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Introduction
Creationists have often been criticized for failing to present original research and
evidence that would overthrow our contemporary view of human origins in favor of
another. However, this is not an entirely fair accusation. The creation "science" field
known as OOPARTS, or "Out Of Place ARTifactS" is a lively area of study with
numerous examples. This paper will examine the most popular and least understood
specimen, the Coso Artifact.
The Discovery
The story of the Coso
Artifact has been
embellished over the
years, but nearly all
accounts of the actual
discovery are basically
unchanged.
On February 13, 1961,
Wallace Lane, Virginia
Maxey, and Mike
Mikesell were seeking
interesting mineral
specimens, particularly
geodes, for their "LM
& V Rockhounds Gem and Gift Shop" in Olancha, California. On this particular day,
the trio were about six miles northeast of Olancha, near the top of a peak about 4,300
feet in elevation and about 340 feet above the dry bed of Owens Lake. According to
Maxey, "We hiked about three miles north, after we had parked some five miles east of
State Highway 395, south of Olancha, California." At lunchtime, after collecting rocks
most of the morning, all three placed their specimens in the rock sack Mikesell was
carrying.
The next day in the gift shop's workroom, Mikesell ruined a nearly new diamond saw
blade while cutting what he thought was a geode. Inside the nodule that was cut,
Mikesell did not find a cavity as so many geodes have, but a perfectly circular section of
very hard, white material that appeared to be porcelain. In the center of the porcelain
cylinder, was a 2-millimeter shaft of bright metal. The metal shaft responded to a
magnet.
There were still other odd qualities about the specimen. The outer layer of the specimen
was encrusted with fossil shells and their fragments. In addition to shells, the
discoverers noticed two nonmagnetic metallic metal objects in the crust, resembling a
nail and a washer. Stranger still, the inner layer was hexagonal and seemed to form a
casing around the hard porcelain cylinder. Within the inner layer, a layer of
decomposing copper surrounded the porcelain cylinder.
Fantastic Speculations
Ever since the artifact was first discovered, numerous individuals have speculated about
its mysterious origin and possible use.
Virginia Maxey speculated that "one possibility is that it is barely 100 years old something that lay in a mud bed, then got baked and hardened by the sun in a matter of
a few years." However it was Maxey who supplied the claim that the artifact could be at
least 500,000 years old. "Or else it is an instrument as old as legendary Mu or Atlantis.
Perhaps it is a communications device or some sort of directional finder or some
instrument made to utilize power principles we know nothing about."
INFO Journal editor Paul J. Willis speculated that the artifact was some sort of spark
plug. His brother found the suggestion extraordinary. "I was thunderstruck," he wrote,
"for suddenly all the parts seemed to fit. The object sliced in two shows a hexagonal
part, a porcelain or ceramic insulator with a central metallic shaft - the basic
components of any spark plug." However, the two could not reconcile the upper end
featuring a "spring", "helix", or "metal threads" with any contemporary spark plug. So
the mystery continued. The artifact even appeared briefly at the end of an "In Search
Of..." episode hosted by Leonard Nimoy.
The Internet offers a plethora of other opinions on the subject. While most websites
simply report the mystery as described earlier, some have taken to speculate on the
purpose and origin of such a device. Brian Wood, described as "International Director
of MICAP (Multinational Investigations Cooperative on Aerial Phenomena) and
Producer/Director of The Paranet Continuum Radio Program" suggested that if it isn't
simply a spark plug, "My guess would be some sort of antenna. The construction
reminds me of modern attempts at superconductors. Wonder if anyone's tried replicating
the thing using ceramic superconductors and then cooling the thing off with liquid
nitrogen to see what happens." (Source: http://emerald.oz.net/jz/sphinxt.html September
10, 1999).
Joe Held's "Joe's UFOs and Space Mysteries" thinks the device "looks similar to a small
capacitor with several different materials. The object is roughly the size of an auto spark
plug. Since the formation of geodes can take millions of years this was a very curious
find indeed." (Source: http://members.tripod.com/J_Kidd/index.html September 10,
1999).
development. Reliable dates for such finds are difficult to obtain. However, it has been
commonly assumed that formation of geodes requires significant amounts of time.
Finding a spark plug in a rock considered to be very old would indeed give it the label
of an out-of-place artifact. Evidence of advanced technology, like spark plugs, should
not, according to evolutionism, be discovered in old rocks."
The Geologic
Evidence: Is the Coso
Artifact Encased in a
Geode?
When it comes to the
geologic evidence, the most
stunning claim is that the
artifact was discovered in a
geode. As Donald Chittick
has noted, formation of a
geode requires significant
amounts of time. But what
is often overlooked is that the Coso Artifact possesses no characteristics that would
classify it as a geode. It is true that the original discoverers were looking for geodes on
the day the artifact was found. But this alone is insufficient evidence that the artifact is a
geode.
Geodes consists of a thin outer shell, composed of dense chalcedonic silica, and are
filled with a layer of quartz crystals. The Coso Artifact does not possess either feature.
Discoverer Virginia Maxey referred to the material covering the artifact as "hardened
clay" and noted that it had picked up a miscellaneous collection of pebbles, including a
"nail and washer." Analysis of the surface material is noted as having a hardness of
Mohs 3, which is not very hard and certainly much softer than chalcedony.
Other arguments regarding the ancient source of the Coso Artifact focus on the alleged
fossil shells encrusted on the surface. As noted earlier, if a nail and washer were also
found on the surface, the significance of the fossil shells is seriously diminished. Even
creationist literature notes how surface materials can lead to mistaken assumptions
about the true age of individual objects. Creation Ex Nihilo's June-August 1998 issue
features fence wire that had become encased by surface materials including "fossil"
seashells (quotes in the original article).
article. The center electrode of plugs were made of special alloys which may support
"...cut in two in 1961 but five years afterwards had no tarnishing visible."
The sketches included clearly show one rib on the upper end of the porcelain, although
Champion used two ribs in this era - probably just an artist's error. The "top hat
matches those of "plug 1 and 2."
As for the outer shell, it obviously decayed - probably from salt water (or other
corrosive substance) and the outer crust is merely some sort of deposit like sea shells or
other deposits collected on the deteriorating surfaces of the spark plug base.
There is _NO_ doubt that this is merely an old spark plug. Most probably, it is a
Champion spark plug, similar to the two enclosed.
Windham's letter did indeed match a careful analysis
of the specimens. Most striking is the brass "top hat"
that has so vexed previous attempts to provide a
rational explanation for the artifact. But the
similarities are more than skin deep. Because
Windham had chipped the brass top hat off specimen
#1, the spark plug revealed a metal shaft terminating
in a flared end, presumably to help secure the top hat
to the plug's porcelain cylinder. This revelation led to
speculation that such a flared tip could also be visible
in the original X ray of the brass hat. And indeed, as
shown at left, the flared end of the metal shaft also
appears in the Coso Artifact. The shaft in the X ray,
just below the flare, also reveals deterioration until it
meets the porcelain cylinder. This, too, is exactly what we would expect if the artifact is
a 1920s-era Champion spark plug. An X ray of the authors' own disassembled specimen
reveals a picture very similar to the original X ray of the Coso Artifact. As with the
original artifact, the central metal shaft of both specimens responds to
a magnet.
Proponents of fantastic stories regarding the artifact have made
mention of mysterious copper rings that encase the porcelain. But this
too can be easily explained. Specimen #1 provided by Chad Windham
was completely disassembled, revealing a pair of copper rings
sandwiching an asbestos lining (right). According to Windham, this
design was necessary because porcelain and steel have vastly differing
expansion rates, so the copper was used for compensation purposes.
Specimen #2 was not disassembled by Windham, but also presented a
feature that could explain why the artifact had not been identified
decades ago. Specimen #2, though suffering from severe tarnish, came with a top nut
screwed into its top hat. Almost all Champion spark plug advertisements of the first half
of the twentieth century showed pictures of their spark plugs including the top nut
already screwed into place. In some cases, the top nut comes in two forms, one of which
closely mimics the tip of today's contemporary spark plugs, which have no threading
Finally, as noted earlier, the last known individual in possession of the artifact was
Wallace Lane, who was offering it for sale for $25,000. Bill Bond, a spark plug museum
curator was asked how much a 1920s-era Champion spark plug would be worth today.
His answer was, "A couple o' bucks. Max."
fallacious. Dr. Chittick never responded and may be still promoting a 1920s-era
Champion spark plug as evidence of advanced technology of the ancient past.
Ken Clark of Spokane's Creation Outreach at first expressed interest in the new
discoveries. But when he learned that the true identity was a 1920s-era Champion spark
plug and was offered detailed proof, he no longer communicated with the authors of this
article. As of May 7, 2000, Creation Outreach continues to promote the spark plug on
their website as evidence of a technologically advanced ancient civilization.
Conclusion
The Coso Artifact is a remarkable example
of how creation "science" fails when the
assumptions of its theory are implemented in
a real life archaeological situation. Youngearth creationists commonly assume that
almost all sedimentary layers were deposited
during the Great Flood. Therefore, any items
closely associated with such strata must date
back to the time of Noah.
Perhaps the most surprising revelation is the stunningly poor research Dr. Chittick
conducted regarding the artifact. Several times he referenced creationist articles that
should have cast the original claims in extreme doubt. But somehow, he continued to be
fascinated by the artifact. Anti-creationists familiar with Dr. Chittick will remember a
previous incident with Dr. Chittick. When confronted about his fallacious statements by
Jim Lippard regarding Lucy's knee joint in the mid 1990s, he ignored these warnings
and continued to mislead his audiences until confronted in person by Pierre Stromberg
at the conclusion of a lecture in Seattle. It is possible that Dr. Chittick could be still
promoting the Coso Artifact both in lectures and in his book without acknowledging
any of his private conversations with the authors of this article.
The Coso Artifact was indeed a remarkable device. It was a 1920s-era Champion spark
plug that likely powered a Ford Model T or Model A engine, modified to possibly serve
mining operations in the Coso mountain range of California. To suggest that it was a
device belonging to an advanced ancient civilization of the past could be interpreted as
true, but is an exaggeration of several thousand years.
Acknowledgments
This paper would not have been possible without the gracious help from the following
individuals:
Chad Windham, Bill Bond, Mike Healy, Jeff Bartheld, Arnie Voigt, Dr. David Q. King,
Ken Atkins, Gary L. Bennett, Dr. Alan Bowes, Linda Safarli, Casey Doyle, Paul Cook,
and Ross Langerak.
References
Willis, Ronald J. 1969 (Spring). The Coso Artifact. The INFO Journal 1(4): 4-13.
Cook, Joe. 1998 (Summer). Where Did You Get That? The Igniter 23(3): 20.
Steiger, Brad. 1974. Mysteries of Time and Space. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey.
Anonymous. 1998 (March-May). Bell-ieve It: Rapid rock formation rings true. Creation
20(2): 6.
Anonymous. 1991 (December-February). Fossil pliers show rock doesn't need millions
of years to form! Creation 14(1): 20
Anonymous. 1998 (June-August). Fascinating Fossil Fence-Wire. Creation 20(3)
Noorbergen, Rene. 1977. Secrets of the Lost Races. Bobs-Merrill Company.
Steiger, Brad. 1979 (March 4). Were Ancient Scientists Really Tuned to Today?
Parade. 9-10
Cronyn, J. M. 1990. The Elements of Archaeological Conservation. Routledge, London.
Anonymous. 1999 (September-November). Sparking interest in rapid rocks. A 'sparkplug fossil' has lessons for long-agers. Creation 21(4). 6.
Chittick, Donald E. 1997. The Puzzle of Ancient Man. Precision Graphics, Oregon.
Interesting Links
Joe's UFO and Space Mysteries
http://members.tripod.com/J_Kidd/index.html
Paradigm Systems
http://paradigm-sys.com/ae/lib/archeo/nf-electric.html
Phillip Krapf and the Verdants
http://www.gloryroad.net/~bigjim/Phil_Krapf_Verdants.htm
Creation Outreach, Spokane, Washington
http://www.ior.com/~kjc/pages/strange.htm
Carl Baugh's dissertation mentions the Coso Artifact
http://home.texoma.net/~linesden/cem/diss/diss2.htm
Whatif?
http://byerly.org/whatif.htm
Out Of Place Artifacts (includes x-rays of the Coso Artifact)
http://www.eprf.tzo.com/html/spark_plug.html
Times Past
http://www.farshore.force9.co.uk/tp_relic.htm
Legion's Laire
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/5994/page2.html
Paranet
http://www.mm2000.nu/sphinxt.html
UFOLogia
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Nebula/3703/update17.html
An account regarding Carl Baugh's OOPARTS Hammer
http://members.aol.com/paluxy2/hammer.htm
How a spark plug works
http://www.centuryperformance.com/spark.htm
Federal Mogul - the current parent company of Champion Spark Plugs
http://www.federalmogul.com/
A brief synopsis of Champion's corporate history
http://www.championaviation.com/history.htm
Search Ebay and witness the popularity of spark plug collecting
http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&HT=1&Sort
Property=MetaEndSort&QUERY=%22Champion+Spark+Plug%22
Joseph Robert Jochmans comments on his participation in Mr. Noorbergen's work
http://atlantisrising.com/issue7/ar7eters.html
Donald Chittick's pretrial deposition for the Arkansas Balanced Treatment Act
http://www.aracnet.com/~atheism/writ/berra.htm
Paul Heinrich's home page
http://www.intersurf.com/~heinrich/
Pierre Stromberg's home page
http://www.eskimo.com/~pierres/
Donald Chittick's Creation Compass website
http://sites.onlinemac.com/creationcompass/
The Pacific Northwest Skeptics "Physical Evidence" web page that generated so much
hype
http://www.eskimo.com/~pierres/coso/cosopreview.html
Other Contacts
For more information on spark plug collecting and how to join the SPCA, please
contact:
Chad Windham
Spark Plug Collectors of America
3401 N.E. Riverside
Pendleton, OR 97801-3431