Fountains of the great deep on Mars?
by Carl Wieland
Published: 13 January 2009(GMT+10)
Image NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
In recent decades, unmanned planetary rover missions have sent back more and more
photographs and other data from the mysterious ‘red planet’. Each time,
it seems, most researchers are increasingly convinced that water caused the surface
features of Mars. In fact, they have often proposed massive planetary-scale flooding.
One imagined ‘epoch’ in Mars’ geological past, which is said to
have coincided towards the end of that era with extensive flooding by water, is
called the Noachian Epoch. An associated large southern landmass on the planet has
been named Noachis Terra, or “Land of Noah”.
Whether or not these reconstructions of the geological history of Mars are accurate,
it has always been particularly ironic to creationists. I.e. secular researchers
have no problem accepting a global or near-global flood or floods on Mars, despite
not having found a drop of liquid water anywhere on Mars to date (and even before
there was any ice found). But a global Flood on Earth, a planet that is mostly covered
by water? No way! How could that be? “Where is all the water for such a flood?”,
they mockingly ask, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they are standing on a
planet that is mostly covered by water.
Ask what happened to the water for the massive flooding on Mars, and there is no
shortage of theories. It might have been locked up beneath the surface, then come
out and since evaporated, dissipating to space. Or perhaps it has gone back down
there again. Or both.
‘Where is all the water for such a flood?’, they mockingly say, [while]
standing on a planet that is mostly covered by water.
“Ah, you mean, like fountains of the great deep on Mars?”
“Yes, you could call it something like that.”
“So could that have happened here on Earth, like it says here in Genesis?”
“Whaat? No way!”
All the fountains of the great deep broke up …
Adding to the irony is a recent news release on analysis of images from the Mars
Express. It claims that deposits called LTDs, which most closely resemble Earth
sediments, were formed “when large amounts of groundwater burst on to the
surface”.1
And now, in addition, comes a claim of still more frozen water on Mars—from
the well-regarded journal Science (322, p.1235, 21 November
2008). Ground-penetrating radar on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests
the presence of “vast Martian glaciers of water ice”.2 To date, the only ice found on Mars has been at
polar latitudes. The report suggests that because the ice exists “under protective
blankets of rocky debris” this has prevented it from evaporating into outer
space. True, there still has been no liquid water found on the red planet, but these
‘blanketed’ storehouses of ice are huge. Added to the water at higher
latitudes,3 it would probably
represent enough water to cover the entire planet to some 20 cms in depth. And remember
that they think this is the remnant of water that has not yet dissipated into space—either
because it is at high (cooler) latitudes or protected under insulating layers of
dust and rock.
Water, water, everywhere …
Image NASA/JPL
Mars Global Surveyor orbiting Mars in 1997.
On top of this are other recent discoveries suggesting a huge reservoir of subsurface
water on Saturn’s moon Titan.4
The same article points out how there are now three other Solar System objects suspected
of having huge, deep oceans—the moons called Ganymede, Callisto and Europa.
“Fountains of the great deep” are not a problem, it seems—anywhere
but on Earth which is two-thirds covered with water. In fact, there is so much water
in Earth’s oceans alone that if its surface features were smoothed out, the
water would cover the planet to a depth of about 3 km (1.8 miles). Furthermore,
seismic studies suggest that beneath the surface, in one form or another, there
is still sufficient water to fill Earth’s oceans more than ten times over
again.5
But then, the Apostle Peter wrote long ago of “scoffers” who would be
“willingly ignorant” of the fact that “long ago by God’s
word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By
these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.” (2 Peter 3:3–6)
Postscript: One hardly hears anything about Mars’ polar icecaps
anymore—perhaps because these have been progressively shrinking, a politically
incorrect fact. Why so? Because on Mars, any ‘global warming’ can’t
be due to human activity. If Earth and Mars are both warming, it would tend to point
the finger more at increased solar activity.6
Related articles
Recommended Resources
References
- ‘Groundwater Springs Played Important Role In Shaping
Mars, Perhaps Sheltering Primitive Life’, Sciencedaily.com, 12 December 2008.Return to text.
- See
www.utexas.edu/news/2008/11/20/mars_glaciers. Return to text.
- The polar icecaps have long been said to be composed of carbon
dioxide (‘dry ice’). Return to text.
- See
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7307584.stm. Return to text.
- See ‘Drowned from below’
creation.com/article/246. Return to text.
- See
news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070228-mars-warming.html. For CMI’s
general approach to this debate, see
creation.com/article/4817. Return to text.
| Anthony P said “Thanks for your … website, it’s really easy to navigate and it is a massive bonus to be able to read back-issues of your magazines … without your ministry I probably wouldn’t be a Christian today. Thank you so much and keep up the good work.” So help us do just that!  | | |
|
