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Western Kansas
Chalk and Fossils Safari
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You must pre-register for all safaris.
Teaching the Significance of Tuttle Creek Canyon
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A Significant Canyon Formed in three Weeks
The Western Kansas Safari usually starts here at the Corps of Engineers
Dam at Tuttle Creek Reservoir, overlooking Tuttle Creek Canyon.
During the 1993 flood which affected many areas of the Midwest, engineers
had to open the emergency spillway at Tuttle Creek Dam for about three
weeks. In this brief interval, with relatively modest amounts of water,
the water carved a canyon at least 30 feet deep into solid rock. The
rapidly flowing water produced several effects: abrasion, hydraulic
plucking, vortexing and possibly cavitation on the stream bed below
the dam.
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Post Rock Quarry
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Some of
the Kansas Chalk is harder than most. It was removed in slabs, broken into
long pieces and used throughout central Kansas for fence posts. Now it is
used largely for decorative signs. This site north of Sylvan Grove, Kansas,
is the source of many of the famous Post Rocks used for building fences
and buildings all across the region. Many safari-ites find significant fossils
embedded in the Post Rock.
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Post Rock Quarry Sign is Loaded With Fossils
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We find numerous
fossils in the Kansas Chalk. Even the sign at Post Rock Quarry gives
testimony to the catastrophic nature of the chalk formation. It is extremely
uncommon to find sediments with any preserved creatures in them today.
Presently sediments form mud or topsoil, not rock, and they do not contain
enough minerals to produce fossils.
If "The Present
is the Key to the Past", then we have no knowledge of the past,
because "the present" doesn't produce fossils like we find
them. But, if you add lots of volcanoes and violence to a flood, you
get lots of minerals for cementing agents to capture and preserve fossils.
Many of the fossil bearing strata cover 10's of thousands of square
miles, meaning the water event was not local, but was enormous. Does
that give you any ideas?
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In Search of the Wily Inoceramus (Large Clams)
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CSA'ers
In search of the wily Inoceramus.
The countryside
near Wilson Lake is loaded with large Inoceramus (clam) fossils. We'll
find larger ones the next day, but they are more numerous, and typically,
better preserved, here.
An item of much
interest for alert young observers: the lizards here look every bit
like small dinosaurs. It is always a contest to see which youngsters
can scamper faster, the humans, or the lizards, neither of which have
evolved since creation week!
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Large Volcanic Ash fall in Kansas
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Another stop near
Wilson lake enables all to fill plastic bags with volcanic ash. You
can use it as an abrasive cleanser for face or pans, or combine with
the rest of your souvenirs and the knowledge you gain on the safari
to illustrate your own talk on the Genesis Flood!
But, of course,
you must attend the Western Kansas Safari to learn the source of all
this volcanic ash, and what historical event was associated with it.
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Castle Rock Pre-2002
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Castle
Rock as seen from the south on a CSA Safari prior to 2002. Note, there
are three tall spires and one short one.
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Castle Rock - 2002
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Castle
Rock as seen from the south on our 2002 Safari to Western Kansas. One
of the three towers shown above, had fallen during the prior year. Note
the small pile of talus (fallen rock) is all that remains. In a couple
more years, even the talus was gone. We have photographs back to 1926
indicating that about 50% has disappeared since then. Note also that,
even in this rather dry climate, the talus only lasts a few years, then
it too is gone.
Conclusion: This is one of several tower
collapses we have observed in the last few years. It is likely Castle
Rock will will be entirely gone in less than a hundred years. Of course,
it is chalk, but do you really believe all other geologic erosion requires
millions of years when this one needs only 200? Remember, this one experiences
virtually no erosion agent, yet is eroding. The contents of these chalk
beds also provide powerful witness to rapid deposition - seconds, minutes
and hours, not months or decades.
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The Thrill of Finding the Big One
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Eva
Arndt was eating a cookie at "Wildcat Canyon" when she spotted
this ancient fish fossil, the same variety as the enormous ones in the
museums around here. Shown here with two of her young charges and safari
leaders Bob Farwell and Tom Willis.
Regretfully,
this photo does not do justice to the fossil. The vertebrae are all quite
well preserved and there were some large, darker fins that provided a
nice contrast for the artistic-minded fossil-hound. Bud Arndt was at least
as excited as Eva. He constructed a special coffee table and encased the
fossil in plastic in the top of the table, to properly display it.
Remember
to mix your fun with growth in knowledge. Nowhere in the world do we find
fish fossils forming like we find them in graveyards all over the world.
Fish, like other creatures require preservation in a special kind of catastrophe.
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"Monument Rocks" or "Chalk Pyramids" - South of Oakley, Kansas
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Way off the beaten path, most travelers never see any
of these incredible chalk formations that are all over Kansas, or the
millions of Yucca Plants that adorn the landscape.
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The Eye of the Needle?
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This formation, south of Oakley, Kansas, is called "The
Eye of the Needle." It is part of a cluster of formations partially
seen in this and the previous photograph. The formation is variously called
"Monument Rocks" or "Chalk Pyramids."
The "Eye" is about 6 feet wide and 35 feet high.
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Dust Storm Required Serious Prayer
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The dust storm closed I70 for many
miles each side of us, but did not bother CSA , it split and went by on
each side of our campsite.
All we saw up close was a gray/brown haze for
awhile.
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"The Big One"
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Gina Kohn showing one of the best
shark teeth ever found on a CSA safari. If I didn't know better, I would have guessed she bought it.
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Near Castle Rock
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The chalk formations make great places to climb, if you like to live life
on the edge (literally).
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What is it?
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Its a bird, its a plane no its a.... *drum roll*....
"What is it?"
We are in bad shape when even Bob Farwell doesn't
know what it is. But we think it is a cow.
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Organization: The Creation Science Association For Mid-America
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Thursday - 11/14/2024
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