Posted on January 25, 2014
Deep Earthquakes, Part 1
For the past couple of weeks we have been talking about some of the basics of plate tectonics and how this theory relates to the world wide flood mentioned in the Bible. One of the most important concepts in plate tectonics is subduction – where one “plate” of earth’s surface rock sinks below another plate. We are talking about enormous chunks of rock here. Which, of course made me (and perhaps you too) wonder what kind of forces would drive such a breath-taking, huge system of sinking rocks and how it all got started.
In my first geology course, I learned that there are three main forces that drive plate tectonics –slab pull, ridge push, and convection. If the engine of a train goes over a cliff, the weight of the engine will end up pulling the other cars and eventually the caboose over the cliff with it. The same kind of physics applies for slab pull, the strongest force driving plate tectonics – the edge of the plate has already been subducted, so its weight helps pull the rest of the plate down with it. Ridge push is the force of plate #1 riding over plate #2, pushing it down. Convection is the heat that moves the asthenosphere, like a boiling pot of water, underneath the plates working almost like a conveyer belt.
Recently, a very intense and interesting earth quake happened about 950 miles north of Japan below the Sea of Okhotsk. This is an area where the Pacific Ocean plate is getting subducted under another plate. This earthquake was an 8.3 on the Richter scale (a measure of how intense an earthquake was, the highest possible is 10.0), but this wasn’t the only thing that made it interesting to scientists who study earthquakes and plate tectonics.
This earthquake is being called the deepest earthquake ever recorded. It’s power shook what scientists call the “mantel transition zone” (between 250 and 450 miles below earth’s surface), which normally does not get shook up by earthquakes because of the intense pressure of all the rock on top of it. This earthquake also moved very fast, at a speed of nearly 10,000 miles per hour. Next week we will discuss this earthquake more and how it relates to the global flood.
Reference for specific information on earthquake: Clarey, Tim. (2014, January). Runaway Subduction and Deep Catastropic Earthquakes. Acts & Facts 43(1), 18-19. Institute for Creation Research. Dallas, TX.
Great website you have here but I was wanting to know if
you knew of any community forums that cover the same
topics talked about in this article? I’d really like to be a part of online community
where I can get advice from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest.
If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Thank you!
Thanks! Yes, I do know of several other online creation science communities/bloggers. There is an online forum called “Creation Conversations” (creationconversations.com) that has a great variety of intellectual exchange among creationists. Some of my favorite blogs are Dr. Jason Lisle’s (www.jasonlisle.com), Cheri Field’s (www.creationscience4kids.com), and Jacob Howard’s (www.alreadyanswered.com). Some of the best information I’ve found are through Answers in Genesis (www.answersingeneis.com), the Institute for Creation Research (www.icr.org), and Creation Ministries International (www.creation.com). There are also a bunch of really great small creationist organizations/museums you might enjoy, such as Mt. Blanco, Canyon Ministries, the Creation Adventures Museum, and others all around the country. One of the best places to find an organization like this is at http://www.LetCreationSing.org. I’d encourage you to go to some of these places and meet some of these creationists and see their things face-to-face. Hope this was helpful – may God continue to bless you as you learn more about His world and how the rocks cry out His glory.