Kontekstualisering: geologiese tydskaal en preservering van die fossielrekord

Abstract

Contextualising: geological time scale and preserving of the fossil record

Our point of departure is that the universe came into existence 13 000 million years ago as a result of a big bang. The earth formed in the known galactic system 4 600 million years ago. The concept of geological time and its measurement changed during the course of the history of man. In the 18th century, some natural scientists formed the view that the earth was very old, although it was not possible to determine the absolute age of the earth before the discovery of radioactivity (1896) and its application in the dating of rocks (1905). The principle of uniformity (the present is the key to the past) of James Hutton (1726-1797) is replaced in modern geology with the constancy of natural laws and uniform processes, while acknowledging that the rates of processes may vary considerably. It is also acknowledged that natural catastrophic occurrences, like meteorite impacts and earthquakes, can occur and that they are ordinary geological processes.

Since the 17th century geologists in Europe and Britain, and later North America found that they could determine the relative ages of rock successions and could compare the rock successions over long distances, by applying stratigraphic principles. The result of this research was the geological timescale, as well as a description of the broad history of life on earth. This geological timescale was already completed at the end of the 1830s. This completion happened more or less 55 years before the publication of Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection in 1895. By using radiometric dating, it became possible to assign absolute ages to the different Periods of the geological timescale. That provided a good test for the reliability of the principles applied when the timescale was compiled. Nowhere were any contradictions found between the relative ages of Periods in the timescale and their absolute ages. The geological timescale is not invalidated by limitations in the application of radiometric dating, because the timescale is based on relative age and fossil content.

The concept of deep space is readily accepted by Christians, but not the concept of deep time. It is important to remember that deep space and deep time are scientific concepts; findings, theories and concepts that may change when new knowledge is gained. Our faith, however, is not subject to scientific theories. We steadfastly stand by what we know and believe: God is the Creator and Sustainer of everything – of the whole universe. Scientific findings serve to bring us a deeper awareness of God’s omnipotence.