Dino tracks from Re: [asa] Polonium Halos

http://www.bibleandscience.com/science/footprints.htm and
http://www.answersincreation.org/paluxy.htm have critiques of the
dinosaur-human sorts of claims from a clearly Christian perspective. I
thought there were some grudging admissions from some of the prominent YEC
organizations that some track claims were unsound; in particular, I think
the ICR's disavowal of Mysterious Origins of Man (a Hare Krishna
antievolutionary TV special featuring Carl Baugh) may have mentioned this.

http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/paluxy.html addresses numerous dino
footprint claims, including Answers in Genesis admitting that Carl Baugh has
no grounding in reality, but not a specific admission from AIG that the
Paluxey River tracks are not human.

The Paleontological Society published two volumes of papers on evolution and
creationism. The first one, which seems to be out of print and thus not
listed on their website, leaving me unsure if it was officially a Special
Publication or a Short Course or what for the exact title, had an article on
purported human footprints in settings that are too old. It features a
photo that seems to show a pair of footprints in mid-Precambrian rock from
Canada. However, in addition to certain geologic problems (they are
actually bumps rather than impressions, there is no assocated trackway,
there are other similar but less foot-shaped bumps in the deposit, etc.),
the two shapes are adjacent and parallel but with toes pointing in opposite
directions. Also, instead of resembling bare feet, they suggest tennis
shoes. Although Joseph served in Pharoah's courts, I don't know of any
claims for tennis shoes before the flood.

The article has a number of useful points. I don't know offhand exactly
where my copy is, but from memory:

Genuine footprints occur on former exposed surfaces, such as bedding planes
in sedimentary rock or lava flows. They do not occur in the middle of a
block of granite, etc.

Footprints should form a trail. People do not normally leap from a long
distance, land on one foot to make a print, and jump totally clear of the
impressionable substrate without making any other traces.

A footprint trail should not undergo significant changes in foot morphology
within the trail. For example, changing numbers of toes is suspect.

Footprints should be anatomically correct.

Footprints should be actual impressions in the rock, not carvings or
paintings.

A little knowledge of real footprints also exposes the moon dust
claim-neither on earth nor on the moon do people sink down to solid rock
with every step on loose dirt.

On 6/19/06, Jon Tandy <tandyland@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> Thanks for providing this link. I was going to ask about it, because
> coincidentally, this was mentioned yesterday from the pulpit along with the
> claimed dinosaur-human tracks, as evidence of a young earth.
>
> Jon Tandy
>
>
> --
> Dr. David Campbell
> 425 Scientific Collections
> University of Alabama
> "I think of my happy condition, surrounded by acres of clams"
>

To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@calvin.edu with
"unsubscribe asa" (no quotes) as the body of the message.
Received on Mon Jun 19 16:28:19 2006