Claim CD501:
On an old earth, mountains would have eroded by now. At present rates of
erosion, the continents would have been eroded to sea level in less than
fifteen million years.
Source:
Morris, Henry M., 1974. Scientific Creationism, Green Forest, AR: Master
Books, p. 155.
Response:
- Old mountain ranges are eroded flat. But there are also forces
creating new mountains. For example, the Himalayas are still rising.
- Present rates of erosion are particularly high due to more mountain
building and higher mountains than usual in earth's history. (Erosion
slows as mountains lose elevation.)
- The reasoning behind this claim directly contradicts the reasoning
behind the claim that volcanoes build too much
material for an
old earth.
Links:
Matson, Dave E., 1994. How good are those young-earth arguments?
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/hovind/howgood-yea.html#proof15
Further Reading:
McPhee, John, 1998. Annals of the Former World. New York: Farrar,
Straus and Giroux.
created 2003-4-22, modified 2004-9-14
