Dr. Churnet,

I thought that "the present was the key to the past" and that there is
evidence in the geologic record of periods of significantly greater
volcanic activity worldwide.  Is it impossible that large sedimentary
rock formations could be formed during such periods?

Even if this not the scenario under which Lookout Mountain itself was
actually formed, the bigger point in all of this is that 30 millions
years is not "required" to explain 300 meters of sedimentary rock.
There are alternate accumulation rates, other than 1 cm per 1000 years,
that are backed up by observation and have been reported in
NON-creationist peer-reviewed literature.

Catastrophic events such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, tsunamis and
hurricanes occur frequently in the present.  Is it reasonable to exclude
their profound effects when interpreting the past?  Assuming a rate of
sedementation that is roughly linear and constant may not treat the
problem appropriately.

The results are only as good as the assumptions.

I have tried to make this point as clear as possible.  Hope this helps.
I'm going back to work now.

Stephen

Habte Giorgis wrote:

> Dr. Nichols,
> Thanks for clarity of the following reply. What has any of it got to
> do with sedimentation rates of Lookout Mountains strata? Please do
> not tell us that it has any relevance to an estimation of rate of
> sedimentation of Lookout Mountain strata.
>
> HG.
>
>> Dr. Churnet,
>>
>> Observation #1: The volcanic eruption of Mt. St. Helens caused a mud
>> flow that was observed to form 762 cm of stratified sediment.
>> Observation #2:  In laboratory experiments, water flow laid down and
>> sorted heterogeneous sand mixtures into multiple strata similar to
>> that seen in sedimentary rock formations.
>> Observation #3:  Sandstone and limestone type sedimentary rocks have
>> been observed to form in a timespan ranging from 5-78 years.
>>
>> Conclusion: It is possible for multiple centimeters of sedimentary
>> strata to accumulate and lithify in short periods of time.
>>
>> I'm sorry for any confusion.
>>
>> Stephen
>>