Science, Biblical and anti-Biblical, recognizes that there was a period of time in the distant past when the earth was barren. How long ago and how long it lasted is a matter of conjecture...unless one accepts the Biblical record. But out in California, almost as far west as one can go, there stand beautiful monuments to the past-the redwoods: monuments that were seedlings when Noah was laid to rest; saplings when the tower of Babylon was deserted; stalwart young giants when David downed his giant. And when
the tree on which Christ was hung lost its life, there on the shores and mountain sides of California, those same redwoods were "lifting leafy arms to pray." They still stand there, those
California redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens and Sequoiadendron giganteum.
If there is nothing extrinsic that can destroy trees and, if the giant sequoia is extremely resistant to insects, disease and fire, why are there no giant sequois much older than 3200-plus years(using the most authentic and conservative age)? We know from
the fossils that they existed long before that...during the period when "pre-historic" animals also lived. The pick of the fossil hunter has unearthed fossil remains of sequoia leaves and cones in the strata as early as the Triassic. This period represents the morning of reptilian life...Hence, the sequoia as a race has a claim to alost fabulous antiquity. What could have happened 3200-plus years ago that can account for the discontinuance of the giant sequoia?..Thousands of years ago the sequoia was one of the chief garments of the earth's vegetation during Miocene times. It's forests must have been the most imposing the earth has ever known...Under the lava flows of Mt.Shasta imprints of its leaves and cones are found. This is indubitable evidence that the sequoia existed in California at that time. Then a "terrible solitude was the lord of the universe." And, for a time the three common species of redwood ceased to grow as extensively as before. Why? Is it possible a universal calamity actually occured?
For some unknown reason, giant sequois can only be traced back 3200-plus years with specimens in the recent record. Yet this species is found plentifully in the fossil record over a great deal of the earth's surface. Their disappearance is not likely to have been because of disease, insect infestation or fire, inasmuch as they are resistant to these.(a fire great enough to totally destroy the trees would also have been sufficient to have destroyed their seeds, as well, it would seem.) Another catastrophe that could account for the sudden discontinuation of trees and dinosaurs...and pterodactlys...and men...is a powerful flood. The history of a giant sequoia seed from cone to sapling shows that the cones could have survived flooding up to 21 years-the Noahic flood lasted only 371-376 days. Flooding has been shown to have been instrumental in disseminating seeds. The worldwide Noahic flood eventually receded, finally approximating the conditions of a local flood. The development of the young tree utilizes shallow alluvium for germination, putting down a temporary tap root until a shallow but wide-spread
root system can develop. This would make development of the mature tree easier in post-flood conditions. Although living indefinitely, the greatest age of the giant sequoia is somewhere
near 4,000 years old, making its reappearance on the earth about 2,000BC-just at the time the greatest historical authority, the Bible puts it. Has God given us in the giant sequoia a timepiece by which we may estimate when the flood occurred?
If anyobe cares to view the entire artice, it can be found at [url] http://www.icr.org/pubs/imp/imp-134.htm[/url] Has anyone heard of this Institute for Creation Research, where I found this article. Carmel, you were a teacher, how does one evaluate the credentials of people who submit articles for publication at such a site?
Seven
Edited by - sevenofnine on 30 September 2000 14:2:33