John R. Baumgardner, Ph.D. is studying large-scale tectonics, runaway subduction and patterns of ocean circulation as they relate to Noah's Flood. He presented papers on each of these topics in 1994 at the Third International Conference on Creationism. Below are abstracts of those papers. If you wish to read the papers, they are at the Research section of ICR's Web site: http://www.icr.org/research
Computer Modeling Of The Large-Scale Tectonics Associated With The Genesis Flood John R. Baumgardner, Ph.D. 1965 Camino Redondo Los Alamos, NM 87544 Presented at the Third International Conference on Creationism Pittsburgh, PA, July 18-23, 1994 Copyright 1994 by Creation Science Fellowship, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA USA—All Rights Reserved Keywords Genesis Flood, geological catastrophism, runaway subduction, mantle dynamics, plate tectonics Abstract Any comprehensive model for earth history consistent with the data from the Scriptures must account for the massive tectonic changes associated with the Genesis Flood. These tectonic changes include significant vertical motions of the continental surfaces to allow for the deposition of up to many thousands of meters of fossil-bearing sediments, lateral displacements of the continental blocks themselves by thousands of kilometers, formation of all of the present day ocean floor basement rocks by igneous processes, and isostatic adjustments after the catastrophe that produced today's Himalayas, Alps, Rockies, and Andes. This paper uses 3-D numerical modeling in spherical geometry of the earth's mantle and lithosphere to demonstrate that rapid plate tectonics driven by runaway subduction of the pre-Flood ocean floor is able to account for this unique pattern of large-scale tectonic change and to do so within the Biblical time frame. Runaway Subduction As The Driving Mechanism For The Genesis Flood John R. Baumgardner, Ph.D. 1965 Camino Redondo Los Alamos, NM 87544 Presented at the Third International Conference on Creationism Pittsburgh, PA, July 18-23, 1994 Copyright 1994 by Creation Science Fellowship, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA USA—All Rights Reserved Keywords Runaway subduction, Genesis flood, power-law creep, thermal runaway, catastrophic plate tectonics Abstract Experimental investigation of the solid state deformation properties of silicates at high temperatures has revealed that the deformation rate depends on the stress to a power of about 3 to 5 as well as strongly on the temperature. This highly nonlinear behavior leads to the potential of thermal runaway of the mantle's cold upper boundary layer as it peels away from the surface and sinks through the hot mantle. The additional fact that the mineral phase changes that occur at 660 km depth act as a barrier to convective flow and lead to a tendency for large episodic avalanche events compounds the potential for catastrophic dynamics. Two-dimensional finite element calculations are presented that attempt to model these strongly nonlinear phenomena. It is proposed that such a runaway episode was responsible for the Flood described in Genesis and resulted in massive global tectonic change at the earth's surface. Patterns Of Ocean Circulation Over The Continents During Noah's Flood John R. Baumgardner, Ph.D. 1965 Camino Redondo Los Alamos, NM 87544 Daniel W. Barnette, Ph.D. 1704 Sadler, N.E. Albuquerque, NM 87112 Presented at the Third International Conference on Creationism Pittsburgh, PA, July 18-23, 1994 Copyright 1994 by Creation Science Fellowship, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA USA—All Rights Reserved Keywords Genesis Flood, ocean currents, sediment transport, sedimentation patterns, shallow water equations Abstract This paper presents results from a set of numerical experiments that explore the patterns of ocean circulation that arise when the earth's continental surface is mostly flooded. The calculations employ a code that solves the 2-D shallow water equations on a rotating sphere with surface topography. Several continental configurations are considered, including that of a single Pangean-like supercontinent. A surprising yet persistent feature in these calculations is the appearance of high velocity currents generated and sustained by the earth's rotation above the flooded continents. Water velocities in the deeper ocean by contrast are much smaller in magnitude. The patterns typically include strong cyclonic gyres at high latitudes with water velocities on the order of 40-80 m/s. The gyres tend to be compressed against the western continental margins and produce strong equatorward currents parallel to the western coastlines. The calculations argue that strong currents spontaneously arise over flooded continents. They suggest that accurate observational data on the current directions in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks coupled with careful numerical modeling could be extremely fruitful in understanding the origin of much of the earth's sedimentary record.