Everything about The Principle Of Original Horizontality totally explained
The
Principle of Original Horizontality was proposed by the Danish geological pioneer
Nicholas Steno (1638-1686). This principle states that layers of sediment are originally deposited horizontally. The principle is important to the analysis of
folded and tilted
strata.
From these observations is derived the conclusion that the Earth hasn't been static and that great forces have been at work over long periods of time, further leading to the conclusions of the science of
plate tectonics; that movement and
collisions of large plates of the Earth's
crust is the cause of folded
strata.
As one of Steno's Laws, the Principle of Original Horizontality served well in the nascent days of
geological science. However, it's now known that not all
sedimentary layers are deposited purely horizontally.
For instance, coarser grained sediments such as
sand may be deposited at angles of up to 15 degrees, held up by the internal friction between grains which prevents them slumping to a lower angle without additional reworking or effort. This is known as the
angle of repose, and a prime example is the surface of
sand dunes.
Similarly, sediments may drape over a pre-existing inclined surface: these sediments are usually deposited conformably to the pre-existing surface. Also sedimentary beds may pinch out along
strike, implying that slight angles existed during their deposition.
Thus the Principle of Original Horizontality is widely, but not universally, applicable in the study of
sedimentology,
stratigraphy and
structural geology and one should always bear the above caveats in mind before accepting original horizontality as a fact.
Some proponents of
creation science use apparent exceptions to the Principle of Original Horizontality to argue that geological science is founded on erroneous facts and thinking, and that therefore higher reasoning in geology, such as current theories of evolution and the age of the earth, are invalid.
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