mung bean

Ok folks, for this exercise we have some additional factors to consider which, strictly speaking, do not belong in Red Dave's pyramid thread.
Now, Shirley has been asking AFDave for evidence of Flud sediment in Egypt.
AFDave also has some well known (at least to some of us) positions re Middle Eastern chronology and geology in general.
So, let's have a look at the Messinian stuff. During this period (dated according to mainstream science at approximately 6 million years BP) the Mediterranean Sea dried up completely, resulting in the formation of salt beds up to three kilometres thick.
The Nile at the time did not have its current delta but emptied onto the Mediterranean basin via a canyon, the base of which is 8,000 feet below modern Cairo.

I have some points for AFDave to consider in relation to all this.

1/ Given that nowhere in the OT is it mentioned that the Mediterranean dehydrated into a gigantic salt basin, and given that it undoubtedly did, approximately where in your chronology would you place this event and why?

2/ Given that your position has always been that the pre-Flud climate was rich and lush over the entire surface of the earth how does a whopping great salt desert fit into this?
Bear in mind that it must have existed before your Shemites started founding Egyptian dynasties and building pyramids, which means it pretty much had to be pre-Flud. The reason for this is that the Egyptian dynasties were built on the current Nile plain, not in a canyon 8,000 feet deep. Also, of course, there is no mention in Egyptian records of the Mediterranean being dry.

Any comments?

Edit: For those not familiar with the topic here's a basic rundown from Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messinian_Salinity_Crisis

deadman_932

The Messinian event is something I'm familiar with from paleoanthro...it's right about the time that australopiths emerge.

Later on, another event occurs between 3 and 2.5 MYA at the emergence of the genus Homo. Very cool stuff.

mung bean

Tis extremely cool. What's more it involves sediment layers and Egypt, which are currently hot topics. Well, they would be if Dave would have a real go at them.
I mean here he is stating that there's a worldwide Flud sediment layer, and here we have 8,000 feet of sediment filling the old Nile valley under Cairo. It's gotta be a total gift for YECism. You'd reckon he'd be jumping at it.

mung bean

Fascinating topic this. Found another good page:
http://www.semp.us/publications/biot...php?BiotID=350

BWE

Do the salt beds exhibit any unique layers? Are there uneven calcium deposits?

BWE

Ahh. Just read some more. Answer is yes. Well well. That certainly mucks up the catastrophic idea doesn't it?

Mike PSS

I think almost any factual published study is trouble for Dave.

The documented buried canyon of the Nile is very interesting. Remember, the Soviets were fired from the Aswan project and only the Western companies later did the full evaluation of the dam foundation.

Was this when the buried canyon was discovered?
After the "flood" of the Med you would have seawater all the way up the Nile south of Aswan until the canyon was eventually filled with sediment.

Is anyone up to the math to calculate the sedimentation rate to fill the once exposed canyon to todays Nile Delta level if we know the sediment capacity of the Nile River?

I bet if I do the numbers they will come out to over 4 million years.

ericmurphy

I bet Dave will avoid this thread like a biblical plague.

mung bean

I pretty bloody sure he will too. The implications for a range of subjects should be enough to make him run like hell.
Still, he was making assertions about sediment layers in a thread about Egypt so he has only himself to blame for reminding me to raise this topic.

Davey boy, there's lotsa sediment under the Nile valley that is far more recent than the surrounding strata. Pre-pyramid sediment, Dave! Yummy, yummy!
I'm sure Shirley would love to hear all about it.

mung bean

I nicked this pic of Dave's out of the Grand Canyon thread over at E/C.
Thanks for raising it, Eric.



So, we got's teh canyons forming in the "recovery phase", huh?
This is when the Flud waters were draining away, yes. Into the Mediterranean basin. Which at the time was a dirty great salt desert. Hmmmm.
Dis is not making teh sense.