Serie E brev nr 11

Magazine Overview

This issue of BREVCIRKELN, identified as Volume E, Issue 11, dated April 1965, features an article titled "LIVETS ATOMKLOCKA" (Life's Atomic Clock) by Ivan Troeng. The magazine appears to be a Swedish publication focused on alternative historical and geological theories.

"Livets Atomklocka" by Ivan Troeng

Ivan Troeng's article challenges conventional scientific timelines regarding geological events and the Quaternary period. He begins by referencing his book "Kulturer före istiden" (Cultures Before the Ice Age), suggesting that the Moon's formation from a collision with a celestial body might be the cause of the Quaternary glaciations. He disputes the widely accepted view that these glaciations began approximately one million years ago, arguing instead for a much more recent timeframe.

• Troeng cites various ancient sources to support his hypothesis:
• Tibetan scriptures speak of a cosmic collision that gave Earth the Moon.
• African traditions place the Moon's arrival around 12,000 years ago.
• Plato is cited for the sinking of Atlantis 11,600 years ago.
• A Mexican script mentions a continent in the Pacific Ocean disappearing 11,560 years ago.
• Aristarchus is credited with dating the first of four major catastrophes to 11,700 years ago.
• Many folk traditions suggest ancestors existed before the mountains, which Troeng argues is unlikely if mountains formed a million years ago.
• Churchward is quoted stating that "no mountains existed 15,000 years ago."

Based on the hypothesis that mountains and the Moon formed around 12,000 years ago, Troeng suggests that the Alpine glacial series (Günz, Mindel, Riss, Würm) also fall within this more recent timeframe. He proposes that Carbon-14 dating can provide evidence for this.

A. Cold Periods Followed by Glaciation, Erosion, and Moraine Formation

Troeng posits that mammoths, caught in sudden glaciations, would have frozen and been buried in ice and glacial deposits. This preservation in mineral-rich earth has allowed numerous mammoth skeletons to survive to the present day.

He presents Diagram 1, which charts Carbon-14 dated mammoth finds younger than 30,000 years. Notably, there are no finds between 30,000 and 13,000 years ago. This gap, according to Troeng, supports his view that the period was warm (Tertiary) and not glaciated. He identifies eight dates associated with the first glaciation, one date for a second glaciation around 9,300 years ago, and seven dates for a third glaciation around 6,800 years ago. The distribution of finds suggests the first and third glaciations were the most intense, aligning with the idea that Günz was more severe than others, and Riss was the most significant.

B. Warm Periods Between and Before the Four Cold Periods

When ice sheets recede, vegetation spreads. If a new glaciation occurs, plant matter like wood and roots can become frozen and buried in moraines, preserving them. Diagram 2 shows dated wood finds from the Carbon-14 archive.

Troeng argues that the period between 30,000 and 11,800 years ago was warm, with no ice covering North America or Northern Europe. This contradicts the prevailing view that this period was glaciated and that the ice only began to melt around 11,500 years ago (Alleröd 11,400). He finds it unlikely that any finds from this period are interpreted as interglacial, suggesting that the accumulation of finds dated between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago supports his theory that glaciation had a strong capacity to preserve organic material.

He identifies a warm period between 7,000 and 8,000 years ago, with finds in British Columbia and two on Spitsbergen. These suggest that the Mindel glaciation was mild, while the Riss was relatively strong, consistent with Diagram 1 and general understanding.

Lamont Laboratory Findings and Ancient Catastrophes

Lamont Laboratory's analysis of Atlantic sediment cores indicates "mini-ice ages" around 9,000, 7,000, and 3,000 years ago. Troeng interprets the 9,000-year mark as 8,900-9,300 years ago, the 7,000 mark as 6,500-6,800 years ago, and the 3,000 mark as potentially representing the Würm glaciation and a catastrophe described in Egyptian texts and reliefs. These Egyptian accounts speak of rising sea levels forcing people from northern lands and islands to flee to Egypt, depicted as fair-skinned, blue-eyed, blond-haired individuals with horned helmets. These refugees likely came from lands that disappeared, possibly including Dogger Bank, with a coastline around 80 meters deep, around 3,100 BCE.

He suggests that outside Gibraltar, a submarine canyon marks the Mediterranean's outlet to the Atlantic. Within the Mediterranean, strandlines exist at depths of 80 meters and 200 meters. Around the Laccadives and Maldives, remnants of what Churchward called "Ancient Ceylon" might be found, with reports of sunken palaces. South of Australia and New Zealand, a submarine canyon at 4,000-5,000 meters deep could connect the Atalntic-Indian basin to the Pacific volcano.

In Oceania, sediment cores from crater lakes might show that the oldest layers are no more than 7,000-8,000 years old.

Pacific vs. Atlantic Ocean Floors

Troeng believes the Pacific Ocean floor has significantly greater roughness than the Indian Ocean floor, suggesting the Pacific floor is newly formed and detailed. The Atlantic floor, he argues, was disturbed by the sinking of Atlantis, resulting in considerable roughness. The Indian Ocean, less affected, should exhibit low roughness and thick sediment layers.

He anticipates finding horizontal, flat underwater plateaus in the Pacific, remnants of recent volcanism or low sea levels between 3,000 and 11,800 years ago.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue revolve around catastrophism, alternative timelines for geological and human history, and the interpretation of ancient myths and texts as historical records. The editorial stance, as represented by Ivan Troeng's article, is critical of established scientific consensus, particularly regarding the dating of ice ages and geological events, favoring a more recent and dramatic historical narrative supported by a synthesis of ancient lore and selective scientific data.