The Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism (2018)

the Solar System. Very few studies have been performed on near passage interactions of bodies within the Solar System. In fact, of the studies that exist, none look at the body deformation induced by such a fly- by object event. Bate and Burkette (1997) used Smooth Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) to investigate the self-gravity effects of a molecular cloud approaching a black-hole and showed the importance of considering self-gravity in close passage simulations. Hyodo et al. (2017) used SPH to investigate ring formation around giant planets from the near passing of a Kuiper Belt object. They showed that a majority of the mass of the Kuiper Belt object was captured by the planet but remained as large chunks in orbit around the planet. To the authors’ knowledge, finite element simulations on fly-by near pass events has not been studied to date. The largest body of work (model) making use of the modern tools and measurements has yielded to constraints aligned with the materialist paradigm of the current “Big Bang” cosmology and neo-Darwinian terrestrial biological evolution. These constraints demand that deep time be required on a cosmic time scale to allow for a random organization of structures on cosmic, galactic, and interstellar scales subject to the known laws of physics. Models developed in recent years to address development of observed structures on the solar system scale (Pires et al. 2015) have introduced physically admissible limitations to the production of the observed configuration of our solar system structure. Models of uniformitarian planetary orbital evolution result in disruption and elimination of rocky planets in the inner Solar System by a process called resonance sweep. Attempts to bypass this stage of planetary orbital evolution, for example within the Nice model (Gomes et al. 2005; Tsiganis et al. 2005; Pires et al., 2015), have introduced catastrophic interactions to avoid the resonance sweep and preserve the derived structures of the inner Solar System. Notably, while the catastrophic interaction model (Nice) results from the cumulative disturbance of interactions with Jupiter, the catastrophic event occurs in a single orbit on the order of 50 years. The solution of a catastrophic interaction model addresses the question raised by observed cratering patterns on current solar system bodies attributed to and divided between the Early Heavy Bombardment (EHB) and the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB). The impasse of the orbital evolution question in the uniformitarian community touches on the question of the YEC community related to the natural order process time scale at work in the rest of the created order outside of our Solar System. It also raises the question of what physical events are admissible and consistent with the Biblical record of creation events and historical events recorded in the book of Genesis and referenced in other scriptures. For example, catastrophic processes have been proposed as a possible initiator to the Genesis Flood (Spencer 1998; Oard 2012) in the form of meteoric impacts providing the necessary energy to initiate plate subduction or by cracking the Earth’s crust. Deformation from a near pass event could also create significant surface deformation and even unload portions of the Earth’s crust allowing for rapid subduction to occur acting as a possible initiator to John Baumgardner’s catastrophic plate tectonics model (Wise et al. 1994). However, evidence also shows that the Earth’s mantle could have been created in such a way to trigger catastrophic plate subduction without the requirement of a triggering event (Horstemeyer and Baumgardner 2003). The near pass deformation alone could create large tsunamis carrying enough energy to transport large sediment deposits during the Genesis flood. Such a mechanism was hypothesized in a global sedimentation model proposed by Baumgardner (2013 and 2016). Another problem confronting the planetary physics community is the history of formation of planets and satellites. The most glaring is the formation and history of the Earth and our Moon. There was a recent crisis from observations (Zhang, et al. 2012) that challenged the currently held view of lunar formation. Improved accuracy in isotope measurements allowed for separating meteoroids into distinct classes by isotopic composition, suggesting a signature of spatially distinct origin within the Solar System (according to the nebular hypothesis, which is based in the evolutionary paradigm). However, the new and more accurate measurements (Wiechert, et al. 2001; Zhang, et al. 2012) were retrieved from lunar samples, and the measurements indicated a statistically identical origin. This finding contradicted the long held lunar formation model (offset Thea impact model) caused by an impactor planet (Thea) fragmenting the Earth (Canup and Asphaug 2001). The impact model of Canup and Asphaug preceded the development of the Nice model of Solar System evolution. The Canup and Asphau g model for lunar formation had the advantage of accounting for the current angular momentum of the Earth/ Moon system and assumed a collision with a body that formed in the neighborhood of Earth, which later migrated into a relatively low velocity collision (escape velocity of earth ~5 km/s) with the Earth where the debris collected to form the Earth and our Moon. Current Solar System isotope composition models suggest that these bodies would have a small difference in their isotope signatures and old isotope measurements of lunar samples allowed for differences to fall within the measurement error bounds. However, the finding (Zhang et al. 2012) with improved precision indicates that the current Earth/Moon system formed from the same isotopic reservoir. Consequently, any impact theory of formation would need to fully vaporize and mix the isotopic reservoir that formed the Earth’s mantle and moon. Deformation occurring from near pass events could in theory, under certain fly-by scenarios, provide enough energy to unload a large enough portion of the body and cause separation to occur. This type of moon formation theory is much more difficult to model due to the requirement for momentum and energy to be conserved throughout the process for both the Earth and the close fly-by passing object. Such an event would likely have a large influence on the Earth’s orbit, but the true effects are not known. The impact models have an appeal as a mechanism on the uniformitarian timescale, because any impact will heat up the Earth and require a long time for the Earth’s crust to cool. Elevating such formation scenarios necessarily contrast with current observations of cool solid bodies, logically demanding that formation must have occurred long, long ago. The wide spread cratering patterns observed among the solid bodies of the Solar System logically must follow the solidification period. Accumulating the time required to Seely et al. ◀ Finite element analysis of a near impact event ▶ 2018 ICC 53