Geology of Greece (eBook)

Uniformity or Catastrophe?

Joseph O'Donoghue (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
396 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-2219-6 (ISBN)

Infos

Dive into the captivating world of The Geology of Greece, the second volume in The Legend of Atlantis and the Science of Geology series. Uncover the ancient catastrophe's impact on Greece and the Aegean Sea, challenging established academic theories with a thought-provoking exploration of geological evidence and the laws of physics.

The author graduated from University College Cork, Ireland, in 1986 with a Batchelor's degree in geology and began his career as a professional geologist working on water resources and environmental geology in both Ireland and the United States. Finding that the work of a geologist did not really appeal to him, he left the field and pursued his keen interest in the science of geology independently. His interest in natural history was matched only by his interest in ancient archaeology, and the intersection of the two. Driven by a primary interest in the enigma of the Ice Age, the author embarked on a quest to solve what is probably the greatest mystery in geology, undeterred by the many decades of prior and futile efforts that had preceded his. Growing up near formerly glaciated landscapes in Ireland, and living among them in the Northeastern United States, he became very familiar with the evidence the Ice Age left behind. Careful observation, an eye for detail, and an open mind enabled the author to achieve insights previously missed or obscured by an excessive adherence to traditional, gradualistic academic dogma. His review of the geological sciences extended back to the early years of the science and to a time when catastrophism was the dominant view of earth history. The question the author attempts to answer, therefore, is whether modern-day gradualist uniformitarianism is correct or whether some form of catastrophism holds the better answer. And, after thirty years of study, the author considers the latter to be much more the correct. The author's approach to his critical analysis of the Atlantis legend and the science of geology is based solely on the evidence and underpinned by the laws of physics, and, using much scientific evidence and those laws of physics, this series seeks to demonstrate that the geological history of this world may well be very different to what orthodox academic geology says it is, and that lost Atlantis may indeed be a reality.

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Embark on an enlightening journey with The Geology of Greece, the second installment in The Legend of Atlantis and The Science of Geology series. In this compelling volume, which forms the second part of the foundational two-book set that inaugurates the series, the focus turns once again to Atlantis, continuing the insightful investigation initiated in volume 1. This volume begins with the Egyptian priest's account of ancient Greece and the great catastrophe's effect on it. It then proceeds, over the remainder of the book, to closely examine all relevant geological evidence. Taking the priest's narrative as a starting point, the book delves into all aspects of the geology of Greece and the Aegean region. The priest's account, in fact, serves as a springboard for the comparison of the actual geological evidence with the contemporary academic scientific interpretations of it. The pages of this volume resonate with the clash between the uniformitarian doctrines of the Lyellian camp of 19th century British geologists, and the catastrophism of the original founders of the science. Intriguingly, Greece and the Aegean emerge as as a living laboratory, challenging existing geological paradigms to their core. The author expertly navigates through the evidence, comparing what that evidence clearly indicates with the prevailing uniformitarian theories. The reader is led to question whether the established doctrines can convincingly account for the evidence or if the priest's catastrophe offers a more cogent explanation. The unerring guides in this exploration are the unbreakable laws of physics, simple logic and our own everyday experience. The narrative unfolds to demonstrate the inadequacy of conventional academic theories, paving the way for the revolutionary assertion that catastrophic events hold the key to deciphering the Greek geological puzzle. A detailed synthesis of research and analysis culminates in a compelling revelation: that the very fabric of the Earth's history bears the indelible marks of cataclysmic upheaval.

Textauszug

INTRODUCTION

AS STATED IN THE SERIES INTRODUCTION, THESE first two volumes focus on matters pertaining in any way to the legend of Atlantis. In this second volume, we focus on the other region the Egyptian priest gives us some geological information about, i.e., Greece and the Aegean, which he describes in the context of Atlantis and its destruction. We are, of course, interested to see if the recent geological history of the Greek/Aegean region reflects incremental uniformitarianism, as we’re led to believe, or the old priest’s rather more dramatic narrative of events.

Having taken a close look at Plato’s Atlantis legend itself in volume 1, and from as many angles as could possibly have something to offer, including the geological and astronomical, we should, by now, have a good idea of what it actually says, at least about everything except Greece and the Aegean. We have heard from many of the parties involved, both ancient and modern, including those with one or another axe to grind, most of whom hail from academia, and most of whom condemn the legend as fiction, and its author as an imaginative poet, or worse.

At the same time, we saw that there are still some well-established academics who hesitate to dismiss the legend out of hand, and feel that there may be an historical fact or two lurking in the background. While they are certainly a small minority, these few academics do signify that not all scholars studiously toe the line of orthodoxy. This gives us some modicum of hope, at least.

We spent a good deal of time on the newly created subdiscipline of geomythology and its treatment of Atlantis and other myths. We saw that the approach taken by these academics was little different from any academic anywhere. Most demonstrated disinterest, or perhaps evasion, when it came to giving any myth a proper scientific treatment. This was unsurprising, considering the reluctance of academic geologists to challenge any of the dearly held theories of the uniformitarian establishment, as Berger, for example, made clear. As he suggested, perhaps it’s time for some Chinese scientists or physicists to get involved.

In this volume, we will have no hesitation at all in challenging the theories of uniformitarianism, and we will often use physics to do so, while we may meet the odd Chinese scientist also. Since the priest gives us a good deal of geological information about ancient Greece (Athens) we will now use that to conduct a geological “test,” shall we say, of Plato’s legend, which we could also call his “geological theory.” As we saw from Dorothy Vitaliano, in chapter 8 of volume 1, there is little difference between a geological theory and an etiological myth, and hence, Plato’s legend is, in essence, an etiological myth concerning the formation of the present-day world.

The priest describes the country in both a general way, as regards its overall size, shape and topography, and also in a more detailed way, pertaining to its soils, sediments, plants, and climate. More importantly, the priest also presents a description of the catastrophe’s effects on Greece, simultaneous with the destruction of Atlantis out in the Atlantic.

We have, therefore, quite a lot to work with, especially as compared to some of the legends we examined in volume 1. Still, our examination of those legends showed that some do provide quite a lot of information—much of it unaddressed by academic geomythologists, who clearly hadn’t much interest in “elucidating” the nature of the geological events that gave rise to those legends. However, we saw that a simple comparison of one or two legends with the geological evidence suggested that those legends were quite likely valid reports of actual events. This volume is essentially a massively expanded version of that comparison process.

The reader will, of course, understand that much of what I say in this book contradicts the uniformitarian explanation, and much else is considered complete heresy. However, the whole point is to test uniformitarianism, so it can’t be helped if the results of the experiment are not to academia’s liking—I’m just following the science, as academics themselves say, and I can’t help where it leads, as they also say.

We begin with a look at the structure of Greece and the Aegean, both being a single landmass, in reality; it is just that some of it, the Aegean area, is now underwater. We know that the region experiences occasional earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the present day, and hence is still somewhat active. And here, the first issue arises.

The question is whether this is an actual ongoing process, which has always been occurring at the present rate, or is it merely a newly-initiated process, or, indeed, perhaps it is the fading effect of a much more violent event in the past. This is the first conflict with uniformitarianism, which claims simple and always ongoing continuity. We will see, however, that the Greek evidence indicates past events of a much more violent nature, occurring widely and rapidly, and, indeed, quite recently.

As we move on, we see that past and present geologists interpreted each category of evidence according to the prevailing dogma of the day. Hence, we have an excellent opportunity here to test the evidence against both uniformitarianism and what the priest said of the catastrophe that overwhelmed Greece, as well as Atlantis. This means that everything geologists say about Greece should be reflected in the evidence, and all that evidence should be easily and directly explainable by reference to one or another uniformitarian process currently operating on, or in, Greece, or known, with certainty, to have operated there in the past.

The Great Ice Age is the prime example, and we’ll examine that evidence in particular. I must remind the reader here that the Ice Age is not a uniformitarian process; no ice age is ongoing today. And the polar ice caps of today do not represent an ongoing “ice age” at the poles, as some geologists have claimed. Those ice caps merely represent normality.

Rivers, river valleys, and wave action at the coasts are other major subjects of our study, as these are heavily involved in shaping the surface and topography of the country from an erosional point of view. This erosion naturally results in deposition in various other places, filling up hollows, valleys and basins, etc., as well as comprising near-shore deposits such as beaches and estuarine/delta infill.

There are also some rather widespread deposits that are hard to account for. The mountains and valleys, the rivers and lakes, and the soils and sediments of Greece can tell us much about its recent history. Examining all this evidence, we can compare it with what the priest says, and here we also have an early opportunity to examine and assess certain geological theories and principles, to see how they hold up under some critical analysis and field testing.

Greece is particularly famous for its fossil deposits, considered to have accumulated in the last 5 or 10 million years (my), or so. These fossil deposits are mostly composed of the types of fauna that went extinct at the end of the Ice Age, as well as long before it, according to orthodoxy. This will be our first meeting with the megafauna of Greece, and we can be certain that hordes of American Indians at no time swept down from Siberia to run amok among the elephants.

Nevertheless, that Greek megafauna is just as dead as the American one. Furthermore, just as problematic to explain is all the fossil plant life found on Greece, mostly in the form of lignites (brown coal) composed of shredded trees and other detritus, and, indeed, what looks like the remains of entire forests.

The old Egyptian priest discusses Athens and the Acropolis, and the damage suffered during the catastrophe. Here we have the opportunity to directly compare the priest’s tale with the evidence on the ground, and we’ll find uniformitarianism seriously wanting. The evidence clearly indicates catastrophe and violent flooding, and that evidence is all lying scattered about the vicinity of Athens, in the basins and on the plains and hills surrounding the city.

We can tie much of this evidence directly to the Acropolis and its present condition, noting that this evidence is the same as that found all over Greece. Moreover, the same evidence is found on the islands of the Aegean, including Crete, and we’ll see that the same essential cause was also responsible for the evidence found in the basins of the Aegean.

Considering the subject and aim of this series, and not to mention volume 1, it will probably not be a surprise to the reader to find that an analysis of this evidence will leave me with little option but to conclude that major flooding was involved. Having presented my sound scientific reasons why, we’ll then see if we can trace the origin and direction of these floods, from the patterns, deposits, and landforms that evidence has impressed, or left, on the landscape. We will also get an idea of the floods’ approximate magnitude.

It may, however, actually be a surprise to the reader to hear that orthodox geology agrees that the Greek region has suffered from a number of major flood events, very much in apparent contradiction of their own uniformitarianism. They even have names for some of them.

We then briefly examine the nature of ancient Greek legends of floods to the extent that we are able,...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 18.4.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-2219-6 / 9798350922196