Planetary Magnetic Fields
Eventually I plan to put together a complete FAQ on the issue of planetary magnetic fields, the recent creation model and its' predictions. The following was recently posted to CRSnet, and is reprinted here by permission from C. Davis:
To CRSnet,
Researchers from the California Institute of Technology may have unwittingly handed Creationists a big victory yesterday by confirming a long-standing and seemingly unlikely Creation prediction.
In an article published in Friday morning's Houston Chronicle, the results of new studies on the martian rock which purportedly showed signs of past life on Mars were published. The thrust of the news story was that the rock may indeed have supported life, but the reason for this conclusion is what is of most interest to us. The researchers found remanent magnetism in the rock, and they concluded that this meant that the rock was never superheated (if it was it would have lost its magnetism and destroyed the evidence of life).
Quoting from the last paragraph, "the findings also imply that Mars once had a magnetic field similar to Earth's." Mars no longer has a measurable magnetic field.
In December 1984 CRS Quarterly, Russell Humphreys outlined a theory on the creation of planetary magnetic fields. This theory required a young solar system and stipulated that all planets were created with a magnetic field which varied in intensity based on their mass. All magnetic fields have since then been in a process of free decay. The article indicated that Mars too had a magnetic field, and made the following prediction: "Older igneous rocks from Mercury or Mars should have natural remanent magnetism, as the moon rocks do".
In a subsequent message, Craig expounded:
I really think that this finding is splendid news for advocates of young earth/young universe creation. Evolutionists have no explanation for magnetic fields in planets other than the dynamo theory, and the dynamo theory doesn't work well on most planets. Humphrey's theory explains the magnetic fields of the sun, earth, Mercury (a real problem for dynamo theorists because it hardly rotates at all), Jupiter, Saturn, and Jupiter's moon Ganymede (another problem for dynamo theorists because it was thought to be frozen solid and is a slow rotater). This theory also explains another big mystery - remanent magnetism in moon rocks. It accurately predicted the magnetic field found around Neptune and now a second prediction of remanent magnetism in Martian rocks has apparently been verified. And of course it fits well with the evidence for the decay of the earth's magnetic field.
Related Link:
The Earth's Magnetic
Field is Young!
Impact #242 from the Institute for Creation
Research, by Dr. D. Russell Humphries, outlining his model and some successes.
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