Ice Age Theories and Evidence: Understanding God's Creation

1. The Ice Age Based on Discover God’s Creation, Chapter 6-4 By Rebecca Fraker

2. Ice Age • Because of the evidence, scientists believe that glaciers once covered much of North America, Asia, and Europe. • They believe that these huge glaciers formed during a time when Earth’s climate was much colder than it is today. • This time is called the Ice Age

3. North American Glaciers During Ice Age

4. Evidences • There are many moraines, U-shaped valleys, kettle lakes, extensive glacial polish, and erratic boulders over much of North America, Asia, and Europe. • There are still glaciers today that can be studied.

5. What did the glaciers cover? • Can you tell from the picture if glaciers covered New York State? Are there evidences of the Ice Age in your area?

6. When or How Did it Happen? • Many scientists believe that there were several ice ages millions of years ago that lasted for long periods of time. • Creation scientists believe that there were ice ages but that they happened quickly, did not last as long, and were the result of the conditions after the flood.

7. Ice Age Theory • According to this theory, three conditions are necessary for an ice age: • A cold climate • Warm oceans • Heavy snowfall

8. First • According to the Bible, there was a huge cataclysmic event that is known as “Noah’s Flood”. • This flood caused massive damage to the earth’s mantle. • It is almost certain that there were huge volcanic eruptions during the Flood and for many years afterwards.

9. First • These eruptions would have blown millions of tons of ash into the air, blocking out much of the sun’s warmth and causing a drop in temperature. • In modern times volcanic eruptions such as Mount St. Helens spread ash over thousands of square miles and reduced temperatures. • Some volcanic eruptions have caused the loss of growing seasons and brought on famines.

10. When Mount Pinatubo exploded in June 1991, it sent enormous clouds of volcanic ash and acidic gases into the stratosphere to altitudes in excess of 100,000 feet. The largest ash cloud, from a June 15 eruption, was carried by upper level winds to the west and circled the globe in about three weeks. • After the eruption, ash and other particles from the volcano created a haze around the planet for the next two years and slightly reduced the sunlight reaching Earth's surface and made the sun's radiation less direct and more diffuse. While overall solar radiation was reduced by less than five percent, data showed a reduction of direct radiation by as much as 30 percent. So, instead of direct light, the sun's rays were reaching Earth after colliding with particles in the air.

11. Sulfur in the air • In 1815, a much larger eruption occurred at Tambora in Indonesia. This single volcano put enough sulfur into the air to cause several degrees of cooling. Enough to cause crop failures and starvation in France and northeastern United Stated in 1816 and 1817!

12. This graph of the Earth's average temperature changes since 1950 shows many ups and downs, but the trend since about 1960 has been constantly upward. (Many people think that is the result of Global Warming, but that is another story!) Notice the big drop that lasted for about three years starting in 1991. That is the effect of the eruption of Pinatubo. The drop is only about half a degree, so most people didn't notice it. But this change was caused by only one fairly small volcanic eruption! Graph courtesy of Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

13. Second • The Bible talks about the “fountains of the deep” erupting during the Flood. • This added warm water from within Earth, along with volcanic activity under the sea. • This would have caused the oceans to warm.

14. Third • The third condition necessary for an ice age is heavy snowfall. Glaciers form from large amounts of snow. • A warm ocean would have supplied enough moisture to form these large amounts of snow. • Warm water would evaporate rapidly and create many clouds carrying large amounts of moisture. • Once these clouds moved to an area of colder temperature, heavy snowfall would result.

15. Third • One evidence of a rapidly occurring Ice Age is that woolly mammoths have been found that still have flowers in their mouths and stomachs from a recent meal. This would be consistent with the idea of rapid snowfall taking these large mammals by surprise, so that instead of escaping farther to the south and a warmer area, they froze to death.

16. A RecommendedBook • A really good book on the Ice Age that is written by creationists is Life in the Great Ice Age by Michael & Beverly Oard. It is printed by Master Books, PO Box 727, Green Forest, AR 72638 and can be ordered through many sites online. • This book is in two parts. The first part tells the story of a boy and his family that live during the Ice Age. The second part gives much information about the Ice Age from creation scientists.

17. Conditions Today • Today, many scientists are warning that conditions on the earth are getting to the place where another Ice Age could begin. • The burning of fossil fuels such as gas, oil, and coal are adding to the “green-house effect” which is affecting global climates. • For the first time in recorded history, there is open water in the North Pole area. • Many glaciers are melting at an alarming rate. This is beginning to dilute and shift the warm Gulf Stream. As this warm stream shifts away from the continents, the weather will get colder over the continents. More snow and colder winters will result. • A few large volcanic eruptions sending ash into the atmosphere would block the sunlight and cause a drop in global temperatures.

18. Conditions Today • http://www.educapoles.org/ • http://naturalscience.com/ns/cover/cover5.html • http://www.21stcenturyradio.com/articles/03/1112244.html Mrs. Fraker’s favorite Ice Age Animal

19. Conditions Today • The earth’s climate does appear to be in a state of change. Much of this information is fascinating. The few websites that are listed don’t even begin to touch the subject. • Research global warming. Find out how polar bears are being affected. • Research “super volcanoes” and their effects. Find out if scientists think they are possible. • Research the animal life during the “Ice Age”. Which of these animals lived in New York State? • Research how the Ice Age affected New York State. Where can you go to see some of the glacial features? NY also has the remains of many Ice Age animals such as mastodons and mammoths and many other fossils.

20. Some Ice Age Mammals

23. BRITAIN COULD BE HEADING FOR AN ICE AGE • Ananova November 6, 2003 • http://www.ananova.com/news/... • 21st Century Radio News -Click here for more articles like this. • Britain could be heading for a new Ice Age. • A Horizon documentary to be shown on BBC2 says global warming could 'switch off' the Gulf Stream. • The Gulf Stream continually warms Britain's coast and scientists say that without it, our climate would be like Alaska's. • Winters like the big freeze in 1962-63 would hit us all the time, we would have to live in minus 22C for months and ice storms would batter the land. • Greenland is said to be melting at a rate of 100 cubic km every year because of the greenhouse effect. • Experts believe the melt water from the ice could effectively switch off the Gulf Stream. • "It would be quick," says Dr Terry Joyce. "Suddenly one decade we are warm, the next decade we're in for the coldest winter we've experienced in 100 years. And we'd be stuck in it for 100 years." • Dr Richard Wood of the Met Office tells Horizon: "You would expect to see sea ice off the south coast for several miles." • 21st Century Radio News -Click here for more articles like this. • 21st Century Radio-HOME Hieronimus & Co., Inc., P.O. Box 648, Owings Mills, MD 21117 USAVoice Mail: (410) 356-4852 Fax: (410) 356-6229

24. Center for Scientific Creationhttp://www.creationscience.comThis site has a very interesting online illustrated book. Frozen baby mammoth

25. Keep Researching! Today, more and more scientists are turning to a creator-designer God as an explanation for what they are seeing in the rocks and fossils.