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Since a review of my recent book Geology of the Book of Mormon (2015) was posted
to the BMAF website more or less concurrently with Ted Dee Stoddards piece
entitled Thick Darkness: Volcanoes and the Historicity of the Book of Mormon, I
have received requests wondering what my thoughts are on his article.
First, as a geologist and engineer, I made it clear in the Geology of the Book of
Mormon that I was making no inquiry as to what Joseph Smith may or may not have
known or read. My primary inquiry was a laying out of the geology of the Isthmus of
Tehuantepec, a comparison and analysis of geologic events as described in the text
of the Book of Mormon, and a comparison of the Sorenson model to the underlying
Mesoamerican geology and meteorology.
Stoddards approach seems principally aimed at the historicity of the 3 rd Nephi
catastrophic events, and whether Joseph Smith could have reasonably written them.
I think the article does an excellent job of laying out that argument. It appears that
Stoddard did not have access to the Geology of the Book of Mormon which was
commercially available in January 2015 when his research was conducted, as there
are no citations to it. As a result, there are a few technical corrections that could be
made, both of them based on reliance on the article from Dr. Bart Kowallis in 1997
(In the Thirty and Fourth Year: A Geologists View of the Great Destruction in 3
Nephi, BYU Studies 37, no. 3 (199798)).
Volcanic Earthquake Intensity
I spent a significant number of pages (50) in my book showing and identifying the
overwhelming historic and modern geological research that has been done,
demonstrating that volcanic earthquakes are not of sufficient intensity or power to
cause the collapse or damage of structures much beyond a few kilometers from a
volcano, the conclusion being that there was also a regional earthquake on an
established fault system that occurred in conjunction with the volcanic eruption to
explain the hazard assessment described in the Book of Mormon. My book
identifies the Veracruz fault and the San Martin volcano, located in the land
northward under the Sorenson model as being the most likely candidates. Based on
attenuation analysis, the Veracruz fault system is really the only possible primary
fault system that is consistent with Book of Mormon events. Since the phenomenon
of volcanic eruptions concurrent with regional fault systems were probably unknown
at the time of Joseph Smith, this correction to Stoddards article would only seem to
reinforce Stoddards premise.
Time Length of the 3rd Nephi Destruction
Stoddard relies on the following premise by Kowallis that:
The duration of the thunderings, lightnings, storm, tempest, and quakings of
the earth was about three hours in length (3 Nephi 8:19). That length of time
ongoing volcanic eruption. Again, this fact would only tend to strengthen
Stoddards premise as to Joseph Smith and his potential knowledge of typical
volcanic and earthquake activity.
I think the article by Stoddard was well done, and accurate to the extent of reliance
on the geologic information available to him.