Solar System
All planets rotate in the same direction EXCEPT which two?
Venus & Uranus
Explain the Continental Drift Theory and Pangaea.
The continents were once one large supercontinent called Pangaea that has since broken up into multiple continents (Continental Drift).
Explain the Principle of Superposition.
States that oldest rock layers were laid first, while younger rock layers were laid on top.
Give evidence that suggests at least one Ice age.
Glacial ridges & fossils (mammoths) preserved in ice
Form fossils to form, the organism must be buried ______.
rapidly
What is known about the planets closest to the sun?
They are rocky and have fewer moons.
Who proposed the Continental Drift theory and how many tectonic plates make up the earth today?
Wegener; 15
What are index fossils and how can they be used to assign rock strata a relative age?
Fossils that only existed a short period of time (Ammonites & Trilobites) can be used to approximate the age of a rock layer.
What is a glacial period?
A period of time when deep continental glaciers covered a large part of earth’s surface
Is there any place discovered on earth that has all of the fossil layers perfectly stacked on top of one another?
No.
What are the gaseous planets and what is known about them?
Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune; They have more moons and stronger magnetic fields.
Give all of the evidence of Pangaea & Continental Drift.
Matching: Continental borders, magnetic patterns, plant and animal fossils, & mountain ranges
How would a secular scientist vs. a christian explain the geologic column?
Secular: oldest, simplest life at bottom evolved to complex, more recent life at top
Christian: due to flood, aquatic life was buried first, then life on land, then animals in sky
Most secular scientists believe the last Ice age ended approximately how many years ago?
10,000
What evidence suggests that the mammoths preserved in ice were buried/killed rapidly?
Food in mouths; found in standing positions
Explain the Nebular Hypothesis.
Theory that Earth's Solar System was formed from a cloud of dust and gas.
What is the mechanism by which the Continents have drifted? (What has caused the Continents to move??)
Sea-floor spreading via magma and subduction
What 3 assumptions are made when secular scientists attempt to describe the geologic column?
It assumes no catastrophes (uniformitarianism), half-life of certain elements are known, & that "oldest" fossils are at the bottom.
What evidence suggests an earlier Ice age?
Mammoths in ice almost perfectly preserved; age of earth is only ~7014 years according to scripture
What is known about fossils that would help to dispute the "Old Earth Theory"?
Organisms must be buried rapidly; No evolving fossils; Fossilization is not occurring today; Soft tissue found
What are the issues with the Nebular Hypothesis?
Life can't exist without sun; Earth's tilt would make it unstable without the moon's gravitational pull; Where did the O2 and H2O come from? Where did the first dust particles come from?
What do secular scientists believe about Pangaea and what evidence suggests this is incorrect?
Supercontinents have occurred over and over again; rock layers should be eroded, but they are not
What assumptions are made when using the radiometric dating method?
The half-life of C-14 is ~5,730 years & the amounts of radioactive atoms were the same in past atmospheres
What issue arises when we assume multiple Ice ages?
There would not be (or have been) enough water to form Ice on all the earth multiple times
How do Christian Scientists explain the mammoth fossils preserved in Ice?
There must have been one single Ice age after the flood; there would have been enough water to form that much ice and some animals became extinct