Lake Zurich Varves

Non-Varves of Lake Walensee and the Authentic Varves of Lake Zurich: Oard (1997) Gets Caught Telling Only Part of the Truth about Lambert and Hsü (1979) 

Kevin R. Henke, Ph.D.

May 4, 2014

Because many varve deposits easily exceed their upper limit of 10,000 years for the age of the Earth, Oard (1997), Oard (2009b) and other young-Earth creationists (YECs) want to widely dismiss the validity of long-term varve cycles in both modern and ancient lakes. Like Oard (1997, p. 59), Oard (2009b, p. 141) mentions that Lambert and Hsü (1979) found that many of the rhythmites in Lake Walensee, Switzerland, were not annual. Oard (1997, p. 59) quotes the following section of Lambert and Hsü (1979, p. 454):

“Our investigations supported de Geer’s first contention that sediment-laden flood-waters could generate turbidity underflows to deposit varves, but threw doubt on his second interpretation that varves or varve-like sediments are necessarily annual!”

To support his YEC agenda to belittle the number of cases of actual varves forming in modern lakes and the ability of scientists to distinguish varves from other rhythmites, Oard (1997, p. 59) only tells part of the truth about Lambert and Hsü (1979). Oard (1997, p. 59) only refers to the sections of Lambert and Hsü (1979) that support his YEC agenda and he ignores relevant discussions on the Lake Zurich varves and their obvious differences from the turbidity underflow rhythmites of Lake Walensee. In particular, Oard (1997, p. 59) ignored important qualifying statements and the key Figure 4 in Lambert and Hsü (1979). Figure 4, which Glenn Morton reproduces from Lambert and Hsü (1979, p. 460) as Figure 2 at this website (scroll down), clearly shows the stark differences between the highly regular and distinct actual varves from Swiss Lake Zurich and the relatively faint, more irregular, and often non-annual rhythmites from Swiss Lake Walensee. The following critical statements in Lambert and Hsü (1979, p. 460) unambiguously refute the YEC anti-varve agenda of Oard (1997, p. 59), Austin (1994, p. 38) and Oard (2009b, p. 141), and explain why the varves and non-annual rhythmites in Lake Walensee are so faint and why the Lake Zurich varves are so regular and obvious:

“We do not intend to make an unwarranted generalization that no varves are deposits of annual cycles. Figure 4 shows varves from the mesotropic Lake Zurich... [reference omitted] where the light laminae represent chemical sedimentation prevailing during summers and the darker laminae detrital sedimentation during winters. A comparison of those varves with the non-annual varves of the oligotrophic Walensee shows that annual rhythms of Lake Zurich varves are more regular, while the irregularity of the Walensee 'varves' reflects the unpredictability of the weather.” [my emphasis]

The varves from Lake Zurich represent seasonal sediment settling in a quiet lake, whereas the rhythmites in Lake Walensee have an entirely different origin that resulted from periodic turbidity underflows produced from snow melts, heavy rains, and local flooding of the Linth River, especially in 1944 (Lambert and Hsü 1979).

In my 1999 essay, I discussed this important information from Lambert and Hsü (1979) that Oard (1997, p. 59) ignored:

“Both Oard ([1997], p. 59) and YEC Austin (1994, p. 38) misuse Lambert and Hsu (1979) in an attempt to undermine the existence of varves. Lambert and Hsu (1979) report that 300 to 360 sediment couplets ('varves') were deposited in only 160 years in Lake Walenstadt (Walensee), Switzerland. Oard ([1997], p. 59) and Austin (1994, p. 38) then ignore crucial statements in Lambert and Hsu (1979, p. 460) to create the false impression that Lambert and Hsu (1979) are denying the existence of any varves. In reality, Lambert and Hsu (1979, p. 460) clearly state that varves with real annual layering do exist and they cite Lake Zurich as an example. In Figure 4 in Lambert and Hsu (1979, p. 460), photographs are compared of the faint layering of the Walensee false varves to the stark and very sharp real varves from Lake Zurich. The differences between the real and false varves in Figure 4 of Lambert and Hsu (1979) are obvious to anyone.”

While mentioning the contents of my 1999 essay and Figure 4 of Lambert and Hsü (1979), Oard (2009b, p. 141) speculates that the annual varves of Lake Walensee are just as faint as its non-annual rhythmites. This may be true in the case of Lake Walensee because of the input of irregular sediments from storms and flooding. However, Mr. Oard, what would prevent a geologist from discarding the Lake Walensee cores with their faint and more irregular rhythmites, and instead verifying the depositional history of Swiss Alps lakes with the clear-cut varves in the Lake Zurich sediments?

Without presenting any evidence, Oard (2009b, p. 141) unjustly speculates that the photograph of the Lake Zurich varves in Figure 4 of Lambert and Hsü (1979) “may simply represent a well-behaved interval.” However, Von Gunten et al. (1997), Erten et al. (1985) and their references also discuss the varves of Lake Zurich and do not support Mr. Oard's groundless insinuations that the number of authentic varves in the Lake Zurich sediments is insignificant. Lambert and Hsü (1979, p. 457) also failed to detect any turbidity underflows in Lake Zurich, which could produce non-annual rhythmites. As usual, Oard (1997, p. 59) ignores critical information from the literature that refutes his YEC agenda and, after being caught for failing to tell the entire truth about Lambert and Hsü (1979), Oard (2009b, p. 141) grasps at any groundless speculation to defame the data from Lake Zurich.

References

Austin, S. A. (ed.). 1994. Grand Canyon: Monument to Catastrophe, Institute for Creation Research, Santee, CA, 92071.

Erten, H.N., H.R. von Gunten, E. Rössler, and M. Strum. 1985. “Dating of Sediments from Lake Zurich (Switzerland) with ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs”, Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Hydrologie (Swiss Journal of Hydrology), v. 47, n. 1, pp. 5-11.

Lambert, A. and K. Hsü. 1979. “Non-Annual Cycles of Varve-like Sedimentation in Walensee, Switzerland,” Sedimentology, v. 26, pp. 453-461.

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

Oard, M.J. 2009b. “Do Varves Contradict Biblical History?”, chapter 8 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. 125-148.

Von Gunten, H.R., M. Sturm, and R.N. Moser. 1997. “200-year Record of Metals in Lake Sediments and Natural Background Concentrations”, Environmental Science & Technology, v. 31, pp. 2193-2197.