I’ve taken a couple of geology classes in college–an intro course at Suffolk Community College and non-silicate mineralogy at University of Akron. I’ve read books about geology. I’ve spent a few weeks hanging out with a geologist who was doing field work. I have found things in the field that were relevant to current investigations. I thought I kind of “got” geology. Then I decided to read more seriously.
This past fall I read a Sedimentology and Stratigraphy text. Now, I’m working my way through a Structural Geology text. Even though these are still fairly basic textbooks, one fact leaps out at me: the science of geology includes oceans of data. These textbooks are densely packed with information, with data. Of course, there are interpretations. There are theories. But page after page impresses me with the amount of hard, concrete information that has been gathered by people studying the rocks. This information is the foundation of geology. Amateurs who imagine that reading a few creationist articles or books qualifies them to make pompous statements about the validity of the science of geology are fooling themselves.
Of course, there are lots of debatable points in geology. The reason we are aware of these elements of geologic theory that are problematic is because geologist publish articles about them.
I am committed to deepening my comprehensive knowledge of geology. I hope to be able to ask a few hard questions. But the more I learn, the more respect I have for the scientists who spend their lives exploring, probing, interrogating the earth. They are pursuing truth. I will join them.
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