zotero/storage/6HGVL287/.zotero-ft-cache

Radio Dating
Special Creation vs. Specious Creativity
by Dr. Robert Bennett
Abstract
Theistic evolutionists claim that a Genesis day can stretch into billions of
years as they attempt to “baptize” evolution. Their chief and critical premise
is the uniformitarian or cosmological principle, which states that all natural
laws and processes have been free of catastrophes and exceptions, virtually
static and constant, forever. All evolutionary propaganda hinges on this old
earth/universe principle to explain current observations. Indeed, the
linchpin of modernist physics is the dark art of radio dating. When this
support prop is discredited, the house of cards known as evolution will
collapse. The inerrancy of all of Sacred Scripture, from Genesis to
Revelation, must be maintained if natural science is to contribute to our
understanding of man and the universe. However, the philosophical and
ideological systems that have produced evolutionary science have rejected
Scripture and Tradition as sources of truth and have produced the moral
decay described by Pope John Paul II as “the culture of death.” As now used
by natural scientists who believe in evolution, radio dating has no value as
an objective source of prehistoric chronology. At best, it serves as a tool of
intimidation in promoting evolutionary ideology.
Radio Dating: Specious Creativity
 October 6, 2009  0  25 minutes read
Articles and Essays
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The “Science” of Time Measurement?
“What time is it?” is a question that technical science can answer with nano
second accuracy. “When did time begin?” however, leads to answers that
are patently ridiculous. In this paper, we will explore the truth behind the
claims of theistic evolutionists that a Genesis “day” can stretch into an “age”
of billions of years.
The critical premise of evolutionary natural science is the uniformitarian or
cosmological principle, which states that all the laws and processes on
earth, indeed throughout the universe, have NEVER CHANGED. Con<6F>icts
arise at once between Divine Revelation and current scienti<74>c paradigms
established on the uniformitarian principle. However, none of these
paradigms is entirely consistent with the principle. The standard
cosmological model of the universe, the Big Bang theory, begins with an
unexplained origin that creates space and time. And this is just one of the
exceptions to the universal cosmological principle.
The uniformitarian assumption also con<6F>icts immediately with the known
global Scriptural singularities listed below, and strongly in<69>uences the areas
of natural science most a<>ected by these events:
Creation Science Domain
Post-Fall corruption: archaeology
Global deluge sedimentology, stratigraphy
Division of languages/races at Babel paleontology, genetics,
linguistics
What is the track record of evolutionary minded natural scientists on the
subject of time? Credibility should rest on the proven success of modern
science in other temporal measurements. Do the underlying premises of
materialism and universal uniformity a<>ect the objectivity of natural
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scientists who believe in evolution?
Let us consider a topic which should be easy to study––certainly much
easier than the alleged eons of time since the Big Bang started—the age of
humans today.
The life expectancy of Americans is said to be roughly 75 years, world-wide
64 years. Measured from birth to death, this statistic is said to re<72>ect an
improvement in medical care in the United States of America, reversing the
Biblical trend of decreasing lifetimes, and heralding the rosy triumph of
modern man’s ingenuity and lifestyle!
But biologists inform us that human life begins with the fusion of egg and
sperm to form the <20>rst cell in what will be many future divisions to
complete the physical formation of a new human, genetically di<64>erent from
the pre-born’s mother and father. In response to this fact, defenders of the
rosy interpretation of current vital statistics may agree to add nine months
to the lifespan under consideration. In their view, such an increase is
swallowed up in the +/- 2 year error of the average lifetime, anyway. And so
it would seem—super<65>cially.
However, if there is life before birth, there is also death before birth—and
lots of it. Indeed, WHO and World Almanac demographic statistics for
surgical and silent chemical abortions, as well as discarded embryonic
humans from IVF and research, paint quite a grim picture. In light of all of
this data, average life expectancy, measured from conception, including
pre-natal deaths, is actually 21 years globally, 17 years for the United
States of America, and seven years for Russia , where there are twice as
many abortions as live births.
In short:
Is American life expectancy today in the mid 70s? NO!
Is this number rising? NO!
Have developed countries higher expected lifetimes than NO! English
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the third world?
Most modern natural scientists answer “YES” to these three questions by
ignoring the reality of pre-born life, even though it is the clear consensus of
biologists that human life begins at conception. Why then should these
same natural scientists be viewed as credible or objective when measuring
past ages?
With these cautions in mind, let us closely examine the “science” of dating
methods in two areas of natural science: Biology, which uses the genetic
mutation rate of mitochondria, and physics, which uses three types of radio
decay rates.
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)
Mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother, since there is no
mixing of male and female mtDNA from generation to generation. All
mtDNA changes are the result of non-functional neutral mutations over
time, occurring at a constant rate, faster than nuclear DNA. This gives
biologists access to a "molecular clock." They just count the number of
mutant genes between species to <20>nd out when they diverged.
Assuming that humans evolved from hominid ancestors, evolutionary
biologists use the fossil record to establish the point at which this
divergence took place. They then calculate the mutation rate by dividing
the number of years since the divergence by the average number of
mutations that have taken place in the mtDNA. This technique dates
“Mitochondrial Eve” to about 200,000 years ago, the mother of all modern
humans (but not necessarily the Biblical Eve). Recently, however, a study by
(evolutionary scientists) Parsons et al. (1997) using the mtDNA rate of
change of modern humans found a rate more than 20 times faster than the
rate calculated from the fossil record! According to Parsons:
...our observation of the substitution rate is roughly 20-fold higher
than would be predicted from phylogenetic analyses. Using our
empirical rate to calibrate the mtDNA molecular clock would
result in an age of only ~6,500 y.a., clearly incompatible with the
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known age of modern humans. .... it remains implausible to explain
the known geographic distribution of mtDNA sequence variation by
human migration that occurred only in the last ~6,500 years
(emphasis added).[1]
Two conclusions can be drawn from this study. One is that setting the
biologic clock according to the fossil clock, which was already proven
defective by Guy Berthault’s sediment deposit experiments,[2] will only
lead to another bad chronometer. The second is that, not surprisingly, no
further research in using mtDNA mutations as a biologic clock has been
published since 1997—despite the astounding (to evolutionary scientists)
discovery. Evolutionists were perfectly content to use the mtDNA clock to
date events, so long as that clock was arti<74>cially based on assumption and
speculation and yielded results that conformed to their evolutionary
perspective. Then, when actual evidence was collected by which the clock
could be set, the whole thing was dismissed because it no longer <20>t their
accepted model. In an attempt to develop a more accurate dating method
for evolutionary purposes, evolutionists somehow managed to place Eve
perfectly within the framework of the literal historical interpretation of
Genesis! Indeed, another alternate genetic clock, the uniformity of the Y
chromosome among human males, has given a preliminary age estimate of
less than 40,000 years for human males.
Mutation Contradictions from Population Genetics
Population genetics sheds additional light on the time required to produce the
transformation from a chimp-like hominid to a human being, under the most
improbably ideal conditions. According to population geneticist David Plaisted:
Rates of mutation high enough to account for the ape-human split would
lead to the rapid death of the species. Even rates of mutation often quoted by
biologists would do the same. A lower rate of mutation would make the
assumed evolution of apes and humans from a common ancestor impossible.
If the rate of mutation really is high, then the human race must be very
young and on the way to extinction.[3]
Neo-Darwinists use a rate of positive gene mutation based on fossil dating
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of chimp-to-Adam evolution. But positive mutations that produce the kinds
of increases in genetic information required for this transformation have
never been observed in any species. Forced mutation experiments on
millions of fruit <20>ies and hundreds of trees have yielded the same number
of positive mutations—Zero! Forty years ago the evolutionary geneticist
J.B.S. Haldane discovered that higher vertebrates such as mammals
(organisms with low reproduction) cannot have plausibly evolved within the
available time, even according to the conventionally accepted prehistoric
chronology. A rapid turnover (or substitution) of mutations into a
population incurs a cost that must be paid by the reproduction of the
species. Species with low reproduction cannot plausibly pay this cost fast
enough to drive evolution at the high rates claimed by evolutionists.
Haldane's published analyses show that the evolution of humans from their
presumed ape-like ancestors 10 million years ago could incorporate at most
1,667 bene<6E>cial nucleotides, far fewer than the number of changes needed
to e<>ect a chimpanzee-to-human evolutionary transition.[4] Rapid
evolution in small populations would require an implausibly high ratio of
bene<EFBFBD>cial to harmful mutations. An error catastrophe—leading to
extinction—occurs when genetic errors accumulate in a population faster
than they can be eliminated.
This situation poses insoluble problems for evolutionary biology. If the
mutation rate is high enough for the ape-human split or just the average
rate cited by biologists, extinction occurs via negative mutations
producing neither chimps nor men. If the mutation rate is low enough to
avoid extinction, then evolution is also rendered impossible. Even after 10
million years at a low rate of mutation, gene conversion would barely be
under way. The above logic assumes that there is proof of positive,
bene<EFBFBD>cial mutations over time– contrary to the overwhelming contrary
evidence from the lowly fruit <20>y.[5] The actual vital statistics suggest that
the human race is young and degenerating, as Scripture attests.
Disease and Genetic Degradation: Survival of the Least Mis<69>t
Another fallacy of mainstream evolutionary science—besides a rising true
life expectancy—is the claim that medical advances have disease and health
problems under control. The following statistics belie this position.
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Around the world, infectious diseases now cause about 16 million global
deaths each year, a result of changes in human behavior and mutations in
pathogens. Twenty well-known diseases—including tuberculosis (TB),
malaria, and cholera—have reemerged or spread since 1973, often in more
virulent and drug-resistant forms. At least 30 previously unknown disease
agents have been identi<74>ed since 1973, including HIV, Ebola, hepatitis C,
and Nipah virus, for which no cures are available.
Within the United States, annual infectious disease-related death rates in
the United States have nearly doubled to some 170,000 annually after
reaching an historic low in 1980. The next major infectious disease threat to
the United States may be, like HIV, a previously unrecognized pathogen.
Although multi-drug therapies have cut HIV/AIDS deaths by two-thirds to
17,000 annually since 1995, emerging microbial resistance to drugs and
continued new infections will sustain the threat. TB, exacerbated by multi
drug resistant strains and HIV/AIDS co-infection, has come back.
Microbial Adaptation and Resistance
Infectious disease microbes are constantly micro-evolving. As a result, an expanding
number of strains of diseases—such as TB, malaria, and pneumonia—will remain
difficult or virtually impossible to treat. Influenza viruses, in particular, are
particularly efficient in their ability to survive and genetically change, sometimes
into deadly strains. HIV also displays a high rate of genetic mutation that will
present significant problems. What follows is a table of virtually annual appearances
of new pathogens that have emerged to plague humanity. It includes the new
classification of prion, a misshapen protein that destroys the nervous system of both
man and beast. West Nile virus is too recent to be listed.
Examples of Pathogenic Microbes and the Diseases They Cause,
Identi<EFBFBD>ed Since 1973
Year Microbe Type Disease
1973 Rotavirus Virus Infantile diarrhea
1977 Ebola virus Virus Acute hemorrhagic fever
1977 Legionella
pneumophila Bacterium Legionnaires' disease
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1980
Human T
lymphotrophic
virus I (HTLV 1)
Virus T-cell lymphoma/leukemia
1981
Toxin-producing
Staphylococcus
aureus
Bacterium Toxic shock syndrome
1982 Escherichia coli
O157:H7 Bacterium Hemorrhagic colitis; hemolytic
uremic syndrome
1982 Borrelia burgdorferi Bacterium Lyme disease
1983
Human
Immunode<EFBFBD>ciency
Virus (HIV)
Virus Acquired Immuno-De<44>ciency
Syndrome (AIDS)
1983 Helicobacter pylori Bacterium Peptic ulcer disease
1989 Hepatitis C Virus Parentally transmitted non-A, non
B liver infection
1992 Vibrio cholerae O139 Bacterium New strain associated with
epidemic cholera
1993 Hantavirus Virus Adult respiratory distress
syndrome
1994 Cryptosporidium Protozoa Enteric disease
1995 Ehrlichiosis Bacterium Severe arthritis?
1996 NvCJD Prion New variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (Mad Cow)
1997 HVN1 Virus In<49>uenza
1999 Nipah Virus Severe encephalitis
(Source: US Institute of Medicine, 1997; WHO, 1999)
The Human Degenome?
According to evolutionary biology, chimp-like creatures in the past marvelously,
over millions of years, acquired remarkable increases in genetic information. These
increases in genetic information supposedly coded for all of the abilities of modern
humans—like human language—which are totally beyond the reach of present-day English
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chimp-like creatures. The trend of man’s evolutionary history would seem to
promise a bright future characterized by ever-greater advances towards superior
health and intelligence. And yet, the human genome seems to have an increasing
susceptibility to various maladies.
There are now approximately 5 million cancer deaths worldwide annually. In the
United States of America, cancer-related deaths have increased about 60% in 22
years or 3% per annum. Approximately 4 million Americans now have Alzheimer’s
disease, and 14 million Americans will have AD by 2050 unless a cure or prevention
is found.
Darwin claimed that species evolve, and become more <20>t, eventually
replacing prior ones by natural selection. The Environmental Protection
Agency claims that a thousand species die out each year. But the same
agency does not observe any new species coming into existence! Is the
problem microbial adaptation and resistance or human gene
degeneration? In reality, the obvious trend among all species is toward
degeneration, decay, and loss of genetic information—not toward
superior <20>tness, survivability, and increased genetic information.
Radioactive Decay: Fast, Medium, and Slow
The mtDNA biological clock indicates that all of the human beings on
the earth today are descended from one woman who lived, at the
most, tens of thousands—not tens of millions—of years ago. Let us
now turn to the second chronometer of evolutionary science—the
three decay rates in Physics.
Mainstream theory says radioactive elements were formed by fusion in
stellar nurseries that then went “nova” and were ejected into space. These
then formed gas clouds that condensed into star systems over millions of
years. Contrary evidence given by polonium halos was found by Dr. Robert
Gentry who will speak later at this symposium. The halos produced by short
half-life decay of Polonium 218 in granite took less than an hour to form.
According to the standard Big Bang theory, polonium 218 radiohalos should
never have been preserved in granite which took millions—if not billions
of years to cool after the earth was eventually formed as a by-product of
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the Big Bang. The standard Big bang has no explanation for “nature’s tiny
mystery.”
Slow Decay
Let us suppose you <20>nd a fossil embedded in cold lava in your backyard and
want to date it. You take it to a geology lab at a major university. You are
surprised to <20>nd that the laboratory cannot run a C test, since the organic
matter has petri<72>ed. So a dating test is run using a long half life radio
isotope. To your surprise you also learn that if the laboratory runs multiple
tests with di<64>erent isotopes, the dates will di<64>er signi<6E>cantly and the error
will grow with more testing. Excuses will be given that parts of the fossil are
contaminated. You conclude, quite logically, that since random errors
decrease with repeated testing, the dating method must have a systematic
error—either conceptual or built-in. Your last resort will be to date by depth
of burial, using the geologic column, based on the same radioactive decay
testing that gave con<6F>icting dates originally!
It turns out that all dating ultimately depends on the cosmic uniformitarian
principle, a fundamental premise of evolutionary geology. Fossils are
normally dated according to their position in the sedimentary layers of the
earth on the assumption that these layers were laid down at a fairly
constant rate over an extremely long period of time. If radiodating is used
on radioactive minerals in the rock, the laboratory assumes that the original
amount of the parent radioactive element is known, that the decay took
place in a closed system which was not a<>ected by environmental
in<EFBFBD>uences, and that the rate of radioactive decay has not changed since the
fossil was formed.
When examining a sedimentary fossil, uniformitarian, evolutionary geology
compares the sample to standard index fossils, which were dated by their
depth in the geologic column. Thus, the cosmological principle is invoked.
When examining an igneous rock, evolutionary geology uses
geophysics. The sample is radiodated according to the parent/daughter
ratio, assuming uniform decay for ages. Here again, evolutionary
geology invokes the cosmological principle.
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If multiple parents/daughters are used and there are age con<6F>icts,
evolutionary geologists have recourse to the depth of burial within the
alleged geologic column. In other words, they invoke the cosmological
principle.
If the laboratory examines an organic sample using geophysics, the sample
can be linked with tree rings/ice cores, then dating will be done by assuming
uniform annual layers. In other words, the researchers will invoke the
cosmological principle.
As a <20>nal test, the laboratory may radiodate the C / C ratio, assuming a
lifetime exposure to uniform C . In this way, too, the researchers at the
laboratory will invoke the cosmological principle.
According to the standard radio-dating process, at some point in the past, a
mineral grain containing a radioactive parent produces a daughter at a <20>xed
rate. There are no daughter atoms present initially, so the computation is
based on the standard exponential law.
Reality is not quite so simple. The daughter’s concentration is unknown,
mass transport of parent or daughter in or out of the grain may occur
during decay, and evidence is steadily accumulating that the decay constant
may be variable (a side e<>ect of a variable light speed). The main ideas are
summarized below for a single mineral grain.
PARENT DAUGHTER
t1 Np1 0
.
.
. +/- Np(t) +/- Nd(t)
14 12
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.
.
.
t2 Np2 + Nd = Np
In the ideal case: Np , Nd are measured, with the decay rate constant.
In reality:
The initial number of daughter isotopes is greater than zero: Nd1 > 0
The amount of parent and daughter types transferred in or out of
the sample grain during the decay period is unknown: Np(t) = ? Nd(t)
=?
The decay rate may vary with time, as recent experiments show. This would
certainly be true if the speed of light has changed through the ages, as also
observed: decay rate(t) = ? CDK ??
This reality is evident in those cases where radioactive dating is applied to
samples of known ages, like rocks formed by the Mount St. Helens eruption.
Excuses are often given that long-life radio-dating doesn’t apply to such
short ages, but the argument is specious. Suppose I claim to be able to have
a dating method for human ages. I then date President Bush as 286 years
old. When told that he is about 230 years younger than that, I say that my
method is only valid for people older than 250 years old! So my method fails
to predict when a measurement is out of range.
Old age tests applied to recent ages should not detect the presence of any
daughter elements. However, this is clearly not the case with Ar in the
following table. The tables shows that igneous rock formed less than 30
years ago has been dated in professional radio dating laboratories at ages
as old as
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22
40
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2,800,000 years!
Excess Argon within Mineral Concentrates from the New Dacite
Lava Dome
K
(ppm)
Total Ar
(ppm) Ar* (ppm) Ar*/ K 'Age'
(Ma)
'whole rock' 1.102 0.0018 0.0000225 0.000020 0.35 ±
0.05
tedder, etc. 1.250 0.0024 0.000025 0.000020 0.34 ±
0.06
amphibole,etc 0.693 0.0027 0.000037 0.000053 0.9 ± 0.2
pyroxene,etc 0.555 0.0015 0.000054 0.000096 1.7 ± 0.3
Pyroxene 0.533 0.0025 0.000087 0.000163 2.8 ± 0.6
Mount St. Helens is not an isolated case of misdating. Huge errors have crept into
the dating of rocks from other well-known geological events in recent history:
Hualalai basalt (Hawaii, AD 1800-1801) 1.6 ± 0.16 Ma
1.41 ± 0.08 Ma
Mt. Etna basalt (Sicily, 122 BC) 0.25 ± 0.08 Ma
Mt. Etna basalt (Sicily, AD 1792) 0.35 ± 0.14 Ma
Mt. Lassen plagioclase (California, AD 1915) 0.11 ± 0.3 Ma
Sunset Crater basalt (Arizona, AD 1064-1065) 0.27 ± 0.09 Ma
0.25 ± 0.15 Ma
Generic Radiometric Dating
The simplest form of isotopic age computation involves substituting three
measurements into an equation of four variables, and solving for the
fourth. The equation is the one which describes radioactive decay:
P =P *2
The variables in the equation are:
P - The quantity of the parent isotope that remains now.
40 40 40 40
now orig (- age/half life)
now
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This is measured directly.
P - The quantity of the parent isotope that was originally
present. This is computed from the current quantity of parent
isotope plus the accumulated quantity of daughter isotope.
hal<EFBFBD>ife - The half-life of the parent isotope. Standard values
are used, based on direct measurements.
age - The value computed from the equation and the other
three quantities, is the amount of time which has passed.
Solving the equation for "age," and incorporating the computation of the
original quantity of parent isotope, we get:
age = half life * log (1 + D /P )
Isochrons or Errorchrons?
An "isochron" is a set of data points in a plot which all fall on a line
representing a single age ("isochron" comes from: "isos" equal +
"chronos" time). The term "errorchron" has been coined for a set
of data which are not colinear. The best-<2D>t line itself is also
sometimes called an "isochron." The plot on which these data
points appear is sometimes called an "isochron diagram."
Let P be a parent element that decays into a daughter D (radiogenic) and
Di be another isotope of Y not produced by radioactive decay (stable/
non-radiogenic). Let x, y, and z refer to their concentrations. Since D and
Di are isotopes of the same chemical element, they have similar chemical
properties. Initially, let the ratio of y and z be constant, so P begins
decaying to D to quantitatively produce y = c1 * x + c2 * z at the end of
some time period. Dividing by z leaves y/z = c1 * x/z + c2. The ratios x/z
and y/z have a linear relationship whose slope (c1) yields the age of the
sample. If these ratios are observed to obey such a linear relationship in a
series of rocks, then an age can be computed from them.
However, this is not the only way to produce such a linear relationship.
Let A and B be two rocks containing only x and y and no z. Suppose A is
very old (or appears very old) and B is very young. If A and B become
thoroughly mixed. their perceived radiometric age would then be between
that of A and B. Now, suppose a mixture of y and z penetrates this
mixture of A and B, in some places more than in others, but with a
constant ratio of y and z. This will then yield a beautiful isochron (obeys
orig
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the isochron equation), but the age given will be meaningless. This can
also happen if water removes a constant fraction of x but no y from A,
making A appear older, and then the mixture of y and z enters. Another
possibility is for A to have a constant concentration of x and y at the
beginning, and for more y to enter, making A appear older. Then if a
mixture of y and z enters, a nice isochron yielding a false age will be
produced. A final possibility is for A to have a constant ratio of x and y at
the beginning. Then a lot more y enters by diffusion. Then the rock is
heated and mixed so the ratio of x and y is everywhere the same. This
makes the rock look much older. Finally, a mixture of y and z enters,
different amounts at different places. This will also produce a false, and
much too old, isochron. These five false isochrons scenarios are not at all
implausible, especially when one considers that the daughter element y is
often argon, a gas that is relatively mobile in rock.
Isochron dating requires at least four measurements to be taken: x,y,z, C1.
In addition, it requires that these measurements be taken from several
different objects which all formed at the same time from a common pool
of materials.
Now we examine the basic properties of P-D decay that lead to isochron
theory. Each pair of measurements is plotted as a data point on a graph.
The horizontal-axis of the graph is the ratio of P to D . The vertical-axis
of the graph is the ratio of D to D . An Rb/Sr isochron plot looks like
this:
Rb/Sr isochron plot
P = Rb; D = Sr; D = Sr.
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The intent of the plot is to assess a correlation between the level of P and
any enrichment in D :
explanation of X-position and Y-position of
data
Meaning of the plot axes.
If the points are colinear, and the line has a positive slope, it shows an
extremely strong correlation between the amount of P in each sample,
and the extent to which it is enriched in D , relative to D . This is a
necessary consequence, if the additional D is a product of the decay of
P in a closed system over time. It is not easily explained, in the general
case, in any other way.
P is a different element from D; it will be distributed unequally relative
to D & D as minerals form. This results in a range of X-values for the
data points representing individual minerals. Since the data points have
the same Y-value and a range of X-values, they initially fall on a
horizontal line:
zero-age isochron intersecting source data point
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Di<44>erential migration of elements as minerals form.
A horizontal line represents "zero age." As more time passes and a
significant amount of radioactive decay occurs, the quantity of P
decreases by a noticeable amount in each sample, while the quantity of
D increases by the same amount. This results in a movement of the data
points to the left (decreasing P ) and upwards (increasing D ). Since each
atom of P decays to one atom of D , the data point for each sample will
move along a path with a slope of -1.
Decay occurs in a proportional manner (that is, when 20% of the P in
one sample has decayed, 20% of the P in every sample will have
decayed). As a result, the data points with the most P (the right-most
ones on the plot) move the greatest distance per unit time. The data points
remain colinear as time passes, but the slope of the line increases:
colinear isochron with positive slope
An additional nice feature of isochron ages is that an "uncertainty" in the
age is automatically computed from the fit of the data to a line. A routine
statistical operation on the set of data yields both a slope of the best-fit
line (an age) and a variance in the slope (an uncertainty in the age). The
better the fit of the data to the line, the lower the uncertainty.
If the initial conditions vary from the assumption or if contamination is
present, it is nearly certain that the data will indicate the problem by
failure to plot on a line. Where the simple P-D pair methods will produce
an incorrect age, isochron methods will generally indicate the
unsuitability of the object for dating.
Gain or loss of P does change the X-values of the data points:
e<EFBFBD>ect of gain/loss of P on data points English
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Gain or loss of P .
If the isochron line has a distinctly non-zero slope, and a fairly large
number of data points, the nearly inevitable result of contamination
(failure of the system to remain closed) will be that the fit to a line will be
destroyed. If P is lost the data points will tend to move varying distances;
the different minerals will have varying resistance to loss of P , as well as
varying levels of D :
e<EFBFBD>ect of a loss of P in all samples
Loss of P in all samples.
In the case of Rb/Sr isochron dating, the most common form
of isotope migration is a preferential loss of radiogenic
daughter ( Sr), causing vertical variation.
e<EFBFBD>ect of migration of D
i
87
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Gain or loss of D .
The end result is that the data are nearly certain not to remain
colinear, as seen in the typical isochron experimental plot below. The
original top graph has the general pattern of linearity; but the
statistical least squares analysis would yield a slope with signi<6E>cant
error and an age that is at odds with the geologic column predictions.
By discarding the top four points as “anomalous/contaminated/
inappropriate/etc.,” the bottom plot (actually published) overcomes
both obstacles, killing “two birds with one stone.”
English
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An Analysis of Claims by Evolutionary Geologists
Evolutionary geologists allege "counter-intuitive" ages—results which
indicate an event earlier than the time of crystallization of the sampled
object—are usually produced by inappropriate selection of samples.
The evolutionary geologist is, however, well practiced in
inappropriate selection of samples—a case of “the pot calling the
kettle black.”
Evolutionary geologists say isochron interpretation is objective because
dishonest practices are immediately recognized as being dishonest and
thus discouraged.
This ignores the geological frauds of history and the personal
motivation to gain collegial approval and research dollars.
The next person to attempt to replicate the experiment would uncover the
fraud.
This ignores the unlikely exact correspondence of di<64>erent
samples in their concentration and geological history.
Outlying data points are regularly reported and almost always plotted on the
isochron diagram... but occasionally not included in the computation of the
best-fit line. (However this is always made clear in the paper; exclusion of a
small percentage of outliers is a reasonably standard statistical practice for
improving accuracy of calculations.) English
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John Woodmorappe found that outliers were often discarded as
anomalies and not documented.[6]
Performing multiple isochron plots in search of a "good" one would be
outlandishly expensive.
More common in a single plot is the practice of ignoring non-linear
points or those implying the “wrong” age.
Further tests would likely give the same result as the <20>rst, and there
would be a very low probability of getting a signi<6E>cantly better plot.
This is an assumption....likely give.... Why not do further tests
with the research award, rather than using funds to pursue
publicity to secure more grants? Further, why do dates from
multiple heterogeneous pairs give wildly spread dates? The
isochron experiment is still basically a P-D dating method.
Negative results are regularly published.....
Yes, in the creationist press. What is the ratio of REPORTED
negative isochron results to positive results in the mainstream
press?
In short, the cycle of inflated claims for
isotopic dating methods consists of five
steps:
1. A new dating method is developed
2. Sweeping claims are made of its reliability
3. Numerous anomalies surface
4. A new layer of rationalizations is invented to explain away
discrepancies
5. Return to 1.
Besides inconsistency, old age radiodating su<73>ers from the following
English
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fundamental weaknesses:
Decay rates are assumed constant, when there is evidence of faster
decay in the past, decay rates of ions are known to di<64>er from
neutral atoms, and the existence of uranium halos hints that there
was much more radioactivity in the past.
Decay rate is dependent on the speed of light, and c appears to be
declining (CDK). This is seen in the measurement trend of the last 400
years and recent quasar measurements by mainstream astronomer
Davies.
Evolutionists will assert that c is known to seven signi<6E>cant digits and is
truly constant. But c has been <20>xed since the 1960s, when the National
Bureau of Standards changed from the dynamic time of celestial motion
to atomic time using the cesium clock. Since the atomic frequencies
depend on c, all that is being measured is the precision of the
instruments.
Medium Decay: C summary:
Carbon-14 is produced when cosmic rays knock neutrons out of atomic
nuclei in the upper atmosphere. When these fast-moving neutrons hit
nitrogen (N-14) at lower altitudes, they convert the nitrogen to carbon-14.
The carbon-14 is unstable and eventually decays into nitrogen. However,
both carbon-14 and carbon-12 combine with oxygen to form carbon dioxide
which <20>nds its way into the cells of plants and animals. While plants and
animals are alive and breathing, the ratio of carbon-12 atoms to carbon-14
atoms remains the same in their cells as in the atmosphere. Once the plant
or animal dies, however, the carbon-14 atoms decay at a constant rate and
are no longer replaced. As a result, the ratio between C14 and C12 changes
over time at a constant rate, making it possible to determine the elapsed
time since the death of the organism.
Since half of a given amount of C14 will convert to C12 in 5, 730 years (+ or
– 40 years), 5, 730 years is said to be the half life of C14. At this rate of
decay, any organism that died more than 50,000 years ago should have lost
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all of its C14. Recent studies have shown that C14 production has increased
in recent times as a result of the weakening of the earth’s magnetic <20>eld. In
addition, a global <20>ood—while it would have destroyed almost all plant and
animal life—would not have a<>ected the production of C14 in the
atmosphere. Consequently, the C14 level relative to C12 would have
increased during the post-<2D>ood period. Both of these factors tend to make
thousands-of-years-old carbon-tested organic matter test much older than
it really is.[7]
In short, an analysis of the C technique leads to the following
observations:
1. There is measurable carbon-14 in material (e.g., fossil fuels) that
should be "dead" according to standard evolutionary theory (having a
radio-carbon date > of 43,000 years).
2. If the present activity is the residual of life-time absorption at current
levels of carbon-14, an age greater than approximately 10,000 years
for life on Earth is eliminated.
3. Although most easily interpreted within the framework of a “young
(less than ten thousand years old) earth,” the data cannot prove a
young age.
If a short or long age for life on Earth is metaphysically ruled out, no
amount of evidence matters. Science then degenerates into an attempt to
<EFBFBD>nd evidence to support one's philosophical position, and ceases to be an
unbiased search for truth. Then the above data are simply utilized for the
sake of argument, or else discounted in an attempt to prevent their use by
someone with an opposing view.
Conclusion
As now used by evolutionary scientists there is virtually no value in radio
dating as an objective source of prehistoric chronology. It serves only as a
tool of intimidation in the hands of evolutionary propagandists. Those who
have been blessed to believe in the absolute Truth of Divine Revelation
should hold fast to the sacred sources of truth concerning the origins of
man and the universe.
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[1] David A. Plaisted, "Mitochondrial DNA Mutation Rates"
[2] Cf. Guy Berthault, “Geological Time Scale Questioned,” elsewhere in
these proceedings.
[3] David A. Plaisted, "Population Genetics Made Simple"
[4] Lawrence D. Smart, "Haldane's Dilemma"
[5] Creation-Evolution Encyclopedia, "Fruit Flies Speak Up"
[6] The Mythology of Modern Dating Methods, John Woodmorappe, ICR, 1999.
In Woodmorappe’s highly technical rebuttal of 494 geology references of
questionable credibility, the author exposes 52 generally bogus claims: rarity of
discrepant dates(14), self-checking of methods(29), agreement on dates, cross
discipline corroboration, concordance of different methods, convergence of
earth’s age at 4.5 billion years, special pleadings, data manipulation, no
standard reliability criteria/norms, new analytic techniques beget new post
facto rationalizations, premises assumed true, not proven. 47 “myths” are
discussed, including 24 isochron dates, 10 using Argon 39/40, and 13 with U
Pb Zircons. One is introduced to an Orwellian world of geological doublespeak
{delayed-uplift ages, cooling ages, thermochronologic data, rejuvenated dates,
inherited isochrons. An example of applying such geologic logic to everyday
life would be: When picking socks out of a laundry bag of mixed socks, only
white ones will be found—the rest are discarded as contaminated.
[7] In an article entitled “Correlation of C-14 Age with Real Time,” in the
Creation Research Society Quarterly, 1992, 29:45-47, R. H. Brown examined
anomalous C-14 dating results with a view to discovering why C-14 dating of
di<EFBFBD>erent samples of organic matter from the same source produced widely
di<EFBFBD>erent ages. For example, C-14 testing of muscle from a musk ox
produced an age of 24,000 years while carbon testing of hair from the same
animal produced an age of 17,000 years. By re-calibrating dates of
35,000-40,000 years to coincide with the Biblical date for the global <20>ood
(circa 2700 B.C.), the di<64>erence between the C-14 results for the ox muscle
and the ox hair were brought within the approximate life span of the ox.
#carbon dating #cosmological principle #evolution English
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#radio dating #special creation #theistic evolution
#uniformitarianism
English
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