CHAPTER 5 NOTES -INTERPRETING THE FOSSIL RECORD- LESSON 5.1: A MATTER OF ORIGINS CONFLICTING VIEWS - the biblical principle of origins. The way that God called the universe to existence out of nothing. It also includes the way that God made complex living organisms out of simple materials. o The Bible does not say when Creation occurred, but historical information in the Bible indicates that it was no more than years ago. - the belief that the universe originated by natural processes over billions of years. o - the gradual development of life on Earth, from simple organisms to complex ones. o - the chance origin of the universe as a whole. - the starting point of cosmic evolution. According to this theory, all of the universe s matter, energy, and space existed in a dense and extremely hot point that suddenly began to rapidly expand, eventually forming the universe known today. - modified form of evolution that attempts to reconcile the Bible and evolution. LESSON 5.2: CONFLICTING VIEWS OF GEOLOGIC HISTORY LIMITATIONS TO GEOLOGY - the natural laws in operation today have existed throughout the earth s history. o This idea is basic to geology and is supported by all scientists.
- the idea that every natural process has been operating in the same manner and at the same rate throughout earth s history. o Idea popularized in the 1800s by. o If the processes seen today have occurred at the same rate throughout history, then the earth s geologic features would have required to form. o Problems With Uniformitarianism The natural processes seen today have always proceeded at the same or on the same as in the past. Example: the formation of the Grand Canyon - popularized the idea of biological evolution after taking a voyage around South America to study plant and animal life. o rote a book titled, The Origin of Species, where he presented the idea of and sought to explain how all living things on earth are the product of millions of years of gradual change. - the idea that catastrophic events are primarily responsible for earth s geologic features. o Idea suggested by. - the current view that joins uniformitarianism with occasional catastrophes. LESSON 5.3A: THE RECORD OF THE ROCKS FOSSILS - the remains or impressions of plants, animals and humans preserved in sedimentary rock. o - the branch of geology that studies fossils.
o For a fossil to form, it must be protected from and. Generally, this occurs when an organism is quickly buried by. TYPES OF FOSSILS - form when plans or animals are rapidly burned by water and sediments. Over time, minerals in the mud replace or strengthen the organisms hard structures, preserving them. Does not preserve soft tissue. - form when mud buries plants or animals and quickly hardens into rock. After organism decays, it leaves a hollow mold, or impression in the rock. - when animal tracks, leaf or feather outlines, or imprints of skin are preserved in mud that hardened quickly and was buried in sediment - form when plant parts, insects, or other small animals are trapped in large masses of tree sap which hardens into a rock-like substance called. - form when an entire animal is preserved nearly intact by freezing, desiccation (drying out), or entrapment in a bog or tar pit. LESSON 5.3B: THE GEOLOGIC COLUMN GEOLOGIC TIME - a hypothetical timescale that charts earth s history. o The earliest dates are at the and the most recent dates at the. o According to evolutionists, the organisms are found in rock layers near the bottom, while the upper layers contain the more organisms.
- Evolutionists have divided Earth s history into eons. Each eon is divided into. Eras are further divided into, which are subdivided into. o o o o - most recent- contains the majority of fossils. INDEX FOSSILS - fossils characteristic of a specific range of time. Used to identify rock layers in the field. o Example: a rock layer containing a trilobite fossil would be classified as Cambrian and dated between 485-541 millions years old. PROBLEMS WITH GEOLOGIC TIME Fossils are commonly found in the wrong order in apparently undisturbed strata. These misplaced fossils are called. o Occurs when a stratum contains fossils that it should not contain according to the geologic record, or when strata do not contain the proper of fossils.
LESSON 5.3C: RADIOMETRIC DATING RADIOMETRIC DATING - a technique used to assign an absolute age to rocks and fossils. o Based on the fact that certain elements decay into other elements (their ) at a. o Generally used for rocks. - used only to date more recent, organic materials- like preserved bones, skin, or hair. o Carbon-14 decays into. Radiometric dating methods are accurate only if the and amounts of radioactive elements in the sample are. But when dating rocks and fossils, scientists can measure only the final amount in a sample- they have no way of measuring the original sample.
THE FLOOD AND THE GEOLOGIC RECORD The can also account for the fossil record as described in the geologic column o Simple, immobile marine creatures (ocean floor) ² Starfish, clams, worms, sponges, trilobites o Slower, more mobile marine organisms (rivers, swamps) ² Jellyfish, fish, octopus o Lowland animals ² Small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects o Larger, more mobile land animals ² Large mammals, dinosaurs, birds The flood also accounts for, as organisms could be washed by floodwaters into other layers of soft sediment. LESSON 5.4: EVIDENCE OF A FLOOD A QUICK DEPOSITION The formation of fossils requires a, pointing toward. of many species of animals indicate a catastrophe. Speculations include: o A threw whole herds of animals together quickly and violently. (could be caused by flood) o brought huge numbers of animals to a few remaining ponds. (does not account for rapid burial) - fossils of trees, fish, and whales extending through several layers of sediment. o Dead animals and plants would not have remained intact for thousands of years while multiple layers of strata formed- instead pointing toward a.
- when continuous strata are missing one or more layers as required by the geologic record. Evolutionists believe that fossils that disappear from the fossil record became, while creationists believe that most of the fossil record represents animals that died in the. - animals that disappear abruptly from the fossil record, yet are still alive today. o Ex: coelacanth, Wollemi pines - when an organism shows no change between its appearance in the fossil record and the present date. LESSON 5.5: EVIDENCE AGAINST EVOLUTION EVIDENCE AGAINST EVOLUTION - transitional fossils that show signs of animals evolving from one kind to another. o The fact that no true intermediates have been found is one of the greatest evidences against evolution. Amphibian to Reptile: - now classified as an amphibian. Could not have been ancestor to reptiles as Seymouria lived at the same time as reptiles. Bird to Reptile: - considered the link between birds and reptiles. A true bird, with some unusual features. Fish to Tetrapod: a fossil discovered in 2004 that evolutionary scientists described as an intermediate between land and water animals. - a period of time where life unexplainably exploded. Marks the end of the, where rocks were empty; and the beginning of the, where rocks reveal fossils of many different species.
NATURAL SELECTION - the idea that the fittest and strongest of each species are more likely to survive and reproduce than weaker, more poorly adapted animals or plants. o While natural selection does not produce entirely new characteristics, it does show variety within species. Ex: - different species were better suited to eating the seeds and fruit found on the island they were found. PUNCTUATED EQUILIBRIUM - new organisms are a result of rapid genetic changes that bring about a new organism in a relatively short time. o This is an alternative theory to Darwin s idea of gradual change over time. Helps to explain why are not found in the fossil record. o Also explains why many fossils appear (stasis) in the fossil record.
LESSON 5.6: EVOLUTION OF MAN EVOLUTION OF MAN Because of, evolutionists assume that man and (such as monkeys, baboons and apes) evolved from a. o Common Traits: opposable thumb, movable shoulder, flattened nails, four types of teeth. o Differences: upright posture (and muscle/bone structure to support this), large cranial capacity, arm length, face and teeth size/shape. More importantly, man was created in the image of God. o Problems: There are no to indicate evolution of man from ape. QUESTIONABLE INTERMEDIATES - discovered in 1973. Said to be 3.2 million years old. - discovered in 1856 in Germany. Had heavy brows, sloping forehead and stooping posture (which may have been caused from Rickets). Neanderthal man is now known to be fully man. - discovered in France- also fully man. *The fossil record makes it evident that man appeared suddenly upon the earth and that man has always been man.