Is The Theory Of Pangea Possible
“Is the theory of Pangea possible? Does the Bible say that there was once a Pangea / Pangaea?”Pangea is the concept that all of the land masses of the earth were at one time connected as one giant super-continent. Looking at a world map, some of the continents look like they could fit together (Africa and South America for example), like giant puzzle pieces. Does the Bible mention Pangea? Not explicitly, but possibly. Genesis1:9 records, "And God said, 'Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.' And it was so." Presumably, if all the water was "gathered to one place," the dry ground would also be all "in one place." Genesis10:25 mentions, "├ö├ç┬¬one was named Peleg, because in his time the earth was divided├ö├ç┬¬" Some point to Genesis10:25 as evidence that the earth was divided after the Flood of Noah.While this view is possible, it is most definitely not universally held by Christians. Some view Genesis10:25 as referring to the "division" that occurred at the Tower of Babel, not the division of the continents via "continental drift." Some also dispute the post-Noah Pangea separation due to the fact that at the current rates of drift, the continents could not possibly have drifted so far apart in the time that has transpired since the Noahic flood. However, it cannot be proven that the continents have always drifted at the same rate. Further, God is capable of expediting the continental drift process to accomplish His goal of separating humanity Genesis11:18. Again, though, the Bible does not explicitly mention Pangea, or conclusively tell us when Pangea was broken apart.The post-NoahicPangea concept does possibly explain how the animals and humanity were able to migrate to the different continents. How did the kangaroos get to Australia after the Flood if the continents were already separated? Young-earth creationist alternatives to the standard continental drift theory include the Catastrophist Plate Tectonics Theory
(see answersingenesis.org) and the Hydroplate Theory (see Hydroplate theory "In the beginning :compelling evidence for creation and the flood")www.creationscience.com, both of which place accelerated continental drift within the cataclysmic context of Noah's flood.
The Hydroplate Theory: An Overview
New evidence shows that the earth has experienced a devastating, worldwide flood, whose waters violently burst forth from under earth's crust. Standard "textbook" explanations for many of earth's major features are scientifically flawed. We can now explain, using well-understood phenomena, how this cataclysmic event rapidly formed so many features. These and other mysteries, listed below and briefly described in the next 11 pages, are best explained by an earthshaking event, far more catastrophic than almost anyone has imagined. Entire chapters are devoted to the italicized topics listed below.
Each appears to be a consequence of a sudden, unrepeatable event-a global flood whose waters erupted from interconnected, worldwide subterranean chambers with an energy release exceeding the explosion of trillions of hydrogen bombs.1 The hydroplate theory, explained later in this chapter, will resolve all these mysteries.
But first, what is a hydroplate? Before the global flood, considerable water was under earth's crust. Pressure increases in this subterranean water ruptured that crust, breaking it into plates. The escaping water flooded the earth. Because hydro means water, those crustal plates will be called hydroplates. Where they broke, how they moved, and hundreds of other details and evidence-all consistent with the laws of physics-constitute the hydroplate theory and explain to a great extent why the earth looks as it does. However, there is another explanation offered by Christian scientists that does not require a post-NoahicPangea. According to this view, intercontinental migration most likely began while sea levels were still low during and immediately following the post-Flood Ice Age when much of the water was still trapped in ice at the poles. Lower sea levels would have left the continental shelves exposed, connecting all of the major land masses through land bridges.There are (or at least were) shallow underwater land bridges connecting all of the major continents. North America, Southeast Asia, and Australia are all attached to continental Asia. Britain is attached to continental Europe. In some places, these intercontinental bridges are only a few hundred feet below our current sea level. The theory can be summarized as follows: (1) After the Flood, an ice age occurred. (2) The vast amount of water that was frozen resulted in the oceans being much lower than they are today. (3) The low level of the oceans resulted in land bridges connecting the various continents.(4) Human beings and animals migrated to the different continents over these land bridges. (5) The ice age ended, resulting in the ice melting and the ocean levels rising, resulting in the land bridges being submerged.So, while Pangea is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, the Bible does present the possibility of a Pangea. Whatever the case, either view presented above presents a viable explanation for how humanity and animals were able to migrate to continents now separated by vast oceans.