How Many Ice Ages Were There?

by Laurence D Smart B.Sc.Agr., Dip.Ed., Grad.Dip.Ed

Email: laurence@unmaskingevolution.com

Webpage: www.unmaskingevolution.com

[Free to print and distribute. Copy must be in full.]

 

Definition: "A period of time in the Earth's history when ice sheets and glaciers advanced from polar regions to cover areas previously of temperate climate. Several ice ages are evident in the geological record, the most recent ('The Ice Age') being from about 1 million years ago and lasting until about 10 000 years ago, when the ice retreated to its present polar extent." (Taken From: Webster's World Encyclopedia - 1997. Copyright Webster Publishing, and/or contributors.)

"The Ice Ages are generally seen as a time of glaciers, mainly because this is the Northern Hemisphere experience. In the Southern Hemisphere, the Ice Ages saw much smaller glaciers, and the main effect was for the weather to be cooler, and very much drier.

Nobody is really certain what causes an ice age to start, but one possibility is increased dust in the atmosphere, either from a volcano, or from a large meteorite impact. This dust would then increase the world's albedo, cooling it down, and causing more snow and ice to form, increasing the earth's albedo still further.

The main problem with this theory is that we do not know what would then cause the Ice Age to finish. Maybe dead organic material, trapped under the ice, breaks down to form methane, or ocean currents switch, warming and melting the ice, or maybe it is something completely different.

Between the 17th century and the late 19th century, the world went through a 'Little Ice Age', when temperatures were cool enough for significant glacier advances. This may have been caused by lower solar activity, or any of a range of other astronomical effects. Popular candidates for possible causes include slight changes in the earth's orbit, wobbles and precessions in the earth's spin, and maybe even the earth passing through clouds of stellar dust." (Written by Peter Macinnis - Taken From: Webster's World Encyclopedia - 1997. Copyright Webster Publishing, and/or contributors.)

Ice ages were first proposed by the Swiss-born creationist and naturalist Louis Agassiz (1807-73). There is a myth that ice ages covered the whole earth in ice. The theory says they only covered as much as 30%. The theoretical extent of these ice sheets during the ice age 1.5 mya is shown in white on the map below.

 

(White area = maximum glacial extent 1.5 million years ago in the Pleistocene Epoch - Microsoft Encarta)

Ice ages are said to have occurred every 150 million years, and last for at least 1 million years. According to the ice age theory, our current warm period will end with the beginning of another cold phase in 23,000 years time.

Geologists claim that there have been 5 major ice ages.

Starting Age

[million years ago]

Geologic Period

1,700 to 2,300 mya

the middle of the Huronian Era in Precambrian time

670 mya

the end of the Proterozoic Era, in Precambrian time

420 mya

the middle of the Paleozoic Era, between the Ordovician and Silurian Periods

290 mya

the late Carboniferous and early Permian Periods, late in the Paleozoic Era

1.7 mya

the Pleistocene Epoch of the Quaternary Period (Cenozoic Era)

 

During ice ages the boundary of the ice sheet is hypothesised to spread and contract in cycles. These cycles are called glacials and interglacials, and are said to last about 100,000 years. The phases for The Ice Age are in the table below.

 

 Approximate

Ending

(years ago)

North

American

Stages

Northern

European

Stages

Central

European

Stages

10,000

Late Wisconsin

Weichselian

Wurm

Interstadials

Mid Wisconsin

Eemian

R-W

45,000

Early Wisconsin

Saalian

Riss

Interglacial

Sangomonian

Holsteinian

M-R

125,000

Illinoian

Elsterian

Mindel

Interglacial

Yarmouth

Cromerian

G-M

690,000

Kansan

Menapian

Gunz

Interglacial

Aftonian

Waalian

D-G

1,600,000

Nebraskan

Eburonian

Danube

(source - Grolier Encyclopedia, Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc. 1993)

The cause of ice ages is still a controversy. Milankovitch's theory of cycles in the earth's orbit is said to closely predict the existence of ancient ice ages, but it doesn't account for the timing of the recent glacial/interglacial cycles.

Evidence for the ancient ice ages is primarily provided by the existence of layers of tillite. This is a rock consisting of debris and boulders, which often rest on a grooved and polished bedrock pavement. Other evidence pointing to ice ages come from ice core drills and sea-floor sediment.

Creationists believe that there was only one short ice age that formed as a consequence of the Great Flood. This resulted from changes in the atmosphere (especially clouds), plus a blanket of dust particles which was caused by the massive volcanic activity that occurred during the flood.

The evidences that supports a single, short ice age are:-

Scientific research in 1996 has shown that the debris (tillite) and scoring used as proof of glaciation can also be satisfactorily explained as the result of submarine mass flow and other processes. (see P.A. Jensen & E. Wulff-Pedersen "Glacial and Non-glacial Origin for the Bigganjargga Tillite, Finnmark, Northern Norway", Geological Magazine, Vol. 133, No. 2, 1996 p:137-145)

A 1993 re-examination of the data from worldwide ice core samples has revealed that The Ice Age may have lasted only a very short time. (see L. Vardiman "Ice Cores and The Age of the Earth", Institute for Creation Research: San Diego (USA) 1993)

A 1996 analysis of research on sea-floor sediment has developed an analytical model revealing that the sediment could have accumulated rapidly. ( see L. Vardiman "Sea-Floor Sediment and The Age of the Earth", Institute for Creation Research: San Diego (USA) 1996)

A 1996 analysis of ice core samples from a Greenland ice sheet has revealed massive volcanism over the ice age period. (see G.A. Zielinski, et al "A 100,000-yr Record of Explosive Volcanism from GISP2 (Greenland) Ice Core", Quaternary Research, Vol. 15, 1996 p:109-118)

 

USEFUL REFERENCES

 (1) Ken Ham, et al "The Answers Book", Creation Science Foundation Ltd: Sunny bank (Qld), 1990 p:77-87

 (2) Ian T. Taylor "In the Minds of Men: Darwin and the New World Order" (3rd ed.), TFE Publishing: Toronto (Canada), 1991 p:95-100

 (3) M. Molén "Diamictites: Ice-ages or Gravity Flows", in "Proceedings of the Second International Conference n Creationism", Vol. II, (R.E. Walsh ed.), Creation Science Fellowship: Pittsburg (USA), 1990, p:177-190

 (4) M.J. Oard "Ancient Ice Ages or Gigantic Submarine Landslides", Creation Research Society Books (in press)

 (5) M.J. Oard "An Ice Age Caused by the Genesis Flood", Institute for Creation Research: San Diego (USA) 1990

 (6) M.J. Oard "A Classic Tillite Reclassified as a Submarine Debris Flow" CEN Technical Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1 1997 p:7

 (7) M.J. Oard "Submarine Mass Flow Deposition of Pre-Pleistocene 'Ice Age' Deposits", in "Proceedings of the Third International Conference n Creationism", (R.E. Walsh ed.), Creation Science Fellowship: Pittsburg (USA), 1994, p:407-418

 (8) S.A. Austin & K.P. Wise "The Pre-Flood/Flood Boundary as Defined in Grand Canyon, Arizona and Eastern Mojave Desert", in "Proceedings of the Third International Conference n Creationism", (R.E. Walsh ed.), Creation Science Fellowship: Pittsburg (USA), 1994, p:37-47

 (9) L. Vardiman "Rapid Changes in Oxygen Isotope Content of Ice Cores Caused by Fractionation and Trajectory Dispersion Near the Edge of an Ice Shelf", CEN Technical Journal, Vol. 11, No. 1 1997 p:52-60

 (10) L. Vardiman "Sea-Floor Sediment and The Age of the Earth", Institute for Creation Research: San Diego (USA) 1996

 (11) L. Vardiman "Ice Cores and The Age of the Earth", Institute for Creation Research: San Diego (USA) 1993