Re: Terrestrial magnetism

On 6/3/06, D. F. Siemens, Jr. <dfsiemensjr@juno.com> wrote:
>
> As usual, I am behind in my reading, but the 12 May 2006 /Science/ has a
> report that the decline in the magnetic field from 1840-1990,
> extrapolated by Creationists, is historically high. It measures about 15
> nT/yr. But from 1590-1840 it was 2.28 +/- 2.72 nT/yr. They also mention
> an analysis of the rate for the past 5000 years that is clearly lower
> than the last 150 years. See Collins et al., "Fall in Earth's Magnetic
> Field Is Erratic," pp. 900-902. Do you suppose this correction will soon
> appear in the Creationist literature, especially since there may be a
> small increase? What about the reverse fields in the magnetic striping
> observed on either side of the Atlantic Midocean Ridge?

Some YEC sources accept that there have been some magnetic reversals while
still trying to invoke decay of the earth's magnetic field as evidence for a
young earth. Others are in denial about the magnetic field patterns that
flank spreading centers; the version of this in Huse's The Collapse of
Evolution is particularly obviously slander of a basic geology textbook with
no knowledge of the actual evidence (such as the direct measurement of
magnetic polarity on samples; the alternative explanation proposed provides
just as much problem for a young earth view).

-- 
Dr. David Campbell
425 Scientific Collections
University of Alabama
"I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"