"Secular geologists have inferred several pre-Pangaea supercontinents, including Greater Gondwana or Pannotia (involving mostly the southern continents) and before that Rodinia. Greater Gondwana (Pannotia) is the so-called transitional continental
In our research on the pre-Flood world, we used a slightly modified Pangaea configuration because it has the most empirical geological evidence supporting it, including the best fit of the modern continents, especially across each side of the Atlantic Ocean.
We placed a narrow sea (300–500 km) between North America and Africa/Europe, allowing for limited plate subduction, an early Flood closure of the pre-Atlantic, and the formation of the Appalachian/Caledonian mountain belts. We included this pre-Atlantic sea based on subducted plate remnants that diminish beneath the Appalachians below 300 km, which support this narrow-sea interpretation.
Baumgardner has recently suggested a slight variation on the two
dominant pre-Flood configuration models. He acknowledges that the
“ … vast number of paleomagnetic determinations made over the past 70 years point overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the continental regions now in the northern hemisphere, especially Europe and North America, were located not far from the south magnetic pole when their early Paleozoic igneous rocks crystallized.”
However, he further acknowledged that the paleomagnetic data is not diagnostic in itself, and that either
Baumgardner has recently suggested a slight variation on the two
“ … vast number of paleomagnetic determinations made over the past 70 years point overwhelmingly to the conclusion that the continental regions now in the northern hemisphere, especially Europe and North America, were located not far from the south magnetic pole when their early Paleozoic igneous rocks crystallized.”
However, he further acknowledged that the paleomagnetic data is not diagnostic in itself, and that either
1) the magnetic pole of the pre-Flood world could have moved about 110° northward along today’s prime meridian early in the Flood, or
2) the continents themselves moved 110° along this same path early in the Flood.
*Both of these solutions would satisfy the observable paleomagnetic data. Other than that, his Pannotia configuration closely resembles Pangaea, with an already intact Gondwana.
Of these two scenarios, we propose the first scenario is more likely, that only the magnetic field migrated rapidly northward in the early Paleozoic (early Flood), leaving the physical continents close to their pre-Flood configuration near the equator, barring some initial plate motion. This suggests that the magnetic poles may have been close to the equator prior to the Flood or had rapidly migrated to that position at the onset of the Flood event. The continents themselves did not
have to move rapidly in this interpretation, just the magnetic poles did.
We have recently mapped out the extent of a massive amount of Precambrian salt-rich rocks in the Middle East, Pakistan, and India. This salt bed extends from the Persian Gulf (Hormuz Evaporates) to Pakistan (Salt Range Formation) to western India (Hanseran
Evaporates). These various salt-rich units have been conventionally dated as Neoproterozoic, falling in the age range of 540–950 Ma years old. The Salt Range Formation has been described as a mass of unstratified halite with occasional thin dolomite beds, capped by both gypsum and anhydrite. These various formations vary between 1,800 and 3,000 m thick, including the non-halite units.
We conclude that Pangaea (at least the southern part called Gondwana) was already in existence when these massive Neoproterozoic salt-rich rocks were being deposited. This finding confirms and validates our earlier pre-Flood continental interpretation for the pre-Flood world that used a modified Pangaea. Rodinia is merely a secular uniformitarian hypothesis that doesn’t conform well to the actual rock data.
Another reason we favored a Pangaea located near the equator is the youthfulness of the modern oceanic crust. The denser pre-Flood oceanic crust was nearly completely consumed by subduction during the Flood.
Of these two scenarios, we propose the first scenario is more likely, that only the magnetic field migrated rapidly northward in the early Paleozoic (early Flood), leaving the physical continents close to their pre-Flood configuration near the equator, barring some initial plate motion. This suggests that the magnetic poles may have been close to the equator prior to the Flood or had rapidly migrated to that position at the onset of the Flood event. The continents themselves did not
We have recently mapped out the extent of a massive amount of Precambrian salt-rich rocks in the Middle East, Pakistan, and India. This salt bed extends from the Persian Gulf (Hormuz Evaporates) to Pakistan (Salt Range Formation) to western India (Hanseran
We conclude that Pangaea (at least the southern part called Gondwana) was already in existence when these massive Neoproterozoic salt-rich rocks were being deposited. This finding confirms and validates our earlier pre-Flood continental interpretation for the pre-Flood world that used a modified Pangaea. Rodinia is merely a secular uniformitarian hypothesis that doesn’t conform well to the actual rock data.
Another reason we favored a Pangaea located near the equator is the youthfulness of the modern oceanic crust. The denser pre-Flood oceanic crust was nearly completely consumed by subduction during the Flood.
*Rapid seafloor spreading created a completely new and lower density oceanic crust (lithosphere really) as a consequence.
It was the density contrast between the heavier, colder, original oceanic crust (the lithosphere) and the underlying less dense and hotter mantle that allowed the runaway subduction process to proceed. The density difference served essentially as the ‘fuel’.
Later in the Flood, we see stratigraphic evidence that runaway subduction and catastrophic seafloor spreading were operating on a more massive scale, spreading sediments across even more extensive areas of the continents including the highest hills.
Later in the Flood, we see stratigraphic evidence that runaway subduction and catastrophic seafloor spreading were operating on a more massive scale, spreading sediments across even more extensive areas of the continents including the highest hills.
The newly created oceanic lithosphere served to push up the seafloor until the tsunami waves were able to circumvent the globe at the end of the Mesozoic.
-a-There was no geophysical means or reason to stop the catastrophic plate motion until the original oceanic lithosphere was fully consumed.
-b-At that moment, the newly created, more buoyant lithosphere ceased subducting, bringing plate motion to a virtual standstill.
-c-As a result, we only witness small residual plate motions of centimeters per year today.
Our Pangaea-like configuration has these Antarctic plant fossils
growing near 45°S latitude in the pre-Flood world, about the equivalent to southern New Zealand today. These Cretaceous plants were simply buried near their place of origin, later in the Flood, as the waters were reaching their zenith across the globe. Not surprisingly, these same types of trees and flowering plants are found in modern-day New Zealand. As Ashley Strickland reported: “The forests were similar to those now found on New Zealand’s South Island, the researchers said.”
Our Pangaea-like configuration has these Antarctic plant fossils
A lush, temperate rainforest near the South Pole is not a mystery if a Pangaea-like pre-Flood supercontinent was in existence since Creation Week.
These plants were simply growing in a pre-Flood mid-latitude location, far from the South Pole, and then were rapidly moved to their present position during the catastrophic plate activity of the Flood."
CMI