Seafloor Sediment Research: Exciting Results! | The Institute for Creation Research

Seafloor Sediment Research: Exciting Results!

Regular Acts & Facts readers may be aware that I have hinted at upcoming results from my research on deep seafloor sediments.1 Now I am pleased to share some preliminary results with you.

Uniformitarian scientists believe that there have been about 50 ice ages within the last 2.6 million years of alleged “prehistory.” They believe that slow changes in Earth’s orbital and rotational motions regulate the timing of these ice ages. This theory is called the astronomical, or Milankovitch, ice age theory. Uniformitarian scientists generally assume the Milankovitch theory is correct and use it to assign ages to seafloor sediments with a method called orbital tuning. They then use these ages to date the deep ice cores. My previous research focused on the fact that these age assignments involve a good deal of apparent circular reasoning, since ages in cores are often tied to ages in other cores.2

Yet, this method is only truly circular if the evidence for the Milankovitch theory is either weak or nonexistent. Although there are serious problems with the Milankovitch theory, uniformitarian scientists claim that an iconic 1976 paper provided strong evidence for the theory.3, 4 In the paper, analysis of data from two Indian Ocean sediment cores yielded results consistent with Milankovitch expectations. The authors concluded that Earth’s orbital motions acted as a climate pacemaker that regulated the timing of ice ages.

However, this 1976 “Pacemaker” paper has serious problems. For instance, the authors excluded nearly a third of the data from the second sediment core, probably needlessly. Likewise, an assumed age of 700,000 years for the most recent magnetic reversal played a key role in the Pacemaker paper. Yet uniformitarian scientists now claim that this reversal happened 780,000 years ago. This age revision is extremely problematic for the paper’s results.

I have reproduced results, which I hope to soon publish, from the first part of the Pacemaker paper, using reconstructed data and the same method as the paper’s authors.

However, the final phase of my research is to explore the effects that these changes (inclusive of the first third of the data from the second core and an age change from 700,000 to 780,000 years) have on the paper’s results. Preliminary analysis indicates that they will not be encouraging for Milankovitch believers—even if one accepts, for the sake of argument, the claim that the sediments are hundreds of thousands of years old!

The Milankovitch theory plays an important role in uniformitarian dating methods. Demonstrating that there is no sound logical basis for orbital tuning could call into question hundreds, perhaps thousands, of uniformitarian age assignments. Likewise, the Milankovitch theory may be making a subtle contribution to global warming alarmism, so this research has the potential to bring some perspective to this controversial topic.

I continue to find problems with this Pacemaker paper. Lord willing, I will publish these results in a series of future Impact articles. For those who can’t wait that long, my first paper may be freely read on the Internet.5 Although it is technical, I kept the mathematics to a minimum and took pains to explain the necessary background material so that non-specialists may get the gist of the argument.

References

  1. Hebert, J. 2015. Seafloor Sediment Research Continues. Acts & Facts. 44 (11): 9.
  2. Hebert, J. 2016. Deep Core Dating and Circular Reasoning. Acts & Facts. 45 (3): 9-11.
  3. Oard, M. J. 2007. Astronomical troubles for the astronomical hypothesis of ice ages. Journal of Creation. 21 (3): 19-23.
  4. Hays, J. D., J. Imbrie, and N. J. Shackleton. 1976. Variations in the Earth’s Orbit: Pacemaker of the Ice Ages. Science. 194 (4270): 1121-1132.
  5. Hebert, J. 2016. Should the “Pacemaker of the Ice Ages” Paper Be Retracted? Part 1. Answers Research Journal. 9: 25-56.

* Dr. Hebert is Research Associate at the Institute for Creation Research and earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Cite this article: Jake Hebert, Ph.D. 2016. Seafloor Sediment Research: Exciting Results!. Acts & Facts. 45 (6).

The Latest
CREATION PODCAST
Defending the Faith with a Rocket Scientist | Creation.Live Podcast:...
How do engineering principles, biological complexity, and a solid understanding of apologetics work together to further the cause of Christ? Why...

NEWS
Aerobic and Anaerobic Hot Spring Bacteria
God designed a domain of prokaryotes called Archaea that thrive in harsh and extreme environments. In 1969, two microbiologists, Thomas Brock and Hudson...

CREATION PODCAST
The Soulless Hominid Theory: A Fatal Flaw in Old Earth Creationism...
Welcome to the second episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit...

NEWS
Humpback Whale Calls Echo Creation
There is nothing simple about the system of communication called language, whether animal or human.1 Human language is a very sophisticated...

NEWS
Mary Parker, Creation Ministry Partner of Dr. Gary Parker, Is...
Mary Parker, the wife and co-laborer of Dr. Gary Parker, went home to be with her Lord on March 20, 2025. Dr. Parker was a popular and effective...

NEWS
Plants Rely on Quantum Mechanics
Scientists will probably never fully understand photosynthesis as additional research uncovers even more fascinating mysteries.1,2 ICR’s...

NEWS
Martian Polar Ice Cap ''Surprisingly Young''?
A team of German planetary scientists has concluded that a three-kilometer-thick northern polar ice cap on Mars has a “surprisingly young”...

NEWS
''Blood Worm Moon'' Total Lunar Eclipse 2025
Barring cloud cover, about 75% of the country saw the total lunar eclipse, aka the “Blood Worm Moon.” Texas had good weather conditions...

NEWS
Jupiter: The Mighty Guardian of Earth
NASA’s Juno spacecraft recently unveiled breathtaking images of Jupiter during its 66th flyby of the colossal planet. Juno has been exploring...

CREATION PODCAST
Glacial Archives: Mysteries Hidden Beneath the Ice | The Creation...
Welcome to the first episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...