Generalizing

Premature Proclamations in Oard (1997) against Iceberg Scour Marks

Kevin R. Henke, Ph.D.

May 4, 2014

In my 1999 essay, I criticized Oard (1997, p. 25) for prematurely proclaiming that “iceberg scour marks are totally missing in presumed pre-Pleistocene glaciomarine sediments.” This is what I said:

“Fairbridge (1979, p. 144-145) describes a likely iceberg scour mark and other iceberg related features in the Ordovician glacial deposits of North Africa. Fairbridge (1971a, p. 271) also makes references to curving gouges from floating ice in the Ordovician deposits. Woodworth-Lynas and Dowdeswell (1994, p. 241f) argue that floating ice and not just continental glaciers could have produced many of the pre-Pleistocene soft-sediment striated surfaces in Mauritania, Algeria, Namibia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Antarctica. Woodworth-Lynas (1996, p. 168-177) also lists several examples of possible to likely iceberg scour marks in pre-Pleistocene rocks, including the Proterozoic of Brazil and the Proterozoic Kuibis Series of Namibia. Contrary to Oard’s ([1997], p. 73) claims that there are no ice scour marks in the Gowganda Formation of Canada, Miall (1985, p. 782) argues that iceberg scours may be present on the contact between the middle Precambrian Serpent and Gowganda formations. Ice scours may also occur in late Paleozoic glacial deposits in Australia and South Africa (Woodworth-Lynas, 1996, p. 173-176; Visser, 1990, p. 238). Before Oard [1997] declares that iceberg scours are ‘totally missing’ from pre-Pleistocene glaciomarine deposits (p. 25), maybe he should read the current literature for several examples and wait for further information until scientists have studied the rocks in more detail.” [my 2011 emphasis]

Rather than taking my advice in the above bolded statement, Oard (2009a, p. 114) lodges the following invalid complaint:

“Henke (p. 18 [in his 1999 essay]) claims that I should have waited until scientists studied the rocks in more detail before presenting an interpretation - a standard that he does not apply to those advocating the glacial explanation.”

Absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence. By boldly proclaiming that “iceberg scour marks are totally missing in presumed pre-Pleistocene glaciomarine sediments” (Oard, 1997, p. 25), Mr. Oard is not presenting a reasonable “interpretation” of the available data as indicated by Oard (2009a, p. 114). Rather, he is making a proclamation of groundless faith that probably will not survive the test of time as geologists continue to make discoveries in their field research. Also, notice that the context of the above quotation from my 1999 essay does not automatically proclaim that all of these reports of iceberg scour marks made by “those advocating the glacial explanation” are indisputable. I simply asked for Mr. Oard to be patient and to wait for further information before he declares that pre-Pleistocene iceberg scour marks are “totally missing” (Oard, 1997, p. 25). At the same time, I also recognized in my 1999 essay that the opposite problem could occur, where any amount of data might be unfairly labeled as “insufficient”:

“It is true that geological models and interpretations are frequently poorly understood and often incomplete. At the same time, it’s very easy to accuse almost any data set of being too small and that more data are needed before a ‘reliable’ interpretation can be made. This is ‘moving the goal posts’ so the opposing team can never score a point.”

The problem with Flood geology is that it has no supporting data and, as discussed in the essays at this website, an enormous amount of 21^st century field and other scientific evidence continues to accumulate against it and for pre-Pleistocene glaciations.

References

Fairbridge, R.W., 1971a, "Upper Ordovician Glaciation in Northwest Africa? Reply," Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 82, pp. 269-274.

Fairbridge, R.W.1979. “Traces from the Desert: Ordovician,” in B.S. John (ed.), Winters of the World, John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp. 131-153.

Oard, M.J. 1997. Ancient Ice Ages or Gigantic Submarine Landsides? Creation Research Society, Monograph No. 5, Chino Valley, AZ.

Oard, M.J. 2009a. “Landslides Win in a Landslide over Ancient 'Ice Ages'“, chapter 7 in M.J. Oard and J.K. Reed (editors). 2009. Rock Solid Answers: The Biblical Truth Behind 14 Geological Questions, Master Books: Green Forest, AR, pp. 111-123.

Miall, A.D. 1985. “Sedimentation on an Early Proterozoic Continental Margin under Glacial Influence: The Gowganda Formation (Huronian), Elliot Lake Area, Ontario, Canada,” Sedimentology, v. 32, pp. 763-788.

Visser, J.N.J. 1990. “Glacial Bedforms at the Base of the Permo-Carboniferous Dwyka Formation along the Western Margin of the Karoo Basin, South Africa,” Sedimentology, v. 37, pp. 231-245.

Woodworth-Lynas, C.M.T. 1996. “Ice Scour as an Indicator of Glaciolacustrine Environnments,” in J. Menzies (ed.) Past Glacial Environments: Sediments, Forms and Techniques, Glacial Environments, v. 2, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, pp. 161-178.

Woodworth-Lynas, C.M.T. and J.A. Dowdeswell, 1994, “Soft-sediment Striated Surfaces and Massive Diamicton Facies Produced by Floating Ice,” in M. Deynoux, J.M.G. Miller, E.W. Domack, N. Eyles, I.J. Fairchild, and G.M. Young, Earth’s Glacial Record, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 241-259.