Cliff Collapses (October 23)

“Don’t stand that close to the cliff edge!”

“Why? I’ll be careful!”

“That cliff could give way at any moment.”

Perhaps Mom had more wisdom than we realized!

We are programmed with the concept that rocks are “rock solid” – millions of years old and never changing. But around the world, there are recent examples of “unexpected collapses” of famous geological features. In Australia, for example, the famous London Bridge formation collapsed on January 15, 1990, and one of the Twelve Apostles (sea stacks) collapsed dramatically as a tourist watched in 2005. The Cliffs of Moher in Ireland and the North Cliffs in Cornwall were recently caught dramatically falling away as tourists recorded the events on their hand-held video devices.

At the Arches National Park in Utah, the famous Wall Arch – (spanning 71 feet wide and 33 feet high) collapsed in a single night on August 4, 2008. Just since 1970, fourty-three arches have collapsed at Arches National Park while not a single new arch has formed. What we are seeing is massive rapid-scale erosion, not slow erosion expected by an evolutionary timescale. What we observe are cliffs collapsing at any moment. The evolutionary idea that cliffs erode slowly over time could cause you great harm on your next vacation if you are standing on a cliff that catastrophically collapses.

Your understanding of history really does affect where you stand!

1 Kings 19:11-12

KJV: And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

NIV: The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

Reference

Catchpoole, David. 2015. “A Dangerous View”. Creation 37(2)12-15.

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A dangerous view