A 17th century vision of 'ancient Earth': Map reveals planet with no seas and oceans before Biblical 'Great Flood'
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Remarkable maps of Earth drawn by British theologian Thomas Burnet in 1694 reveal a strange view of planet Earth.
His maps appeared in his somewhat controversial book called Sacred Theory of the Earth, which sought to account for 'irregularities' on 'God's planet' such as mountains and canyons.
These particular maps were intended to prove that our planet was once a perfect sphere but lost its shape because it was battered by the Great Flood survived by Noah, as recounted by the Bible.
This very scarce and unusual map of the world, shown as if the oceans were dried up, was created by Englishman Thomas Burnet in 1694 in his attempt at a scientific account of the origins of Earth. Shown here is a somewhat accurate drawing of Europe and Asia - without nearby bodies of water
Burnet's theory was that Earth was once completely smooth when, as written in the Bible, it was created by God - whom Burnet said strived for perfection, reports Mark Strauss for io9.
But, as is evident across the planet, Earth is not smooth - it is covered in bumps and dents such as hills, valleys and so on.
Burnet was certain, therefore, that our planet must once have been smooth, but it was later shaped by a huge event, namely the Great Flood.
His maps show the world, with the landmasses known at the time, and how he expected them to be if the oceans and seas were removed.
This reveals the land underneath that was once apparently our planet's surface.
If the ideas seem radical now, they were not well received either in 1694, but Burnet was adamant his theory was successful.
'We have now proved our explication [making clear] of the deluge to be more than an idea, or to be a true piece of natural history; and it may be the greatest and most remarkable that hath yet been since the beginning of the world,' he wrote.
'We have shown it to be the real account of Noah's Flood, according to authority both divine and humane; and I would willingly proceed one step further, and declare my thoughts concerning the manner and order wherein Noah's Flood came to pass.'
FORGET EARTH: WERE CANYONS ON MARS FORMED BY LAVA?
The canyon-like scars which line Mars' crust are seen by many as evidence for liquid water.
But a study now suggests that a different kind of fluid - one much less hospitable to life - may actually have carved these features.
On Mars, the most striking topography occurs around the equator. The planet's low latitudes are dominated by the Tharsis plateau, which hosts several towering volcanoes.
Not far off sits the solar system's largest – Olympus Mons. Near the Eastern fringe, however, things start to get deep.
There the land dives into a winding maze of valleys and river-like 'outflow channels', the former including the 2,485 miles (4000km)-long Valles Marineris – the 'Grand Canyon' of Mars – which exceeds its terrestrial namesake in every dimension.
These great gouges are widely thought to have been formed, at least in part, by flowing water. But according to recently published research, they could have had a very different genesis, linked to the volcanoes to the west.
A paper by Giovanni Leone of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, published in the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, suggests that the Martian valleys and outflow channels were in fact formed mostly by lava flows, which erupted from the Tharsis plateau in the planet's distant past.
Burney's scientific explanation for Earth's origin appears in his 1694 book Sacred Theory of the Earth. The work is a curious blend of geography and archaeology, which aroused considerable interest at the time. California is shown as an Island in the sketch of the US
Shown here are ideas of different stages in the formation of Earth taken from Burnet's book. On the left can be seen his cutaway of Earth showing how the 'body of the Earth is still entire' he writes, with the centre 'consum'd by fire'. On the right is a drawing on how water may have been transported around a 'smooth' Earth
Burnet goes on to state that as 'the Ark was born upon the waters' the rains broke the planet, opening an 'abyss' into which the water drained, creating the seas and oceans.
The rain would have fallen 'throughout the face of the whole Earth' and would have had 'a considerable effect on that Earth, being even and smooth.'
He then suggests that the rain would have run into 'chasms made by the sun' and, through a process of evaporation, gradually formed Earth as we know it today.
Burnet wasn't entirely beyond reason, however, as he went on to state that he was willing for hideas to be scrutinised - although he hints that some might not be sincere in their own studies.
'I know how subject we are to mistakes in these great and remote things, when we descend to particulars,' he wrote.
'But I am willing to expose the theory to a full trial, and to shew the way for any to examine it, provided they do it with equity and sincerity.'
Burnet had various other theories for what Earth might have looked like both in the past and present, on the interior and on its surface. Most of these aimed to show how Earth was shaped by the supposed bilblical flood. For example top left can be seen Earth's surface cracking, while Fig 3 shows the 'formation' of continents
Today oceans cover 71 per cent of Earth's surface, with land accounting for just 29 per cent. This water is spread across various vast oceans and seas. This image from the Goes satellite in 2008 shows the moment four storms were lined up on the Atlantic, with one in the Eastern Pacific
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