What if I hold the ends of the paper and I have a friend violently push a ruler up from the bottom?
1. That is not a fold it is a different kind of deformation. IIRC that kind of thing does actually happen and it produces different structures.
2. We are not just talking about one bend we are talking about a whole anticline/syncline sequence.
3. Elements that are part of the matrix of the rock strain based on the direction of the tectonic force.
4. If there are any faults they will always slip in the direction of the force. For compression it will be toward the force leaving a reverse fault. For divergent action it will be toward the ridge leaving a normal fault. IIRC.
So I guess what I am talking about here really is a collection of facts that all come together to make one fact. There is no other way to make those anticline/syncline sequences. It was compressional tectonic activity.
I can get a form at least GENERALLY similar to folded paper.
Yes and that is called stretching the analogy for a purpose other than what it was intended.
Would it be considered a "compressional structure"? Is there something special about "compressional structures" besides that they're pointy at the top?
Yea. They have evidence of being compressed. See above.
If not, then I would know MY "structure" can be called a "compressional structure." If you had described this through describing observations, such as some types of wrinkling that is present, etc., I would have been able to figure it out myself. Your analogy helped some, but not enough to distinguish between my postulation and what an actual "compressional structure" is.
If something is compressed it is a compressional structure. Therefore calling it a product of a diverget action such as rifting is an incorrect fact.
If I try and figure it out from the words themselves, I come up with "structure that was compressed." How do I know something was compressed? What are the critical observations which led to the conclusion?
It is compressed because it shows evidence of being compressed. That does not mean that it is any less of a fact that it is a compressional structure. The theory would be HOW it became compressed not THAT it became compressed.
That's nice. What are the observations that led you to this conclusion? What measurements were made that allowed you to tell me it's fact?
1. The fact that the divergent action continues today.
2. The fact that the structures of the divergent action (rift valleys, normal faults, volcanism) can be seen on the boundary. (iceland/mid atlantic ridge)
Again that we see these things in order to determine that this is a divergent action does not make it any less of a fact that it actually IS a divergent action. The theorey would need to explain HOW this happened not THAT it happened.
If you don't want to extract the observations yourself, that's probably fine. You're just leaving it up to Faith to find them herself. But I wouldn't wait around for a reply. It'll be a while with all that reading for homework.
I am available for questions. I have discovered that I am able to get more clear information across when I am brief. If there is a question into the nitty gritty details about it after the fact then I can answer them. Or you can go out for youself and verify that these are actualy the facts. Either way, it is better to be brief and be open to further discussion then to assume your audience knows nothing and fill up a bunch of pages going all the way down to the basics. Especially since it can take away from this discussion which is about the area that IRH described.
Now, you don't have to extract ALL the observations. But if you could mention a couple fundamental ones, then we can deal with the actual observations, and look for alternative explanations. And alternative explanations is the name of the game for YECs. We've at least got to the point where we should be able to acknowledge that.
That anticline/syncline structures can be formed by divergent tectonics is an invalid observation. It is not true. That is all that I am trying to correct. You and Faith may now continue with an alternate explanation to the old earth theory as to the geologic history of IRH's area but it must include the fact that those were created by compression.
This message has been edited by Jazzns, 09-14-2005 02:26 PM
No smoking signs by gas stations. No religion in the public square. The government should keep us from being engulfed in flames on earth, and that is pretty much it. -- Jon Stewart, The Daily Show
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