|
| ||
Evolution Encyclopedia Vol. 2 Chapter 17 – FOSSILS AND STRATA Part 1
"From the almost total absence of fossil evidence relative to the origin of the phyla, it follows that any explanation of the mechanism in the creative evolution of the fundamental structural plans is heavily burdened with hypothesis. This should appear as an epigraph to every book on evolution. The lack of direct evidence leads to the formulation of pure conjecture as to the genesis of the phyla; we do not even have a basis to determine the extent to which these opinions are correct." —*Pierre-Paul Grasse, Evolution of Living Organisms (1977), p. 31.
This is one of the most important chapters in this set of books, for fossil remains provide evolutionists with their only real evidence that evolution might have occurred in the past. If the fossils do not witness to evolution in the past, then if could not be occurring now either. The only substantial evidence that evolution has taken place in past ages, if there is such evidence, is to be found in the fossils. The only definite evidence from the present that there is a mechanism by which evolution could occur—past or present—if there is such evidence, is to be found In mutations and natural selection. There is a chapter dealing with each of these three topics in this set of books (chapters 17, 14, and 13). Because of the importance of this subject, and because so many feel confused when confronted with evolutionary claims about fossils and sedimentary strata (although the issues and problems are not complicated), we will begin this present chapter with an introduction and overview of some of the fossil problems. Then we shall give enough attention to each of those problems—and more besides—to provide you with a clear understanding of principles and conclusions. And when you obtain it, you will be astounded at the amount of overwhelming evidence supporting the fact that there is absolutely no indication from the fossil record that evolution ever occurred on our planet. 1 - INTRODUCTION This chapter on fossils is one of the largest and most important in this set of books, yet most people know very little about any aspect of geology. In brief, here are some of the major areas of geologic study. Of the geologic terms defined below, you will want to give special attention to those in bold italic: Here are several of the major branches of Physical Geology: (1) Geochemistry is the study of the substances in the earth and the chemical changes they undergo. (2) Petrology is the study of rocks in general. (3) Mineralogy is the study of minerals, such as iron ore and uranium. (4) Geophysics is the study of the structure, composition, and development of the earth. (5) Structural geology is the study of positions and shapes of rocks very deep within the earth. Both physical and historical geology include three areas: (1) Geochronology Is the study of geologic time. (2) Earth Processes is the study of the forces that produce changes in the earth. (3) Sedimentology is the study of sediment and the ways it is deposited. Historical geology has at least four main fields: (1) Paleontology is the study of fossils, and paleontologists are those who study them. (2) Stratigraphy Is the study of the rock strata In which the fossils are found. (3) Paleogeography is the study of the past geography of the earth. (4) Paleoecology is the study of the relationships between prehistoric plants and animals, and their surroundings.
Fossils are the remains of living creatures, both plants and animals, or their tracks. These are found in sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is composed of strata, which are layers of stone piled up like a layer cake. (Strata is the plural of stratum.) Sedimentary rock is fossilbearing or fossilferous rock. Fossil-hunters use the word taxa (taxon, singular) to describe the basic, different types of plants and animals found in the fossil record. By this they generally mean species, but sometimes genera or more composite classifications, such as families or even phyla. Taxa is thus something of a loose term; it will be found in some of the quotations in this chapter. Higher taxa would mean the larger creatures, such as vertebrates (animals with backbones).
These fossil remains may be shells, teeth, bones, or entire skeletons. A fossil may also be a footprint, bird track, or tail marks of a passing lizard. It can even include rain drops. Many fossils no longer contain their original material, but are composed of mineral deposits that have infiltrated them and taken on their shapes. Fossils are extremely important to evolutionary theory, for they provide our only record of plants and animals in ancient times. The fossil record is of the highest importance as a proof for evolution. In these fossils scientists should be able to find all the evidence needed, to prove that one species has evolved out of another. For additional information see the appendix topics, a "1 - Introduction" and " 2 - The Fossil Hunters."
The following chart will provide you with an overview of the development of most of the long-antiquated fossil/strata theory. The foundations of it were developed over a hundred years ago when comparatively little was known about geology, paleontology, biology, or most any other modern science. You will note that most of the theory was completed by 1880. Relatively few innovations came after that time.
The study of fossils and mutations ranks as the two key evidences of evolution: The fossil evidence proves or disproves whether evolution has occurred in the past; mutational facts prove or disprove whether it can occur at all. This is probably why, of all scientists, paleontologists and geneticists are the most likely to publicly repudiate evolutionary theory in disgust. they have spent their lives fruitlessly working hands-on with one of the two main factors in the very center of evolution: the evidence (fossils) or the mechanism by which it occurs (mutations), and that part of the body within which it must occur (DNA).
NO EVOLUTION TODAY—Evolution—which is one type of animal changing into another—never occurs today.
EVERYTHING HINGES ON FOSSILS—Clearly, then, all that the evolutionists have to prove their theory is fossil evidence of life forms living in the past. If evolution is the cause of life on earth, then there ought to be thousands of various partly-evolved fossil life forms. For evolution to occur, this had to occur in great abundance. The fossils should reveal large numbers of transmuted species creatures which are half fish-half animal, etc. Throughout these studies, we shall refer to the basic types or kinds of plants and animals as "species. " Unfortunately, biologists have at times classified certain plants and animals as "species," when they are not species, but subspecies.) True species cannot cross breed with other species, although some sub-species do not interbreed (some dogs will not interbreed but they are still dogs). True species cannot cross breed, not for mechanical reasons, but because they have different basic DNA code. Monkeys cannot breed with owls and produce young, etc. UNIFORMITARIANISM —A basic postulate of evolution is the concept of uniformitarianism. According to this theory, the way everything is occurring today is the way it has always occurred on our planet. This point has strong bearing on the rock strata. Since no more than an inch or so of sediment is presently being laid down each year in most non-alluvial areas, therefore no more than this amount could have been deposited yearly in those places in the past. Since there are thick sections of rock containing fossils, therefore those rocks and their contents must have required millions of years to be laid down. That is how the theory goes. The opposite viewpoint is known as catastrophism, and teaches that there has been a great catastrophe in the past—the Flood—which within a few months laid down all the sedimentary rock strata, entombing the fossils contained within them. For additional information see quotation supplement, "4 - Uniformitarianism vs. Catastrophism," in the appendix. THE THEORY THAT STARTED IT—Naturalists working in Paris a few years before *Charles Lyell was born, discovered fossil-bearing rock strata. Lyell used this information in his important book, Principles of Geology, and divided the strata into three divisions. He dated one as youngest, another as older, and the third as very ancient. Lyell and others worked out those dates in the early 19th century, before very much was known about the rock strata and their fossils! For this purpose, some strata in England, Scotland, and France were the primary ones studied. Lyell based his age-theory on the number of still-living species, represented by fossils, in each stratum. If a given stratum had few fossils represented by species alive today, then Lyell dated it more anciently. It has since been established that this theory does not agree with reality; the percentage of still-living species is very, very high throughout all the strata, and varies from place to place for each stratum in different localities. Nevertheless, after quarreling over details, Lyell's followers extended his scheme and, though they changed his initial major strata names, they held on to his mistake and elaborated on it. Scientists in the 20th century have been stuck with this relic of early 19th century error. This is what scientists are taught in college, and if they do not give verbal assent to it they may be dropped from school. These students are also taught that the fossil-bearing rock strata fall into three major divisions called "eras." At the top are the Cenozoic Era rocks. Below that come the Mesozoic Era levels. Next comes the Paleozoic Era strata. At the bottom we find the Cambrian, which contains the lowest fossil-bearing rocks. Beneath that is the Precambrian. (Cenozoic means "recent life," mesozoic means "middle life," and paleozoic means "ancient life.") DATES WHEN GEOLOGICAL TIME SCALES ORIGINATED—This fossil/strata theory is genuinely archaic. The basis of the theory were devised when very little was known about strata or fossils. But geology and paleontology has been saddled with it ever since. Here are the dates when the various geological time scales were first developed: THE PERIODS:
THE ERAS:
EVIDENCE OF EVOLUTION—If evolution was a fact we should find in present events and past records abundant evidence of one species changing into another species. But, throughout all past history and in present observations, no one has ever seen this happen. Prior to written history we only have fossil evidence. Scientists all over the world have been collecting and stun dying fossils for over a hundred years. In all their research, this is what they discovered: (1) There is no evidence of one species having changed into another one. (2) Our modern species are what we find there, plus some extinct ones. (3) There are no transitional or half-way forms between species. Yes, there are extinct creatures among the fossils. These are plants and animals which no longer live on the earth. But even scientists agree that extinct species would not be an evidence of evolution. Yet evolutionists parade dinosaur bones as a grand proof of evolution—when they are no proof at all! Extinction is not evolution! Before proceeding farther in this study, we should mention two points that will help clarify the problem: WHY SO VERY COMPLEX AT THE BOTTOM?—As we already mentioned, the lowest strata level is called the Cambrian. Below this lowest of the fossil-bearing strata lies the Precambrian. the Cambrian has invertebrate (non-backbone) animals, such as trilobites and brachiopods. These are both very complex little animals. In addition, many of our modern animals and plants are in that lowest level, just above the Precambrian. How could such complex, multi-celled creatures be there in the bottom of the Cambrian strata? But there they are. Suddenly, in the very lowest fossil stratum, we find complex plants and animals—and lots of them, with nothing to indicate that they evolved from anything lower. "It remains true, as every paleontologist knows, that most new species, genera and families, and that nearly all categories above the level of families, appear in the [fossil] record suddenly and are not led up to by known, gradual, completely continuous transitional sequences." —George G. Simpson, The Major Features of Evolution, p. 360. The paleontologists (the fossil-hunters) call this immense problem "the Cambrian Explosion," because vast numbers of complex creatures suddenly appear in the fossil strata—with no evidence that they evolved from any less complicated creatures) *C. McGowan, in his 1984 book, A Scientist Shows Why Creationists are Wrong, says that evolution would be significantly falsified if it could be shown that "the earliest fossils were not the simplest ones." In reply, Mehlert says:
We will discuss the Precambrian/Cambrian problem later in this chapter. What caused this sudden, massive appearance of life-forms? What caused the strata? Why are all those fossils in the strata? What is the solution to all this? THE GENESIS FLOOD—The answer is that a great Flood,—the one described in the Bible in Genesis 6-9—suddenly covered the earth with water. When it did, sediments of pebbles, gravel, clay, and sand were laid down in successive strata, covering animal and plant life. Under great pressure, these sediments turned into what we today call "sedimentary rock." (Clay became shale; sand turned into sandstone; mixtures of gravel, clay and sand formed conglomerate rock.) All that mass of water-laid material successively covered millions of living creatures. The result is fossils, which today are only found in the sedimentary rock strata. When the Flood overwhelmed the world, the first to be covered were small-moving animals, the next to be covered were somewhat larger, somewhat faster-moving animals, and so it went. Today we can dig into these rock strata and find that the lowest stratum tend to have the slowest-moving creatures; above them are faster ones. Evolutionary scientists declare these lowest strata are many millions of years old (570 million for the oldest, the Cambrian), and the topmost to be the most recent (the Pliocene at 10 million, and the Pleistocene at 2 million years). But, in actuality, we will discover that the evidence indicates that all the sedimentary strata with their hoards of fossils were all laid down within a very short time. IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE AVAILABLE?— First, is there enough evidence available to decide the fossil problem? Can we at the present time really know for sure whether or not, according to the fossil record, evolution has or has not occurred? Yes, we CAN know! Men have worked earnestly since the beginning of the 19th century to find evidences of evolution in the fossil strata.
You have just completed
Chapter 17 – FOSSILS AND
STRATA Part 1
Chapter 17 FOSSILS AND
STRATA Part 2
|
