Hello Harry,
Of course you are correct in that some of what I called "fudging" is simply
differences in interpretation and we all do it. As I go out in the field I
keep asking myself how my "interpretation" would change if I picked up and
analyzed this rock instead of that one and I just can't help but believe
that some folks pick up and examine the ones they suspect will support their
thesis rather than those that they suspect might cause problems. Same goes
for taking paleocurrent direction readings. If you know from years of
walking around and looking, and reading several articles that the
paleocurrent direction for a particular sand is in one direction, how many
readings do you take of those structures which indicate another direction? I
suspect it might depend on whether your topic is "The Paleocurrent direction
of ......." or "Variations in the Paleocurrent direction of .....". I know
for my thesis topic I developed a new technique for the determining rocks
whose basic structure was parallel bedding rather than the traditional
ripples and dune slip face directions usually measured. Since it was a new
technique and I was running on a shoe-string equipment budget (basically
what I could find that wasn't nailed down in any lab to which I had a key)
there was lots of "noise" in the data and sometimes I had to just say I know
that is the wrong answer and stop and "fix" the equipment. I and my
advisor both had serious reservations about how much of that "noise" was
real and how much was due to equipment problems and to what extent I got the
answers I did because I "fixed" the equipment until I got the answer I knew
to be correct. At my suggestion we finally had another faculty member come
in the lab, set up the equipment and run some samples without my being in
the room. When he got the answers I had previously determined by other
means we all relaxed a bit.
The YEC's emphasis the rocks which indicate rapid processes while some folks
emphasis those which indicate slow processes. I have a terrible time in my
geology classes trying to present a "balanced" view.
Darryl
----- Original Message -----
From: "Harry Cook" <hcook@oanet.com>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>; "Bill Payne" <bpayne15@juno.com>; "Darryl Maddox"
<dpmaddox@arn.net>
Sent: Monday, June 26, 2000 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: Flood
> Hi Darryl
>
> It's not fudging, but usually called interpretation. Everyone does it,
> whether they admit to it or not!
>
>
> --------------------
> Harry Cook
> 15032 84 Ave
> Edmonton, AB T5R 3X5
>
> phone: 780-489-8563
> email: hcook@oanet.com
>
>
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