Ammonites were a nautiloid-like animal that lived in the Late Paleozoic and
Mesozoic seas as the animal grew, it excreted a shell wall behind the animal
but inside the shell which was attached to the outer shell. The junction of
this interior partition with the external shell left a suture pattern on
the exterior of the shell. This suture pattern was constant for each species
and was constant for each indicidual throughout its life. A small
individual had the same sutures as a large individuals of the same species.
This is important because global flood advocates believe that the fossils
are sorted according to the laws of hydrodynamical sorting. These laws,
Stoke's Law and variations of it, would predict that the ammonites would be
sorted by size, with the biggest ones on bottom and the smallest ones on
top. (See Paul e. Pottter, J. Barry Maynard, and Wayne A. Prior,
_Sedimentology of Shale_ Springer-Verlag, 1980, p. 9)
Henry Morris writes:
"The hydrodynamic sorting action of moving water is quite
efficient, so that each stratum would tend to contain an assemblage
of fossils of similar shapes and sizes."~Henry M. Morris, Evolution
and the Modern Christian, (Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed,
1967), p. 40
Now, what do we find? We find that the ammonites are not sorted by size in
the geologic column, but are sorted by suture shape! The same sized
organism with different suture shapes are found at different stratigraphic
levels. In the Jurassic ammonite zones are defined nearly world wide based
upon the different sutures of the animals.
Raymond Moore writes
"The sutures (junction of the shell partitions with the inner wall of the
shell) are only moderately curved or angulated in the simplest amminoids.
this type was characteristic of the later Paleozoic rocks but some of the
amminoids of the Triassic are little, if any, more advanced. An increased
number of bends and angles in the suture line, accompanied by a progressive
complication in pattern, marks the development of most of the Mesozoic
ammonoids. In many cases the suture pattern is so intricate that it is
indeed difficult to trace. The diversity is amazing, but each type of
suture is constant according to genus and species. Because even slight
changes in the sutures are readily determinable and with other characters
permit definite recognition of specific differences, these shells are well
fitted to serve as markers of stratigrpahic zones and of geologic time."
Raymond Moore, Historical Geology, 1933, p. 483-484
W. J. Arkell writes of the vertical consistency of certain species of
ammonites over the entire world. Evolutionists say that these ammonites
lived in the seas world wide.
"From the Hettangian up to the Middle Kimeridgian these stages
can be recognized all over the world, but after that the scheme
breaks down owing to regional differentiation of faunas.".J. Arkell,
Jurassic Geology of the World,(Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd, 1956), p. 8
Below is the vertical sequence of Jurassic ammonites which was first defined
in NW Europe but works over vast areas. Remember each species represents a
separate suture pattern. the question is: Why would the flood perfectly
sort ammonites according to their suture patterns?
Standard Stages and Ammonite zones of the Jurassic of NW Europe.
Portlandian Titanites giganteus
Glaucolithites gorei
Zaraiskites albani
Kimeridgian Pavolvia pallasioides
Pavolvia rotunda
Pectinatites pectinatus
Subplanites wheatleyensis
Subplanites spp.
Gravesia gigas
Gravesia gravesiana
Aulacostephanus pseudomutabilis
Rasenia mutabilis
Rasenia cymodoce
Pictonia baylei
Oxfordian Ringsteadia pseudocordata
Decipia decipiens
Perisphinctes cautisnigrae
Perisphinctes plicatilis
Cardioceras cordatum
Quenstedtoceras mariae
Middle Jurassic
Callovian Quenstedtoceras lamberti
Peltoceras athleta
Erymnoceras coronatum
Kosmoceras jason
Sigaloceras calloviense
Proplanulites koenigi
Macrocephalites macrocephalus
Bathonian Clydoniceras discus
Oppelia aspidoides
Tulites subcontractus
Gracilisphinctes progracilis
Zigzagiceras zigzag
Bajocian Parkinsonia parkinsoni
Garantiana garantiana
Strenoceras subfurcatum
Stephanoceras humphriesianum
Otoites sauzei
Sonninia sowerbyi
Ludwigia murchisonae
Tmetoceras scissum
Leioceras opalinum
Lower Jurassic
Toarcian Lytoceras jurense
Hildoceras bifrons
Harpoceras falcifer
Dactylioceras tenuicostatum
Pliensbachian Pleuroceras spinatum
Amaltheus margaritatus
Prodactylioceras davoei
Tragophylloceras ibex
Uptonia jamesoni
Sinemurian Echioceras raricostatum
Oxynoticeras oxynotum
Asteroceras obtusum
Euasteroceras turneri
Arnioceras semicostatum
Arietites bucklanidi
Hettangian Schlotheimia angulata
Psiloceras planorbis
~W.J. Arkell, Jurassic Geology of the World,(Edinburgh: Oliver
and Boyd, 1956), p. 10-11
glenn
Foundation, Fall and Flood
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