Catastrophic Impact Bombardment Surrounding the Genesis Flood

Much research has taken place in recent years by both geologists and astronomers regarding impacts on Earth. This research has been motivated by the search for evidence to substantiate the hypothesis that an impact of a 10 Km diameter object 65 million years ago caused the extinction of the dinosaurs. Creationists have generally considered Noah\u27s Flood and its aftermath an adequate explanation of the extinction of the dinosaurs, but this does not address the physical evidence of impacts on Earth. This paper points out the geological and physical evidence of impacts and treats Earth impacts as an aspect of God\u27s judgement during the world-wide Flood event. It is suggested that impacts began with the onset of the Flood and continued during and after the Flood year. Solar system evidence suggests a catastrophic event which caused a heavy influx of dust and meteorites in a short time. A companion paper Geophysical Effects of impacts During the Genesis Flood addresses climatic and other effects from an impact bombardment event and suggests that such an event would be survivable for Noah in the Ark

The Proposed Origin of Our Solar System with Planet Migration

Two new models to explain the origin and history of our solar system are reviewed from a creation perspective, the Grand Tack model and the Nice model. These new theories propose that the four outer planets formed closer to the Sun, as well as closer together, than today. Then their orbits underwent periods of migration. Theories developed in the research on extrasolar planet systems are today being applied to our own solar system. The new migration models are finding much support from the planetary science community. These new models are summarized and evaluated Biblically and scientifically. Rather than demonstrating how our solar system formed, the new migration models can be understood as supporting the intelligent design of our solar system

Our Solar System: Balancing Biblical and Scientific Considerations

For young age creationists Scripture gives guidelines that give some direction for dealing with the scientific evidence. Yet, because of the many details Scripture does not address and the limits of the scientific data available, there is room for more than one interpretation of many details regarding the history of objects in the solar system. Some general guidelines are mentioned based on the Genesis creation account and these are applied to the specific case of our moon. Impact cratering as well as volcanism on the moon is discussed, with the author’s approach to cratering compared to the views of Faulkner. It is argued that crater size-frequency statistics suggest that Earth, the Moon, Mars, and Mercury were all struck by a similar population of objects. The impacts on the moon are interpreted as resulting from one extended event that coincided with the Flood and continued into the post-Flood period. The planetary magnetic field model of Humphreys is applied to date the Imbrium impact on the moon at approximately 1,840 years after creation. Humphreys magnetic dipole moment figures for the moon are found to also be plausible for explaining lunar swirl features on a young moon

The Origin and History of the Solar System

Much has been written on the origin of the solar system from evolutionary points of view. These views assume only natural processes were Involved and that the solar system Is billions of years In age. The currently accepted view, the Modified Nebula Hypothesis, and the Capture Theory are critiqued in the light of evidence for a young solar system. A creationist approach is proposed which allows for Intelligent design, an age of less than 10,000 years, and a major solar·system-wide catastrophe In the history of our solar system. Two possibilities for such a catastrophe are examined, a destroyed planet In the asteroid region and a debris cloud passing through the solar system. This approach Is more successful In explaining the solar system than the usual naturalistic origins theories

Tidal Dissipation and the Age of IO

The discovery of active volcanism on Jupiter’s moon Io in 1979 has motivated significant research by the scientific community into Io’s heat output. Heat radiated from Io’s surface is on the order of 1014 Watts. In this paper, evolutionary models of Io involving tidal dissipation are reviewed and critiqued. Tidal effects between Jupiter and Io periodically distort the shape of Io (generating internal heat) and also affect its orbit. Io is also observed to be in an orbital resonance with Europa and Ganymede. Their orbital periods are in a ratio of 1:2:4. The models proposed by the planetary science community to date have various difficulties such as not allowing for a heat flow from Io that matches infrared observations, not accounting for the interior mantle parameters or the orbital parameters realistically, or not being viable over long time scales of billions of years. Io is not moving outward from Jupiter as would be expected from the tidal dissipation mechanism. Nor is there volcanism on Europa or Ganymede, though tidal dissipation also affects them. This paper shows why an age for Io of less than 10,000 years is more plausible than other treatments of the Io heat problem that have been proposed to date. It is suggested that there was more vigorous heating in Io in the past that has diminished today. This heat may have come from a special configuration of the interior of Io at creation or perhaps a more intense period of radioactive decay in the past. This study shows Io is an interesting object uniquely created by God

Geophysical Effects of Impacts During the Genesis Flood

There is clear evidence that impacts have occurred on Earth. To evaluate the possibility of a large number of impacts occurring during the Flood, it is important to consider their geophysical effects. The major effects include powerful shock waves that could trigger mineralogical crystal structure changes in the 400-660 Km depth region in the mantle. This could trigger subduction of the preflood ocean floor as suggested by Dr. John Baumgardner. A large number of impacts would also vaporize great quantities of water, some of which would condense as rain. Huge quantities of dust would be ejected by the impacts into the stratosphere. This would lead to low light levels for approximately 3 to 6 months and cold temperatures at the surface for a few months after this. Many other local and regional catastrophic effects would be produced by the impacts, including large tsunami waves, unusual winds, and possibly acid rain. It is concluded that though impacts would make the Flood more violent and more uncomfortable for Noah and his family, it would be a survivable event and is not in conflict with the chronology of the Flood as given in Genesis

Using Machine Learning to Predict Swine Movements within a Regional Program to Improve Control of Infectious Diseases in the US.

Between-farm animal movement is one of the most important factors influencing the spread of infectious diseases in food animals, including in the US swine industry. Understanding the structural network of contacts in a food animal industry is prerequisite to planning for efficient production strategies and for effective disease control measures. Unfortunately, data regarding between-farm animal movements in the US are not systematically collected and thus, such information is often unavailable. In this paper, we develop a procedure to replicate the structure of a network, making use of partial data available, and subsequently use the model developed to predict animal movements among sites in 34 Minnesota counties. First, we summarized two networks of swine producing facilities in Minnesota, then we used a machine learning technique referred to as random forest, an ensemble of independent classification trees, to estimate the probability of pig movements between farms and/or markets sites located in two counties in Minnesota. The model was calibrated and tested by comparing predicted data and observed data in those two counties for which data were available. Finally, the model was used to predict animal movements in sites located across 34 Minnesota counties. Variables that were important in predicting pig movements included between-site distance, ownership, and production type of the sending and receiving farms and/or markets. Using a weighted-kernel approach to describe spatial variation in the centrality measures of the predicted network, we showed that the south-central region of the study area exhibited high aggregation of predicted pig movements. Our results show an overlap with the distribution of outbreaks of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, which is believed to be transmitted, at least in part, though animal movements. While the correspondence of movements and disease is not a causal test, it suggests that the predicted network may approximate actual movements. Accordingly, the predictions provided here might help to design and implement control strategies in the region. Additionally, the methodology here may be used to estimate contact networks for other livestock systems when only incomplete information regarding animal movements is available

Sedimentation study, Environmental Monitoring and Operations Guidance System (EMOGS), Kings Bay, Georgia and Florida : Phase III--FY 1989

Repeated side-scan sonar and multi-frequency bathymetric surveys, accompanied by accurate, high resolution, and repeatable navigation, were conducted in the vicinity of a tidal inlet to define the length and time scales associated with bedforms and channel shoaling in a structured tidal inlet. The study site, St. Mary's entrance channel along the Georgia/Florida border (Fig. I), has a dredged channel approximately 46-52 feet in depth, bordered by a large ebb tidal delta. The tidal inlet serves Cumberland Sound, Kings Bay, and associated waterways, providing a large discharge of water from the inlet that creates bedforms and channel shoaling, given the abundance of sand-sized sediment in the vicinity. The jettied inlet produces flows tht are predominately tidally-driven, whereas farther offshore the driving forces consist predominately of waves and storm-generated flows. In the channel reaches (Table 1) between these two areas, combined wave-steady flows are present, creating a myriad of scales of bedforms and shoaling patterns. This study was designed to elucidate the time and space scales of these variable bedforms and shoaling patterns, emphasizing the difference in these scales between the three different flow regimes. The results provide an important data base for quantifying shoaling processes and mechanisms in tidal inlet channels.Funding was provided by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration under Sea Grant No. NA860A-D-SG090

Sedimentation study, Environmental Monitoring and Operations Guidance System (EMOGS), Kings Bay, Georgia and Florida, 1988-1990 : final report

Repeated side-scan sonar and multi-frequency bathymetric surveys, accompanied by accurate, high resolution, and repeatable navigation, were conducted in the vicinity of a tidal inlet to define the length and time scales associated with bedforms and channel shoaling in a structured tidal inlet. The study site, St. Marys entrance channel along the Georgia/Florida border (Fig. 1), has a dredged channel approximately 46-52 feet in depth at a datum of mean low water (MLW), bordered by a large ebb tidal delta. The tidal inlet serves Cumberland Sound, Kings Bay, and associated waterways, providing a large discharge of water from the inlet that creates bedforms and channel shoaling, given the abundance of sand-size sediment in the vicinity. The jettied inlet produces flows that are predominantly tidally-driven, whereas farther offshore the driving forces consist predominantly of waves and storm-generated flows. In the channel reaches (Table 1) between these two areas, combined wave/steady flows are present, creating a myriad of scales of bedforms and shoaling patterns, emphasizing the difference in these scales between the three different flow regimes. The results provide an important data base for quantifying shoaling processes and mechanisms in tidal inlet channels.Funding was provided by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's Sea Grant Program through Grant NA860-A-D-090