Scientific Evidence does not support a Great Flood

It certainly has to potential to be intellectually stimulating, unlike my previously concluded debate. I make a claim to open-mindedness, but not to knowledgeability. I would like to present several lines of evidence for a global flood. Notice that as this is a historical event, we cannot prove to a certainty the event. At most, we can establish higher probability for it happening than not happening. The first argument of mine somewhat collides with the second contention. All quotes in blue. I. Plate Tectonics Plate tectonics is one of the best evidence for a global flood. More rigidly, it is known as catastrophic plate tectonics. In this debate, I will use a well recognized PT modelling program known as TERRA. [1] It has been clearly shown on more than one occasion that continental drift, mountain formation, such as that of everest, and ocean valleys are caused/begun by CPT. In fact, catastrophic beginnings of continental subductions have been used as explanations in the Earth and Planetary Science Letters [2]. However, I must needs explain myself. In [3], Baumgardner has provided quite a technical explanation, which I will quote somewhat. (For verification, see citations in [3], I will not cite those. )Silicate minerals make up approximately 90% of the earth’s crust. [4] All silicate minerals contain Si or O. “Experimental studies of the deformational behavior of silicate minerals over the last several decades have revealed the strength of such materials not only depends strongly on the temperature but also on the deformation rate. . .In this type of solid deformation, material strength depends on the deformation rate in a strongly nonlinear manner, proportional to the deformation rate to approximately the minus two-thirds power. At somewhat higher levels of shear stress, these materials display another type of deformational behavior known as plastic yield, where their strength decreases in an even more nonlinear way, in this case, inversely with the deformation rate. .. When these deformation-rate-weakening mechanisms are combined with the temperature weakening discussed above, the potential for slab runaway from gravitational body forces is enhanced dramatically. .. these weakening mechanisms can reduce the silicate strength by ten or more orders of magnitude without the material ever reaching its melting temperature” (Emphasis original)This is the basic background to the issue, without which we would never understand the issue fully. It can be found anywhere. Runaway subduction[5] is the theory that (and I will quote from TalkOrigins): “Baumgardner's computer model shows that runaway subduction explains how the global flood occurred. The cold, heavy crust of the ocean floor sinks into the lighter, hotter mantle, releasing gravitational potential energy as heat. Runaway subduction posits that this process greatly accelerated: "As the plates deform the surrounding rock, the mechanical energy of deformation is converted into heat, creating a superheated 'envelope' of silicate around the sinking ocean floor. .. As the plates pull apart, the gap between them grows into a broadening seam in the planet. This sends a gigantic bubble of mantle shooting up through these ridges; [w]hich displaces the oceans; [w]hich creates a huge flood" (Burr 1997, 57). God "caused an enormous blob of hot mantle material to come rushing up at incredible velocity through the underwater midocean ridges. The material ballooned, displacing a tidal wave of sea water over the continents. . . . Then, after 150 days (Genesis 7:24), the bubble retreated with equal speed into the Earth" (Burr 1997, 56). ”[6]Now, for the final portions, I will quote [3] again, “supersonic steam jets were almost a certainty along the spreading boundary between diverging ocean plates during the runaway phase of the catastrophe. .. jet velocities exceeding the Earth’s escape velocity might be possible. .. the energy per kilogram of steam escaping to space is sufficient to accomplish the bulk of the lithospheric cooling while the plates are moving apart and do so without depleting the oceans of all their water. At a velocity of 14 km/s, for example, 1 kg of steam has about 108 J of kinetic energy. Removal of this amount of heat is enough to cool 140 kg of rock by 1000 K, for a representative specific heat of 710 J/kg-K. On the order of 1000-1500 m of water would then be needed to cool the present ocean lithosphere to its current state. Although this is a lot of seawater, it is not. .. beyond. .. comprehension. .. .seawater is converted to supercritical steam as the water penetrates downward through the fractured and porous newly formed sea floor, and then emerges almost explosively at the throat of the jet. .. heating of the bulk ocean is. .. modest. Moreover, the seawater entrained in liquid form at the ocean-jet interface and lofted in widely dispersive trajectories provides a potent source of heavy rain so long as the jets are active. .. With this entrainment mechanism. .. the water that falls as rain is not required to condense from the vapor state”It is clear from this that plate tectonics support a global flood. This has been modelled via TERRA, a scientific modelling program, and it passes all physical tests. So we see that there is indeed enough water, because Everest was not around yet. We also see that it is not impossible for a flood to have happened. Combined with the following, there is strong evidence for it. II. Fossil conditions Fossils are frequently, almost consistently, found in flooding conditions [7]. Note that it is not merely bottom of the water kind of sediment. Such sediment are generally undisturbed. Flooding sediment, however, shows that the sediments are much swirled and “muddied” when the animal has died and it allows the creature to be buried quickly. This is consistent with a global flood, but not with a meteor impact. What is far more fascinating is the fact that most, if not all, of these fossils demonstrate another aspect of being in flooding conditions. They all suffer from torn ligaments and broken bones [8]. Fast currents, with lots of sediment and “swirling,” consistent with a global flood, must have had to occur. Local floods are just too small for fossils in such conditions to be strewn throughout the world. III. Strata “Sedimentation experiments have been conducted in still water with a continuous supply of heterogranular material. A deposit is obtained, giving the illusion of successive beds or laminae. These laminae are the result of a spontaneous, periodic and continuous grading process, which takes place immediately, following the deposition of the heterogranular mixture. The thickness of the laminae appears to be independent of the speed of sedimentation but increases with extreme differences in the size of the particles in the mixture. Where a horizontal current is involved, thin laminated superposed layers developing laterally in the direction of the current, are observed. ”[9] (Emphasis original)From this we can see clearly that laminae is not the product of eons of slow sedimentation, but rather fast to very fast water laying down sediments, consistent with a global flood. 1. TERRA is the doctoral thesis of J. R. Baumgardner. See: . http://globalflood.org... (It is not well updated, though. )2. . http://www.sciencedirect.com...3. . http://globalflood.org...4. . http://en.wikipedia.org...5. . http://www.icr.org...6. . http://www.talkorigins.org...7. . http://www.jstor.org...8. . http://geology.gsapubs.org...9. . http://creation.com... (The English translation of a paper presented to the French Academy of Sciences in Paris)