Ondaball's thread with supposed evidence for the global flood posts a link to a page of alleged Flood Evidence on Answers in Genesis. I refuted some of these on that thread but one point that keeps coming up whenever a YEC posts a list of PRATTs that are supposed to be flood evidence is the false claim that some folded strata are too tightly bent to have formed after the rock had fully lithified (harded to solid rock). It is given on the AiG page in the following form.
This specific claim is apparently from John Morris but you see many other variations on YEC pages. It is false. Geologists well know that rocks can be deformed after lithification when they are buried and subjected to heat and pressure for long periods of time. There was a very good discussion of this on the EvCforum some years ago and I need to credit Bill Birkeland with providing a lot of the information. The thread can be found HERE.
In fact there are rock strata that were deformed before full lithification but many other "bent strata" have features that could only have formed if the rocks were fully hardened before they were folded. Under pressure and at higher temperature rocks become ductile, that is they can be folded though often brittle fracture does occur. There are several web pages on deformation of rocks that give information on the processes involved.
The idea that all these "bent strata" do not show evidence of brittle failure is also false. In fact such evidence shows that the strata were solid when folded. For instance the clustered fractures in this picture could only have occured if sold rock was folded. Source Page
Other features that show that solid rock was folded are deformed fossils or deformed pebbles which are both commonly found indicators that the strata were solid when folded.
The picture below shows stretched pebbles in folded rock. There are several links to other pictures on strecthed Pebbles in Bill's Posts on EvC.
Now let's see what Bill says about Morris's specific claim regarding the Tapeats. (Post 20)
I would put this in the category of a classic "Flood Geology" PRATT. All real geologists and all those who have studied structural geology know that rock strata can be folded after lithification and that there is overwhelming evidence that many strata were solid when they were folded but the PRATT sounds logical and convincing to people with limited knowledge of geology. This PRATT while false, convinces the intended audience and the source of their funds and thus typifies "flood geology".
This specific claim is apparently from John Morris but you see many other variations on YEC pages. It is false. Geologists well know that rocks can be deformed after lithification when they are buried and subjected to heat and pressure for long periods of time. There was a very good discussion of this on the EvCforum some years ago and I need to credit Bill Birkeland with providing a lot of the information. The thread can be found HERE.
In fact there are rock strata that were deformed before full lithification but many other "bent strata" have features that could only have formed if the rocks were fully hardened before they were folded. Under pressure and at higher temperature rocks become ductile, that is they can be folded though often brittle fracture does occur. There are several web pages on deformation of rocks that give information on the processes involved.
The idea that all these "bent strata" do not show evidence of brittle failure is also false. In fact such evidence shows that the strata were solid when folded. For instance the clustered fractures in this picture could only have occured if sold rock was folded. Source Page
Other features that show that solid rock was folded are deformed fossils or deformed pebbles which are both commonly found indicators that the strata were solid when folded.
The picture below shows stretched pebbles in folded rock. There are several links to other pictures on strecthed Pebbles in Bill's Posts on EvC.
Now let's see what Bill says about Morris's specific claim regarding the Tapeats. (Post 20)
I would put this in the category of a classic "Flood Geology" PRATT. All real geologists and all those who have studied structural geology know that rock strata can be folded after lithification and that there is overwhelming evidence that many strata were solid when they were folded but the PRATT sounds logical and convincing to people with limited knowledge of geology. This PRATT while false, convinces the intended audience and the source of their funds and thus typifies "flood geology".
