Creation Science Geology in the Smoky Mountains
Over here in the eastern part of the United States, we have a mountain system called the Appalachians. Actually, part of them reach into Newfoundland, Canada, and down into Alabama. It has several regions or provinces. Here in southeastern New York, the Catskills are a part of the Appalachians. Following the line toward the south, you can reach the Smoky Mountains.
People who like autumn "color tours" may want to take a drive and visit the national park. You may even want to visit the highest point of the Smokies and the Appalachian Trail, a mountain called Klingon Dome.
"That's Clingmans Dome, Cowboy Bob!"
via GIPHY
But enough of this travelogue. Let's be getting ourselves into some geology. More specifically, creation science geology. Dr. Andrew Snelling wanted to do some firsthand research. Way back when, during the catastrophic plate tectonics of the Genesis Flood, Africa smacked into North America in a hit-and-run maneuver. This caused mountains to pop up, metamorphosis, and all kinds of action. The rocks would have certain markers of that action, supporting the Flood model and a young earth.
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| Great Smoky Mountains image credit: Wikipedia / Terrill White |
"That's Clingmans Dome, Cowboy Bob!"
via GIPHY
But enough of this travelogue. Let's be getting ourselves into some geology. More specifically, creation science geology. Dr. Andrew Snelling wanted to do some firsthand research. Way back when, during the catastrophic plate tectonics of the Genesis Flood, Africa smacked into North America in a hit-and-run maneuver. This caused mountains to pop up, metamorphosis, and all kinds of action. The rocks would have certain markers of that action, supporting the Flood model and a young earth.
As a creation geologist from Australia, I didn’t hear about the Smokies until I visited the United States to do research. A fellow geologist recommended the Smokies as a good place to sample rocks for an idea I wanted to test. My goal was to verify that certain rocks in the earth’s mountain ranges formed quickly (even in weeks!), not over millions of years. In my area of expertise, I knew that within a certain mineral there are telltale byproducts if the rocks formed rapidly. I just needed to find some of that mineral in rocks that formed under the right conditions.To read the entire article (or download the audio, but you'll miss out on the illustrations), click on "Making More of the Mountains". Dr. Snelling mentioned some of his articles on polonium radiohalos (try this one for starters), and you may be interested in "Mysterious Radiohalos and the Genesis Flood" as well.