An archaeological site
in South America which was initially given a radio carbon date of at last
14,500 years is being challenged by a group of researchers led by archaeologist
Todd Surovell of the University of Wyoming who claims that the site was occupied
much more recently. Live Science
reported:
In a study
published Thursday (March 19) in the journal Science, an international group of
researchers led by Todd Surovell, an archaeologist at the University of
Wyoming, reevaluated the age and formation of MV-II. They concluded that Monte
Verde was most likely occupied in the Middle Holocene, around 4,200 to 8,200
years ago.
"The
so-called 14,500-year-old archaeological component that was supposed to forever
change our understanding of the colonization of the Americas actually comes
from a landform that's at best 8,000 years old," Surovell told Live
Science. "In other words, it's not an ice age site."
Surovell and study
co-author Claudio Latorre, a paleoecologist at the Pontifical Catholic
University of Chile, visited Monte Verde in 2023 and collected samples of soil
and organic matter from areas near the MV-II occupational site, which was
destroyed more than three decades ago by logging activities and flooding. The
researchers' radiocarbon dating of new samples of charcoal and wood from the
Monte Verde area produced dates ranging from 13,400 years to 16,500 years ago,
in line with previous studies. But because the site is located on the banks of
a creek with complex geology, Surovell and colleagues suggested that these
older dated materials were actually redeposited onto a much younger site,
making MV-II seem older than it is.
The key to the
redating, Surovell said, is a layer of ash known as the Lepué Tephra, which
blanketed the area after a volcanic eruption 11,000 years ago. The researchers
discovered this tephra — ejected volcanic material — in several geological
sections along the creek and concluded that, at some point, erosion cut a
channel through the site. So while MV-II is lower in the ground than the
surrounding terraces, it was actually settled on top of the tephra layer,
making it younger than 11,000 years. [1]
But others still
hold confidence in the initial date for the site. Archaeologist Tom Dillehay, of Vanderbilt
University, who has spent 50 years studying Monte Verde and Michael Waters, a
geoarchaeologist from Texas A&M University disagree with Surovell’s
conclusions. Live Science went on
to report:
There is no
11,000-year-old ash layer underneath the Monte Verde II site," Dillehay
told Live Science in an email. "They are studying a different context in
the area and are projecting that into the site from elsewhere."
The volcanic
tephra layer is interesting new information, Michael Waters, a geoarchaeologist
at Texas A&M University who was not part of the study, told Live Science.
But the study includes "egregiously poor geological work," he said.
For example, the authors say one of the site terraces formed partly from
erosion and partly from deposition, but Waters said this is geologically
impossible.
"There's so
many things that should be done if you're evaluating an archaeological
site," including micromorphology, wood identification, chemical analysis
of bones, and examination of paleosols (ancient soil layers) and cryptotephras
(invisible layers of volcanic ash), Waters said. "They didn't bother to do
that. This study falls really short in demonstrating that Monte Verde II is
Middle Holocene." [2]
David Meltzer,
another archaeologist from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas even went
so far as to accuse the work of Todd Surovell and his team of not being done at
the actual site itself:
"Their work
was not actually at the site, but instead in small sections that are tens to
hundreds of meters distant," Meltzer told Live Science in an email. If the
creek is active and complicated, as the researchers suggest, "then the
other sections they sampled may have little bearing on what was at the site
itself." [3]
But a report from
Wyoming University maintains that the work and research done by Surovell and
his team were done at the site:
The Monte Verde
site is situated on the banks of Chinchihuapi Creek, a tributary of the Maullín
River located 36 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The new study led by Surovell
and Latorre is the first investigation of the site, independent of the original
researchers, in the nearly 50 years since its discovery. [4]
And contrary to
Tom Dillehay’s claims that there was no volcanic ash at the site, the report
stated:
The researchers
also identified 11,000-year-old volcanic ash, a regional stratigraphic marker,
that is older than the human occupation at Monte Verde. If human presence at
Monte Verde dates to 14,500 years ago, this ash should occur above the
occupation layer. It does not. [5]
So why would Tom
Dillehay not think that there was volcanic ash at the site? Science.org may
offer a possible reason:
Although tephras
have been noted at the site, the presence of the Lepué Tephra, formally named
in 2017, has not been previously recognized at Monte Verde. [6]
In other words,
the volcanic ash sedimentary layers may have been a recent discovery of which
Dillehay may not have been aware. Also
according to Sorovell’s reports, David Meltzer’s accusation that Sorovell and
his team had neglected to date organic material at the site did not turn out to
be accurate:
Contrary to
previous reports, we did not observe organic matter or peat near the SU1/SU2
contact, presumably because the portion of the site preserving the exact
stratigraphy present in the MV-II excavations was lost to erosion… Those organic
sediments were buried by the 11,000-year-old Lepué Tephra. [7]
But they were able
to date a wood sample acquired from another archaeologist who had also been to
the site.
We were able to
date a wood sample collected by C. V. Haynes on 9 January 1997 within SU2
slightly above the erosive contact [8]
Sorovell and his
critics may not be creationists by any means, but what sets Sorovell apart from
his critics is that he is at least honest enough to admit that radio carbon
dating is not fool-proof whereas Dillehay would like to believe that it
is. Sorovell then explained in detail
the cause for what he deemed an errant carbon date:
The study involved
sampling and dating nine alluvial deposits along the banks of Chinchihuapi
Creek. Essentially, the researchers found that the dating of materials found at
Monte Verde to 14,500 years ago can be explained by erosion or “redeposition”
along the creek. Deposits along the creek are replete with Ice Age wood that
became incorporated into younger archaeological deposits. This explains how a
site that is younger than 9,000 years old can produce radiocarbon dates from
more than 14,000 years ago. Much like directly dating the stone from which an
artifact is made does not tell you the date of manufacture of a tool, dating
wood at Monte Verde does not date the occupation of the site. [9]
Three assumptions
made about carbon dating and radiometric dating alike:
1. Decay rate has been constant (in the case of carbon dating, the parent product is Carbon 14 which decays into the daughter product of Carbon 12)
2. No daughter product present with the parent
product
3. A closed system which means the dating results
of samples dated have not been affected by external influences
But these assumptions
cannot be known, nor can they be proven and it just so happens that according Sorovell’s
study and research, dating samples can be contaminated, thus yielding
inaccurate results yet in spite of this, there remains overwhelming confidence
in the conventional dating methods within the scientific community. Young Earth Creationists are the only ones
within the scientific community who reject both carbon and radiometric dating claiming
that they do not establish an age for the earth for several reasons and while
they would agree with Sorovell that dating samples are subject to contamination
and can yield untrustworthy results as a consequence, they would assert that
the formation of the Monte Verde cite happened very rapidly and that most, if
not all of the sedimentary layers were laid down very quickly, and that it was
probably formed by either one or two catastrophic events which would have
involved a severe flooding even and a major volcanic event which they would
theorize happened within a short time span of each other but such deduction
would probably be rejected by Sorovell and other evolutionists as most
evolutionists adhere to the tenet of uniformitarianism which teaches that the
fossil and geologic records were formed slowly and gradually over long periods
of time whereas catastrophists and creationists believe that fossil and
geologic formations are best explained by rapid formation brought about by
catastrophic events such as volcanic eruptions or severe flooding but one thing
that ought to be agreed upon is that we should not be afraid to question even
what is considered settled science as archaeologist Kenneth Feder points out, "It's
a sign of a good, healthy discipline when something that's settled science is
questioned," [10]
If politicians and
even the information reported by any given media outlet are subject to public
scrutiny, then so should the claims and data presented by the scientific
community medical establishments, and so should what is being taught to our
students in the halls of academia.
Just because something
may be called “settled science,” that doesn’t necessarily mean it is founded in
truth or fact which is why if reason is given to question it, then it needs to
be questioned and even challenged as truth is not determined by consensus as
there have been multiple times throughout history that consensus has been
proven wrong.
Scripture points
out some notable examples of where the consensus was not on the side of truth and
on a path to destruction as was the case in the days before the global flood in
the days of Noah when all of mankind was wiped out except for Noah and those who
were on the Ark with him (Gen. 6-8) and then generations afterwards, all within
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were wiped out save for Lot and his daughters.
(Gen. 19)
Scripture also
warns that wide is the gate and broad is the way to destruction and many there
be that take it but straight is the gate and narrow is the way which leads to
life and few there be that find it. (Mt. 7:14)
As one commentator
noted: “It’s insane how so many people need zero proof to believe a lie but
need endless proof in order to accept the truth.” [11]
And that is
because there is something within mankind that would prefer to believe a lie
than to embrace the truth and when it comes down to it, all intellectual,
philosophical, and even theological and religious challenges to the truth are
just a smoke screen that hides the real reason why multitudes would prefer to
believe a lie rather than the truth but which most would refuse to admit:
“men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the
light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” (Jn.
3:16)
And ultimately,
that is the reason why even evolutionists will go so far as to attack the
integrity of not only creationists, but even that of any fellow evolutionist
who might be even so much as be perceived as casting doubt on any tenet of the
evolutionary theory and in this case, it was doubt being cast upon the
trustworthiness of the conventional dating methods that evolutionists have
purported to support their claims of a billions year old universe.
And perhaps the
reason why men like Tom Dillehay and David Meltzer are so quick to accuse Tom
Sorovell of shoddy work and study may not necessarily because his study of the
Monte Verde site was necessarily bad and not necessarily because the methods
that he applied to his studies and research were necessarily faulty but because
they fear the ramifications of doubt being cast upon the conventional dating
methods that they have relied upon to support their claim that the universe is
billions of years old because if the conventional dating methods that are purported
to prove that the age of the universe is what they claim it to be are shown to
be unreliable and untrustworthy, then the historical account of creation as recorded
in the book of Genesis would be vindicated which means that they would be
forced to face the hard and inconvenient truth that there is a God in Heaven by
whom all things are made, by whose power all things consist, are maintained,
and held together, to whom all life owes its existence, who is the maker and
definer of our reality, the source of all truth, the definer of what is good
and evil, and before whom we will have to one day give an account for everything
that we have said and that we have done in this life and that is a truth that
they would rather avoid and so they will do all that they can in their power to
suppress it and in doing all that they can to suppress anything that could
potentially lead anyone to the truth and knowledge of our Creator, they will
even lash out at those within their camp whom they perceive as casting doubt
upon a lie that they themselves have not only chosen to believe but with which
they have been deceiving multitudes because the same spirit that would drive
them to attack the integrity of one of their own members is the same spirit who
will do all that he can in his power and by any means necessary to suppress
anything that might undo the lies with which he deceives multitudes into a
spiritual darkness and bondage and even one which those whom he has taken captive
may not even be aware, lulling them into a false sense of security and blinding
them to the everlasting destruction that he is leading them into.
The war between
creationism and evolution is not just a mere battle over the truth of origins
but is a part of an age-long spiritual warfare between truth and lies when a
certain angel called Lucifer who served as a covering cherub at the throne of
God thought to make himself equal with God and as a consequence, he and the
angels who sided with him were cast from their places in Heaven (Is. 14:11-21,
Ezek. 28:12-19) and after being cast from their places in Heaven, Satan then
crept into a newly created world in which there was no evil, no death, and no
suffering but was a world that God intended to be a world of life, light,
peace, harmony, joy, happiness, and contentment, and in which there existed a
perfect harmony between God, man, and nature until that harmony was disrupted
when Satan, in the form of a serpent led mankind into committing a fateful
transgression that would turn the world into the once good and beautiful place
that God had created it to be into the presently fallen, corrupt, and dying
condition that it is in now and that transgression of such astronomical
consequence beyond comprehension had to do with a fruit from a certain tree
called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; mankind being warned of God
that in the day that they ate the fruit thereof, they would surely die (Gen.
2:16-17, 3:3) but with false assurances and empty promises, Satan caused the
first man Adam whom God had created and the first woman Eve, being Adam’s wife,
to eat of that forbidden fruit (Gen. 3:4-5) and instead of receiving the
greatness that they were promised, they were reduced to an inferior state (Gen.
3:7 and just as they had been warned of God, the sentence of death was placed
upon them (Gen. 3:19) for it was in that day when Adam and Eve ate of that
forbidden fruit that sin entered into them and from them, the sin which entered
into them and brought about their eventual deaths, was also passed down to all
of mankind for all of us are descendants of that first man and that first woman
and because we are their descendants, we have also inherited the sin that
entered into them (Rom. 5:12) and because of that sin which we have inherited,
we all sin in some form or fashion and as a consequence we all die for as it is
written, the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) but sin is not merely confined
to outward behavior or performance or even the words we speak, but it is rather
the inherent inward corruption of our very nature defiling our thoughts,
hardening and darkening our hearts, and corrupting our very motives which is
why it is written that we are not defiled from that which comes from without,
but that which comes from within (Mt. 15:11, 18-20) and which is why it is written
that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23) which
demands of us nothing less than moral perfection and not just in our outward
acts but also in our inward as well which is why it is impossible by our own
efforts and our own goodness to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, for sin
taints, corrupts, defiles, twists, and distorts more than we can comprehend and
the effects of sin are not merely confined to mankind, but all of creation is
subjected to a curse because of sin which is why it is written that the entire
creation groans and travails in pain to this day (Rom. 8:19-22) but not only
that, the transgression that Satan led Adam and Eve into committing made him
justified in claiming lordship over all the nations, kingdoms, and empires of
the earth, (Mt. 4:8-9, Lk. 4:6-7) which is why he is called the prince of this
world (Jn. 12:31, 16:11)
By that
transgression which, Satan, by a lie, led Adam and Eve to commit, did darkness
and evil come into the world by which all of creation was subjected to the
unprecedented and unimagined tyranny of sin and death which would be followed
by a multitude of other oppressions and tyrannies which would be built upon a
multitude of lies that would follow that very lie that brought about that
fateful transgression which brought sin, death, evil, and darkness into the
world and which made Satan the father of lies (Jn. 8:44) and by that lie, he is
also a murderer (v. 44) for it was by that first lie, that sin and death came
into the world through the first two people into whom it had entered and then
was passed down from them to the rest of mankind, subjugating all of humanity
to the sin which brings eventual death to all who are born into this world; the
effects of both not confining themselves to humanity, but also subjugating all
of creation to a slow and painful destruction thus making Satan a destroyer (Jn.
10:10) and not only does the lie by which he deceived Adam and Eve into eating
the very fruit by which sin and death came into the world and infected all of
creation make Satan into a murderer and destroyer, but he is also a thief and
usurper for by way of the transgression was the dominion over the earth
initially given to Adam (Gen. 1:26) diminished by way of Satan claiming
lordship over the nations and kingdoms of the earth but not only is Satan a
destroyer of lives and of creation, he is also a destroyer of souls for by way
of the lie which brought about the transgression which brought sin and death
into the world and which subjugated all of creation to pain, misery, and
suffering that would have otherwise not been, a separation and estrangement
stands in between God and man and it is because of the sin into which we are
born that we are estranged from our Creator with whom there would otherwise be
a perfect and uninterrupted harmony and fellowship, for that which is in sin
cannot be allowed into His direct presence or into His Kingdom lest Heaven
itself be defiled just as the earth has been defiled and a day is coming when
sin will reach its full measure and will have to face eventual judgment and
that includes all who remain in their sin and they who remain in their sins
have nothing to look forward to but a terrifying and everlasting punishment in
the never-ending torments and darkness of Hell and it was in the day that sin
and death had entered into mankind and into the world that the age-long war between
God and Satan became a war for the souls of men to this day and that war for
the souls of men has resulted in a multitude of other wars and conflicts that
have taken place throughout our history but there is good news.
And the good news
is, is that though the Lord God Almighty be holy and perfect and though He be a
God who must, in His holiness, goodness, and righteousness, eventually punish
all evil and all wickedness, He is also a God of unmeasurable love and mercy who
is not willing that any should perish in their sins and face eternal damnation,
(2 Pet. 3:9) but that all would come to repentance, and therefore has done for
us what we could never do for ourselves in that He, in His graciousness has
purchased redemption on our behalf in Christ Jesus, His only begotten Son, (Jn.
3:16) who came to us in the flesh, (Jn. 1:14) and being without any sin (2 Cor.
5:21) was made that perfect sacrifice (Heb. 7:26-27) that was needed to take
away the sins of the world and because of His perfect goodness, He was able to
offer Himself up on our behalf to satisfy the demanded penalty for all sin and
granting mercy and grace through the shedding of His blood on the cross and
after having died, rose again from the dead three days later that we might be
justified in Him (Rom. 4:25) if we will but call upon His name so that we might
be saved from what would otherwise be a terrifying everlasting punishment if we
will but call upon His name (Rom. 10:9, 13) and believe in our hearts that God
raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:9) for it is by calling upon His name in
sincere repentance that salvation is granted and our souls made clean from sin
thereby liberating us from the threat of eternal damnation and with that
cleansing comes a new spiritual transformation (2 Cor. 5:17) that causes us to
no longer desire to follow after selfish and worldly pursuits but after those
things that pertain to the Kingdom of Heaven,
to no longer take
pleasure in those things that are evil and displeasing in the sight of the
Lord, but in that which is good, right, and pleasing in His sight,
to no longer
desire to walk in the lies of this present world, but only in the truth that
comes from Christ Almighty who is the source of all truth, (Jn. 14:6)
no longer placing
our hopes in the things of this present world, but looking forward to that new
and better world to come, (Rev. 21-22)
to no longer rely
on worldly resources, men, or even our own power, abilities, skills, and wisdom
for our needs and provision but upon God who is able to meet all of our needs,
recognizing that the resources of this world and even the people He brings into
our lives are but instruments and vessels through which God meets our needs and
that the skills, power, knowledge, and wisdom by which we might acquire our
provision are provided and instilled in us by God, (Mt. 6:25-33)
to no longer fear
what men can do to us, but rather fearing the God before whom we will have to
one day give an account for how we lived our lives, (Mt. 10:28)
to no longer look
to corruptible institutions within our society for direction and order in our
lives but to God who, by His written Word has given us laws and precepts to be
applied to our lives and which serve to produce and maintain an ordered life, and
who, by His Holy Spirit which comes to dwell within us upon repentance,
establishes in our lives a course and direction in our lives to pursue for His
glory,
to no longer seek
our own glory but the glory of God,
to no longer rally
behind corruptible men, but instead behind the incorruptible God in Heaven
bearing in mind that those men and women God raises up for our edification are
but instruments and servants of His for that respective purpose to which He has
called them,
to no longer seek
to align ourselves with the things of darkness but only with the things of the
light,
to no longer trust
in the wisdom of the world but only on the wisdom and knowledge that comes from
above, (Jas. 1:5) nor depend on corruptible earthly authorities to swiftly
administer justice, but only in the power of God to deliver us from evil.
And it is this new
inward transformation that reconciles us to our Creator (2 Cor. 5:18) from whom
we had once been estranged and just as our souls are cleansed from sin and our
spirits regenerated in Christ Jesus thereby liberating us from the eternal tormenting
punishment that must come upon all who remain in their sins, so one day we look
forward to the liberation of our bodies from death itself when our mortal and
corruptible forms are transformed into that which is immortal and incorruptible
and from that which is imperfect to that which is perfect (1 Cor. 15:51-55, 1
Thess. 4:13-18) and lastly, creation itself will be delivered from the curse
placed upon it because of sin when it is made into a new and better world (Rev.
21-22) and liberated from the hand of our adversary Satan, who presently claims
dominion, when he is given his final sentence and cast into an everlasting
tormenting fire prepared for him and his followers (Mt. 25:41, Rev. 20:10-15)
and in that new world which will be made, there will be no sin, no death, no
decay, nor any curse, nor any evil, or violence, suffering, misery, grief,
sorrow, mourning, pain, or hardship of any sort for all of these will pass away
with this present world. Instead, there
will only be light, life, happiness, joy, contentment, peace, and rest before
the Lord God Almighty.
But until then,
each and every one us has a choice to make:
Life or death
Good or evil
Light or darkness
Truth or falsehood
Wisdom or
foolishness
Holiness or
sinfulness
Purity or
corruption
Righteousness or
unrighteousness
Order or chaos
Liberty or
oppression
Angels or demons
God or Satan
Heaven or Hell
Salvation or
damnation
What do you reader
choose? If you have not done so already and choose redemption, love, mercy, and
forgiveness and salvation, and to be on the side of life, light, liberty, and
all that is good and right, that I would urge you to call upon the name of the
Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sins so that you may be made a member of His
everlasting empire of liberty and a perfect liberty at that and also a citizen
of the Heavenly Kingdom which will be joined to that that new and better world
that is to come. It is but a sincere
prayer of repentance away:
"Lord Jesus I
need you.
I realize that I
am a sinner
who has fallen
short of the glory of God
and that my
goodness falls short
of your standard
of Moral perfection.
Please forgive me
of all of my sins.
Come into my heart
and into my life
to be the Savior
and Lord of my life.
Make me into the
servant and follower
that you want me
to be.
In your name Lord
Jesus, I pray.
Amen."
Know that God is
not concerned with the words that you use to call upon Him forgiveness, but
with the attitude of your heart and if you have, with all sincerity, have asked
Christ to forgive you of your sins, placing your trust in Him only for your
salvation and in nothing else, then your sins are forgiven and your place in
Heaven is certain.
End notes:
1. Kristina Killgrove, “Monte Verde, one of the
earliest Indigenous sites in South America, is much younger than thought, study
claims. But others call it 'egregiously poor geological work.'” Live Science, March
19, 2026
https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/americas/monte-verde-one-of-the-earliest-indigenous-sites-in-south-america-is-much-younger-than-thought-study-claims-but-others-call-it-egregiously-poor-geological-work?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pushly&utm_campaign=Archaeology
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. “UW-Led Research Resets Age of Famous South
American Archaeological Site,”
University Of Wyoming,
March 19, 2026
https://www.uwyo.edu/news/2026/03/uw-led-research-resets-age-of-famous-south-american-archaeological-site.html
5. Ibid.
6. Todd A. Surovell, César, Juan-Luis García,
Christopher Lüthgens, Jay M. Thompson, and Claudio Latorre, “A mid-Holocene age
for Monte Verde challenges the timeline of human colonization of South America,”
Science, March 19, 2026
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw9217
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid
9. UW-Led Research Resets Age of Famous South
American Archaeological Site,”
University Of
Wyoming, March 19, 2026
10. Killgrove, Live Science, March 26, 20267
11. Michael Wooden Substack note, January 12,
4:26 pm, 2026
https://substack.com/@michaeldwooden/note/c-199008291
Scripture
references:
1. Genesis 6-8
2. Genesis 19
3. Matthew 7:14
4. Isaiah 14:11-21, Ezekiel 28:12-19
5. Genesis 2:16-17
6. Genesis 3:3
7. Genesis 3:4-5
8. Genesis 3:7
9. Genesis 3:19
10. Romans 5:12
11. Romans 6:23
12. Matthew 15:11, 18-20
13. Romans 3:23
14. Romans 8:19-22
15. Matthew 4:8-9
16. Luke 4:6-7
17. John 12:31
18. John 16:11
19. John 8:44
20. John 10:10
21. Genesis 1:26
22. 2 Peter 3:9
23. John 3:16
24. John 1:14
25. 2 Corinthians 5:21
26. Hebrews 7:26-27
27. Romans 4:25
28. Romans 10:9, 13
29. 2 Corinthians 5:17
30. John 14:6
31. Revelation 21-22
32. Matthew 6:25-33
33. Matthew 10:28
34. James 1:5
35. 2 Corinthians 5:18
36. 1 Corinthians 15:51-55, 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18
37. Matthew 25:41, Revelation 20:10-15
For those who like my work and wish to make a financial donation, you can donate to Contender’s Edge at:
Ko-fi
No comments:
Post a Comment