Mike Oard’s latest book covers one of the lesser traveled pathways in the creation-evolution debate; that of geomorphology, the study of landscapes.
To begin, he provides a concise description of geomorphology, stating that it is:
“… concerned with the geography, topography, shape and other permanent features of the earth’s surface” (p. 19)
Given that landscapes, by means of the camera, are one of the most visually recorded, appreciated and discussed entities on the planet it is rather surprising that the profile of geomorphology is not higher in these debates. This book does much to rectify this situation and place this study in its rightful context, providing compelling evidence for the reality of the biblical Flood that is observable to people everywhere as they go about their daily lives.
In simple language with concise usage of references, Mike shows in his opening chapter that orthodox science is bereft of constructive explanations for mountains, plateaus, mesas, planation surfaces, huge canyons and gullies.
The notion of slow and gradual development of valleys, river systems, glacial systems and various scenic entities as a consequence of gradual development is simply not in keeping with the evidence presented before our eyes. Given that there is a wealth of material on the study of geomorphology, it is rather surprising that experts in the field express considerable doubt as to having any explanations for the development of the landscapes they describe. Mike draws reasoned conclusions in each chapter as he takes the reader through a number of well-known landforms, showing how uniformitarianism fails to explain the evidence. He then describes how their formation can be elegantly explained using Noah’s Flood.
The book is very readable with a nice easy flow to the text and a wealth of photographic material that adds to the landscape wonders that Mike is expounding.
Add to this the recognition that water is one of the critical elements in the development of landscapes then the natural conclusion is that the Flood as described in Genesis, in particular its Recessive stage during which the floodwater’s flowed from the continents into the newly forming oceans, is the causal factor for the scenery observed throughout the earth today. This is the central theme of Oard’s book.
If you want to better understand the scenery and natural features of the landscape and strengthen your belief in the Bible as TRUTH then get this book.
abbreviated version of a review by Barry Tapp for http://www.creation.com