The commentary, by Juith McKenzie which accompanys the article (p.
613-614) issue, states,
"In my view, this work resolves several issues. First, as I have
mentioned, the method sidesteps the need for marine fossils to date the
Messinian sequences. Second, the new chronology shows that the beginning
and end of the Messinian salinity crisis were synchronous throughout the
Mediterranean; Krijgsman et al, date the beginning at 5.96 Myr and the end
at 5.33 Myr ago. The causes and consequences of events can thus be
distinguished. It is now clear that a tectonic closure in the general
region of the modern Straits of Gibraltar, possibly augmented by a fall in
sea level, led to the synchronous basin-wide onset of evaporative
conditions. The initial evaporative draw-down of water in the Mediteranean
would have been gradual, with the development of both shallow water and
deep-water evaporitic sequences depending on the size and shape of
individual basins. Many of the arguments put forward by the proponents of
the various models can be accommodated within this picture.
"Regardless of that, the massive flood that permanently ended evaporative
conditions in the Mediterranean must have been caused by a dramatic rise in
sea level." Judith A. McKenzie, "From Desert to Deluge in the
Mediterranean," Nature 400(1999), p 614.
I still contend that this is the only model of the Biblical flood that both
has observational evidence of a real flood and would fit the description of
the flood as described in the Bible.
Graham Pointer posted an article advocating the Black Sea as the location
of the Biblical flood. I would point anyone to my web page (
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/bseaflod.htm )
for geologic and other reasons why the Black Sea locale won't work as a
satisfactory location for the Biblical flood.
The one draw back to the Mediterranean as the flood local is the ancient
age of that event. I have provided much evidence over the years for human
activity, compassion, and moral accountability from millions of years ago
both on this list in the form of numerous posts as well as in my article
"Dating Adam," PSCF June 1999, pp 87-97 and in an upcoming communication in
the Sept. PSCF which discusses the evidence for moral accountability among
fossil men as long ago as 2 myr. (in this regard see
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/compass.htm
This objection should not be seen as a fatal flaw.
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
Adam, Apes and Anthropology
http://www.flash.net/~mortongr/dmd.htm
Lots of information on creation/evolution