Chert of the Marin Headlands April 29, 2009

 

Radiolarian Chert in the Marin Headlands

On a recent trip to the Marin Headlands, I had the wonderful opportunity to see radiolarian chert up close.  Radiolarian chert is rock that was formed around 200 million years ago from the skeletons of microscopic organisms called radiolaria.  The radiolaria died and fell to the bottom of the ocean floor, where their skeletons piled up.  The particular radiolaria that ended up in the Marin Headlands died near the equator, as evidenced by the fact that they are very similar to present day equatorial radiolaria. 

 

At around the same time as this trip, I came across a website apparently created by Creation Ministries International, a young Earth organization that seeks to undermine evolution.  I was interested to see that one of their webpages dealt with radiolarian chert.  In it, the author uses radiolarian chert to attack the geologic concept of uniformtarianism all the while seeking to explain the presence of radiolarian chert by pointing to the great biblical flood.  Essentially, the author argues that we must accept the flood as the explanation for the development of radiolarian chert because radiolarian chert is not being formed in the present at the levels it was in the past. 

 

Uniformitarianism states that the same natural processes that have shaped the world in the past continue to so shape the world.  Existing processes acting in the same manner and with the same intensity will produce the same results.  This is all about the processes.  And the processes that created the radiolarian chert in the headlands also created all sedimentary rocks in the world.  The concept of uniformitarianism isn’t put into question simply because radiolaria aren’t present today in the same quantities that were necessary to produce the chert that we can see today.  That’s not a process.  That’s a volume of biological organism.  If it makes sense for the creationists out there, it’s the same as saying, “Jesus isn’t alive today, so we can’t explain our lives through the teachings of Jesus today.” 

 

San Francisco from the Marin Headlands

The flood could not have produced the radiolarian chert.  It is basic geologic knowledge (and basic logic) that fast running water will carry all but the large rocks and heavy pebbles away in its rush.  Alternatively, stiller water will allow fine sediments to settle on the water bed.  The flood would have been fast running water which would not have supported fine sediment deposition. 

 

Additionally, the radiolarian chert formed between 100 million and 200 million years ago.  It took a long time for the radiolaria skeletons to settle and form into rock.  The flood story does not support such a timeframe.  In fact, in the flood story, humans were supposedly washed away, with the exception of Noah and his ark.  Yet, humans weren’t around on earth until only about 4.1 million years ago.  The flood story just doesn’t fit into the timeline. 

 

If you’re ever in the Marin Headlands area, I highly suggest visiting these chert outcroppings.  They are a marvel of our natural world.  

SF Skyline Could Go Dark March 24, 2009

There’s a new push for legislation that would require skyscrapers in downtown San Francisco to turn out their non-emergency lights at night.  Newly elected Supervisor David Chiu will be introducing the legislation today as a way to help save energy.  I haven’t seen the legislation yet, but I think this is a great idea.  Not only will it help save electricity, but it will help to darken the night sky around San Francisco.  As I’ve posted about before, I believe bringing back the dark night sky will help us to experience a reconnection with nature and new-found awe and wonder with the universe.  

In related news, don’t forget that Saturday, March 28, 2009 is Earth Hour.  At 8:30 P.M. in your time zone, turn out your lights for one hour and gaze at the stars.

Experiencing the Night Sky March 11, 2009

 

The Milky Way as seen from Arizona

 

 

 

The New York Times recently ran an article about projects in New York City designed to heighten people’s awareness and appreciation of the night sky.  The night sky seems like something that we are all pretty familiar with.  But, unfortunately, as we become an increasingly urbanized society, we grow far too removed from the wonder of the sky after dark.  Just look at the religions of old—Mayan, Pagan, Egyptian, etc—and it is obvious that the night sky held a far more important position in life than in current times. 

Unfortunately, most urban skies are whitewashed by light pollution, leaving us able to see only a few very bright stars, an occasional planet, and of course the moon.  What we don’t see is arguably the most spectacular sight from Earth:  the Milky Way.  If you’ve ever been away from urban areas on a clear night, you will remember seeing the Milky Way.  Last year I traveled with my family to Lake Powell in the southwest United States.  At night, in the middle of the desert, the stars were breathtaking and the Milky Way dominated the sky. 

 

According to Carl Sagan, for most of humanity’s existence on this planet the Milky Way was a common sight.  Before urbanization, the earth was so dark at night that even in a moonless sky one could see one’s shadow cast by the light from the Milky Way.  As we grow more populous and use more and more exterior lighting, we are really depriving ourselves of a connection with the starry universe.  In a telling sign of just how far removed we have become from the night sky, in 1994, after the Northridge earthquake shut down the power to Los Angeles, the 911 centers received numerous calls from people concerned about a “giant silvery cloud” in the sky.  That “cloud” of course was the Milky Way.  

 

So, if you want to get back in touch with your universe, here are some things to consider:

Participate in Earth Hour on March 28, 2009 by turning out your lights for one hour and gazing at the stars; 

Support a dark sky organization, like the International Dark-Sky Association, the Dark Sky Society, or any number of local dark sky groups;

Choose exterior illumination options that reduce light pollution; 

Visit your local observatory (in the San Francisco Bay Area, visit the Chabot Space and Science Center). 

In Praise of Tap Water March 12, 2008

I’m sure you’ve all heard about the environmental problems associated with bottled water.  Well, San Franciscans have another reason to ditch bottled water and turn on the tap.  Scientists conducted tests of drinking water around the country and found that San Francisco’s water supply lacks any of the contaminants they were testing for.  So San Francisco, recycle those plastic water bottles and let the tap flow. 

Alternative Energy Update March 6, 2008

• Cheap, Fast, High-Output Liquid Solar–An article in the New York Times describes a relatively new method of producing energy—solar thermal plants. Resembling photovoltaic cells, large swaths of panels are aligned in the desert, using the sun to heat liquid to produce steam. The steam operates turbines, which produces energy. Probably the best aspect of this method of alternative energy production is that they can produce huge quantities of power (equivalent to three nuclear reactors) yet they take a fraction of the time to construct (only two years).
  

• Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Solar Cell Production–A recent study concluded that, when compared with traditional fossil-fuel production, the manufacture of solar cells results in far fewer greenhouse gas emissions. While the production of solar cells requires the use of heavy metals, which are released into the atmosphere, traditional energy production releases much more damaging amounts of materials in the air.

• Tidal Turbines Under the Golden Gate Bridge–The quest to harness the power of the tides in San Francisco Bay has been ongoing for some time. The idea is to place underwater turbines beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and to partially meet the energy needs of the City of San Francisco. While alternative energy production is certainly a contentious issue, it might become more so in the coming years. This week, a report for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (PUC) found that submerging turbines under the Golden Gate Bridge to harness tidal power would be prohibitively expensive in terms of construction and maintenance costs. Mayor Gavin Newsom indicated that he would continue to pursue the project and make tidal power in San Francisco a reality. We obviously need alternative sources of energy. I agree with Mayor Newsom that San Francisco should continue to pursue the possibility of tidal power from San Francisco Bay.

Great Compost Giveaway March 5, 2008

It might not sound that great, but garbage companies in San Francisco are giving away up to 10 gallons of free compost planting mix.  The soil mix comes from individual San Franciscans who participated in the city-wide composting program by discarding their food scraps and yard trimmings in the green street-side composting bins.  This seems like a great way to continue the recycling process and help keep San Francisco green. 

The compost giveaway will occur on Saturday, May 17, 2008, from 8 A.M. to noon.  Go here for a list of pick-up locations. 

New Green Addition to SFGate March 5, 2008

The San Francisco Chronicle’s online source, SFGate.com, introduced a new website devoted to the Bay Area environment.  The site, SFGreen, contains news, resources to help individuals green their lives, and a blog.  Check it out here.