by nick c » Sat May 24, 2025 4:20 pm
From: ICE CORES NOT THAT SIMPLE - Fred Hall, Aeon Vol. II #1, p119
The a priori assumption of ice core dating is that layers can be counted and counted as an annual measurement. But this is not the case.
The thinking is that CO2 comes from volcanos, and CH4 is outgassed from the Earth and the rotting of organisms, along with O2 these gases form acidity peaks in the ice cap. The assumption is that these "indicators" are piled upon older layers, are compressed by succeeding layers and remain "as initially deposited" for thousands of years which allows a year to year count. That this method of ice core dating is a flawed chronological system has been known for a long time.
See the article in Dec. 23, 1988, issue of SCIENCE: "Gravitational Separation of Gases and Isotopes In Polar Ice Caps", by H. Craig, Y. Horibe, and T. Sowers, pp. 1675
The article shows that the atmospheric gases do not remain in the layers. Due to gravity, they diffuse downward accumulating on the denser ice below.
from the above referenced article in SCIENCE:
"The accumulating firn acts like a columnar sieve through which the gravitational enrichment can be maintained by molecular diffusion."
The time between the conversion of new snow into ice takes many years. During this time the snow forms into firn which in turn eventually forms into ice. The process is slowed down by cold, and inside the Arctic or Antarctic circle, can take a century or more. During this time the gas filtering described in the SCIENCE article is an ongoing process, which negates the counting of layers as equaling years.
The technique of ice core dating does not tell us anything about history or chronology.
From: ICE CORES NOT THAT SIMPLE - Fred Hall, Aeon Vol. II #1, p119
The a priori assumption of ice core dating is that layers can be counted and counted as an annual measurement. But this is not the case.
The thinking is that CO2 comes from volcanos, and CH4 is outgassed from the Earth and the rotting of organisms, along with O2 these gases form acidity peaks in the ice cap. The assumption is that these "indicators" are piled upon older layers, are compressed by succeeding layers and remain "as initially deposited" for thousands of years which allows a year to year count. That this method of ice core dating is a flawed chronological system has been known for a long time.
See the article in Dec. 23, 1988, issue of SCIENCE: "Gravitational Separation of Gases and Isotopes In Polar Ice Caps", by H. Craig, Y. Horibe, and T. Sowers, pp. 1675
The article shows that the atmospheric gases do not remain in the layers. Due to gravity, they diffuse downward accumulating on the denser ice below.
from the above referenced article in SCIENCE:
"The accumulating firn acts like a columnar sieve through which the gravitational enrichment can be maintained by molecular diffusion."
The time between the conversion of new snow into ice takes many years. During this time the snow forms into firn which in turn eventually forms into ice. The process is slowed down by cold, and inside the Arctic or Antarctic circle, can take a century or more. During this time the gas filtering described in the SCIENCE article is an ongoing process, which negates the counting of layers as equaling years.
The technique of ice core dating does not tell us anything about history or chronology.