely damaged life for ________ sq. miles Energy released equivalent to 430 million tons of TNT! Ash and debris covered a huge area River of mud moved at over _________ miles/hour Sediments from this river formed layers with strata of varying thickness • Stratified formations that uniformitarians think take millions of years to form, can form very quickly if there is a __________________ – E.g., “Engineer’s Canyon” or the “Little Grand Canyon” formed in less than a __________ after Mt. St. Helens erupted • • • • • Did the river at the bottom of the Grand Canyon slowly produce the canyon, or did the river appear as a result of the canyon quickly forming due to a _________________? Believe most sedimentary rock and fossils deposited during the Flood Different layers represent different stages of the ______________ Three broad eras – Fossils in pre-Flood rocks were creatures alive before the Flood – Fossils in rocks deposited by the Flood lived during the time of the ___ – Fossils in post-Flood rocks were creatures that lived ________ the flood Fossil graveyards – Common in the fossil record – Deposits that contain enormous numbers of fossilized creatures, sometimes from many different __________________ – Flood may have caused diverse animals to move outside their normal area and then become concentrated together where they were rapidly buried and _____________ – Flood waters could mix a variety of organisms together • Some fossils appear to have formed ________________ • Time required for the formation of fossils – Catastrophists think fossils form quickly – Uniformitarians think fossils form ____________ Uniformitarianism or Catastrophism: Which is Better? • Catastrophism – Better at explaining lack of fossils and presence of fossil ___________ – One example of soft, unfossilized dinosaur bone tissue indicates dinosaurs may have lived ________ rather than millions of years ago – Organisms thought to be extinct and to represent an ancient time period are later found to ______________ • • E.g., Wollemi pine and coelacanth (primitive fish) Paraconformity – A “disguised” unconformity for which there is no evidence but some geologists think should exist • – Paraconformities are common and are a problem for ______________ Unconformities – Catastrophists can not provide an explanation for how certain layers formed during the Flood and why there is evidence of erosion between certain ______________ • In situ growth structures – In situ • In the natural or original position or place – Do not appear to have been deposited by a Flood – E.g., __________ (limestone) deposits, such as the White Cliffs of Dover, appear to have been formed over a long period of time from the bodies of microscopic, aquatic, hard-shelled organisms Evolution: Can It provide Evidence for Uniformitarianism? • The geological column (and the Bible) indicates that simper life forms proceeded more complex creatures, so this supports the Theory of Evolution • Aside from the geological column, is there evidence for evolution? • Intermediate link – There is a lot of evidence for ______________ – There is a lot of debate over macroevolution – A creature that is supposed to represent an evolutionary transition from one basic kind of creature to _____________ – __________ have been found – Darwin admitted this problem – A possible link between reptiles and birds • Archaeopteryx – – – – Teeth like a ____________ Wings like a ________ Claws on the wings (reptiles have claws on front feet) Tail is long and bony like a reptile Evolution: Can It provide Evidence for Uniformitarianism? • Is Australopithecus an intermediate link between apes and humans? – Australopithecus is very ape-like • Progressive creationists – Combine aspects of catastrophists and uniformitarians