Afarensis is a 3.5-2.8 million year old hominin from the Kada Hadar member of the Hadar formation in the Middle Awash, Ethiopia. He is approximately 41 inches tall, weighs approximately 60 pounds and has a cranial capacity of a whopping 410 cc (approximately). Afarensis is currently considered to be transitional between apes and humans and displays some traits of both. Since he spends a lot of time on the couch watching monster movies, some observers question whether he is an obligate biped (although no one has observed him climbing a tree). He also has a blog called 
National Geographic has a story on the recent claims about Noah's Ark. Other than referring to the BASE group as a "Christian archaeology expedition" it wasn't half bad. Unlike, some of the other reports, they do get opinions from real geologists.
Kevin Pickering, a geologist at University College London who specializes in sedimentary rocks, doesn't think that the ark-like rocks are petrified wood."The photos appear to show iron-stained sedimentary rocks, probably thin beds of silicified sandstones and shales, which were most likely laid down in a marine environment a long time ago," he said.
Pickering thinks that the BASE team may have mistaken the thin layers in the sediment for wood grain and the more prominent layers as beams of wood.
"The wider layers in the rock are what we call bedding planes," he said.
"They show fracture patterns that we associate with ... the Earth processes that caused the rocks to be uplifted to their present height."
This explanation is certainly in keeping with the finding of marine fossils when the "wood" was split open.
I find this one particularly amusing:
The boat-shaped structure can also be explained geologically, says retired British geologist Ian West, who has studied Middle Eastern sediments."Iran is famous for its small folds, many of which are the oil traps. Their oval, ark-like shape is classical[emphasis mine - afarensis]," he said.
And someone finally had the sense to talk to experts on petrified wood:
Meanwhile, ancient timber specialist Martin Bridge, of England's Oxford Dendrochronology Laboratory, is doubtful that a wooden structure would have lasted long enough to petrify under ordinary conditions."Wood will only survive for thousands of years if it is buried in very wet conditions or remains in an extremely arid environment," he said.
Bible scholars think that Noah built his ark somewhere between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, making preservation highly unlikely except in extreme environmental conditions.
And even if the wood had petrified, there seems to be little evidence of Noah's carpentry, according to Robert Spicer, a geologist at England's Open University who specializes in the study of petrification.
"What needs to be documented in this case are preserved, human-made joints, such as scarf, mortice and tenon, or even just pegged boards. I see none of this in the pictures[emphasis mine - afarensis]. It's all very unconvincing," Spicer said.
The bolded part is actually a really good point. Still no mention of the name of the "Smithsonian" associated lab that supposedly analyzed what the BASE team brought back, nor was their report mentioned in the National Geographic article. Cornuke does say:
"We have had [cut] thin sections of the rock made, and we can see [wood] cell structures..."
But doesn't mention who did the work...
Added Later: Ed at Dispatches From the Culture Wars has a link to YEC geologist's view of the find...
Comments
Just one tiny problem.
I know of no modern academic biblical scholar who would attempt to put a date on what is, in its present literary form, not even close to an account of a historical event. Serious attempts to date the "events" described in these kind of stories ended very early in the 20th century.
Posted by: Duane | July 5, 2006 11:27 PM
Doggone it! Scooped again! :) I really must quit my day job.
Your link above is slightly incorrect. try this one. I think the "-1" needs to com off.
You'd think this, alone, would be enough to dismiss the whole thing.
Posted by: cfeagans | July 6, 2006 1:25 AM
What is the word for the thin sediments in lakes that show spring and fall layers, and that can number in hundreds of thousands? Warves? Quarves? Or something like that?
Anyway, I remember someone (SJ Gould?) pointing out that the exquisite layers not only gave paleo climate info, but also gave the lie to the YECs. The irony that the "ark" might be of material that disproves a young earth is rich!
Posted by: jimvj | July 9, 2006 11:52 PM
The word you are looking for is varves
Posted by: afarensis, FCD | July 10, 2006 10:42 AM