Difference between revisions of "Old Earth"

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(Major re-do of this page. This was re-written with a more balanced approach, providing more scientific information about an old Earth, the arguments against it, and the justifications for it.)
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'''Old Earth''' theories propose that the Earth has existed for billions of years. These theories developed in connection with the [[Theory of Evolution]], whose postulated genetic changes could not have possibly occurred in the thousands of years that people had previously estimated the age of the Earth to be.
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Modern science has found a number of lines of evidence that the Earth is very old. While science has reached a consensus on the Earth's age, at 4.5 billion years, there is still debate within religious groups. This is centered around different interpretations of Genesis in regard to the age of the Earth. While [[Young Earth Creationism]] holds to an age of about 6000 years, [[Old Earth Creationism]] accepts the scientifically determined age.
  
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Old Earth theories struggle to explain youthful characteristics of the Earth, such as the massive fresh water Great Lakes. Over long periods of time fresh water reservoirs would inevitably dissipate.  Theories of [[Ice Age]]s developed as a way to explain fresh water reservoirs.  Underground wells provide a similar challenge for Old Earth advocates.
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== Dating the Earth ==
  
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Flooding is another challenge for Old Earth advocates, as it would wipe out any evolutionary path, particularly among mammals. The likelihood of a massive flood increases with the period of time, and an older Earth means more disruptive flooding.
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Radioisotope dating has long been an established means of dating very ancient minerals containing radioactive isotopes. The age is taken from the time that mineral solidified. Certain minerals are more useful in this process, but there are many with half lives of sufficient duration to measure the age of the Earth.
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Zircon is one of these minerals. It contains zirconium in a repeating and regular crystal lattice with the other atoms in the matrix. This mineral regularly forms in the presence of other elements like lead and uranium. Uranium can substitute for zirconium in the lattice structure, but lead cannot. This provides geologists a tool for determining age. U-235 has a half life of 4.47 billion years and U-238 has a half life of 704 million years, each decaying into a different isotope of lead. By measuring the ratio of U-238 to Pb-207 and the ratio of U-235 to Pb-206, two independent measures of the sample's age can be taken. Only lead that has decomposed from uranium will be present since lead will not incorporate into this mineral during formation.
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The result found from samples taken from the moon, meteorites, and ancient earth minerals all show that the Earth and the solar system formed at the same time about 4.5 billion years ago.<ref>Valley, Pech, King, Wilde (2002). "A Cool Early Earth". ''Geological Society of America''</ref> Though the oldest minerals originating on Earth are 4.4 billion years old, most earth rocks are much younger due to recycling of the Earth's crust due to plate tectonics.
  
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The principle basis for Old Earth is [[radiometric dating]],  but it is a logical tautology to assume that [[radioactive decay]] rates have always been constant, even at higher energy levels.  Such assumption is identical to assuming that the Earth is old, and hence that argument is circular.
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== Characteristics of the Early Earth ==
  
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The discipline of [[uniformitarianism]] is also a basis for assuming an old Earth. Extrapolating the rate of geologic processes backwards in time yields an Earth substantially older than the Biblical 6,000 years. Uniformitarianism is also based on assumptions, however; namely, that all geologic processes were acting at the same or similar rates for the whole history of the Earth.
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Zircons found from the earliest epochs of Earth's history, are found to have formed in the presence of liquid water.<ref>Valley, Pech, King, Wilde (2002). "A Cool Early Earth". ''Geological Society of America''</ref> This suggests that as early as 4.4 billion years ago the Earth had a world wide ocean. At this time the Earth would have had a thick atmosphere and be continually clouded. This is a remarkable match to the descriptions of Earth in Gen 1:2. See
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[[Old Earth Creationism]] for a the theological reasoning behind an old Earth.
  
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== Contradiction in Old Earth Theory ==
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== Young Earth and Old Earth Arguments ==
  
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The fundamental contradiction in the belief in an Old Earth is this: physical laws, such as rates of decay, must have been different at higher energies and times closer to the origin of the universe. Yet physical rates, such as rates of decay, must somehow have been constant since the origin of the universe, in order to use extrapolation to date it.
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*Some young Earth proponents question the constancy of radiometric decay rates that is assumed in radioisotope dating methods. If these decay rates were greater in the past, this would throw off the numbers in any analysis.
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*Since decay rates are determined by fundamental properties of physics, this implies variation of the fundamental constants of nature. Furthermore, this rate would have to be different by a factor of nearly one million, to account for the large discrepancy in the apparent age. The fundamental constants of physics have not been found to vary to any measurable degree in the last 13 billion years.
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*In many cases the sedimentation of minerals produces annual layers in sedimentary rock strata. This occurs in a similar way in ice cores taken from polar glaciers. These formations have been found with hundreds of thousands of annual layers.
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*Some believe that the flood of Noah is responsible for rapidly producing all of the layered strata found throughout the world.
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*Most who believe the Earth is young also believe in a young universe. Starlight from galaxies billions of light-years away present a problem for a young universe view since this light would require billions of years to make the journey.
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*Some have suggested that the speed of light was faster in the past, at a factor of nearly a million times.
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*Another explanation is that the light was simply created en route. This would not require distant galaxies to exist, since the light is created independent of any material objects.
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*See the [[old earth creationism]] and [[young earth creationism]] pages for more reasons for a young or old Earth.
  
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==Physical origin of the Earth==
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== References ==
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Those who accept an old Earth generally believe that natural processes formed the Earth and solar system over a long period of time. This is as opposed to the young-Earth creationist belief in an essentially instantaneous creation.
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<references/>
  
 
==See also==
 
==See also==
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*[[Counterexamples to an Old Earth]]
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*[[Old Earth Creationism]]
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*[[Young Earth Creationism]]
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*[http://rareuniverse.org/old_earth_creationism/index.html Old Earth Creationism at RareUniverse.Org]
  
 
[[Category:Creationism]]
 
[[Category:Creationism]]
 
[[Category:Evolution]]
 
[[Category:Evolution]]
 
[[Category:Geology]]
 
[[Category:Geology]]

Revision as of 00:21, June 27, 2011

Modern science has found a number of lines of evidence that the Earth is very old. While science has reached a consensus on the Earth's age, at 4.5 billion years, there is still debate within religious groups. This is centered around different interpretations of Genesis in regard to the age of the Earth. While Young Earth Creationism holds to an age of about 6000 years, Old Earth Creationism accepts the scientifically determined age.

Dating the Earth

Radioisotope dating has long been an established means of dating very ancient minerals containing radioactive isotopes. The age is taken from the time that mineral solidified. Certain minerals are more useful in this process, but there are many with half lives of sufficient duration to measure the age of the Earth. Zircon is one of these minerals. It contains zirconium in a repeating and regular crystal lattice with the other atoms in the matrix. This mineral regularly forms in the presence of other elements like lead and uranium. Uranium can substitute for zirconium in the lattice structure, but lead cannot. This provides geologists a tool for determining age. U-235 has a half life of 4.47 billion years and U-238 has a half life of 704 million years, each decaying into a different isotope of lead. By measuring the ratio of U-238 to Pb-207 and the ratio of U-235 to Pb-206, two independent measures of the sample's age can be taken. Only lead that has decomposed from uranium will be present since lead will not incorporate into this mineral during formation. The result found from samples taken from the moon, meteorites, and ancient earth minerals all show that the Earth and the solar system formed at the same time about 4.5 billion years ago.[1] Though the oldest minerals originating on Earth are 4.4 billion years old, most earth rocks are much younger due to recycling of the Earth's crust due to plate tectonics.

Characteristics of the Early Earth

Zircons found from the earliest epochs of Earth's history, are found to have formed in the presence of liquid water.[2] This suggests that as early as 4.4 billion years ago the Earth had a world wide ocean. At this time the Earth would have had a thick atmosphere and be continually clouded. This is a remarkable match to the descriptions of Earth in Gen 1:2. See Old Earth Creationism for a the theological reasoning behind an old Earth.

Young Earth and Old Earth Arguments

  • Some young Earth proponents question the constancy of radiometric decay rates that is assumed in radioisotope dating methods. If these decay rates were greater in the past, this would throw off the numbers in any analysis.
  • Since decay rates are determined by fundamental properties of physics, this implies variation of the fundamental constants of nature. Furthermore, this rate would have to be different by a factor of nearly one million, to account for the large discrepancy in the apparent age. The fundamental constants of physics have not been found to vary to any measurable degree in the last 13 billion years.
  • In many cases the sedimentation of minerals produces annual layers in sedimentary rock strata. This occurs in a similar way in ice cores taken from polar glaciers. These formations have been found with hundreds of thousands of annual layers.
  • Some believe that the flood of Noah is responsible for rapidly producing all of the layered strata found throughout the world.
  • Most who believe the Earth is young also believe in a young universe. Starlight from galaxies billions of light-years away present a problem for a young universe view since this light would require billions of years to make the journey.
  • Some have suggested that the speed of light was faster in the past, at a factor of nearly a million times.
  • Another explanation is that the light was simply created en route. This would not require distant galaxies to exist, since the light is created independent of any material objects.
  • See the old earth creationism and young earth creationism pages for more reasons for a young or old Earth.

References

  1. ↑ Valley, Pech, King, Wilde (2002). "A Cool Early Earth". Geological Society of America
  2. ↑ Valley, Pech, King, Wilde (2002). "A Cool Early Earth". Geological Society of America

See also

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