GeoCreationism.com

In Problems with Interpreting the Flood, I discussed some of the problems with Creation Science’s approach to interpreting scripture and scientific evidence, as they apply to The Flood.  As I discussed, when I encounter a battle between experts, I will compare their arguments, and compare their descriptions of each others’ arguments.  What I have found is that Creation Scientists cannot explain all of the evidence brought forth by old earth proponents; old earth proponents however can address all of the evidence brought forth by Creation Scientists.  Old earth proponents can also accurately describe the concerns and approach of Creation Scientists; the opposite I am afraid does not appear to be true.

However, this does leave the old earth proponent, particularly a Christian, with certain questions answer.  These include:

• Why are there physical signs of a world-wide catastrophe? 
• Why does scripture make it seem the entire earth was deluged by a flood? 
• Why is the scripture written as if it should be read literally? 

So let’s jump right in… 

Evidence for  world-wide catastrophe 

The reason it seems like the world experienced a catastrophe in the past is because it did.  65 million years ago, there appears to have occurred what is known as the KT Impact.  The evidence suggests that a large meteor struck the earth, decimating most life at the time, including the dinosaurs.  Interestingly, Creation Scientists will often cite a remnant of the KT impact and attribute it to The Flood, and treat Old Earthers as if ignoring a global flood ignores the evidence.  In their opinion, biblically, the only possibility for a global catastrophe is The Flood.  So, any evidence of such a catastrophe must be evidence of The Flood. 

One such piece of evidence is a layer of ancient sediment that is consistently found around the world and shows evidence of a catastrophic flood. No matter where you find it, it appears to be from about the same time.  Is this evidence for The Flood? Well, the evidence happens to date to the same time when all of the dinosaurs disappear from the fossil record.  More evidence for The Flood? If so, then why do Old Earthers ignore it? Well, they don’t.

If you read this paper the KT Impact from the Planetary Science Institute, it explains the evidence for a meteor striking the earth 65 million years ago.  As summarized in the paper:

1. The iridium excess in the 65 My-old soil layer has been confirmed at many points around the world.
2. The same soil layer contains grains of quartz that were deformed by high shock pressures, as would occur in a giant explosion. (The deformation is a microscopic structure called “twinning,” in the crystals).
3. The same soil layer contains enough soot to correspond to burning down all of the forests of the world. This suggests that massive fires were touched off at the time of impact.
4. The same soil layer, especially around the Gulf of Mexico, contains massive deposits of tumbled boulders, as would be generated in a large tsunami, or “tidal wave.” The geographic distribution of tsunami deposits suggest the impact was in the Caribbean area.
5. After a decade of searching, scientists in 1990 identified the crater associated with this material. It is no longer visible on the surface of the Earth, but is buried under sediments. It straddles the coast of Yucatan. It is revealed by mapping the strength of the gravity field over that area, and by drilling; it has been dated to 65 My old.
6. Astronomers have charted numerous asteroids that cross Earth’s orbit. From studies of orbit statistics, it is estimated that asteroids of 10 km size can hit the earth roughly every 100 My or so — which fits with the idea that we actually did get hit 65 My ago by an object this size. (Smaller hits are much more common).

Notice that much of this evidence is suggestive of a flood.  The quartz (#2) could be evidence of an explosive deluge of water breaking through the earth’s crust.  The tsunami evidence (#4) might suggest the same kind of event as well.  When you notice these events date to around the same time, which is also when the dinosaurs went extinct, and a Young Earther might say this starts to paint a picture.  An Old Earther would agree… but disagree on the picture.  Notice the other points of evidence above.

Iridium (#1) suggests a meteor strike.  The wide area of discovery suggests it was huge.  #2 suggests it was large enough to create an outright explosion, and #3 suggests the explosion burned down forests around the world.  #4 suggests that the resulting tsunamis were concentrated around Mexico, which makes sense in light of #5, which identifies the crash site as the Yucatan Peninsula.  Finally, #6 confirms that the frequency of meteor strikes is consistent with the last one we experienced.

When I read a Young Earther’s physical evidence for a global catastrophe, I generally read it as evidence for the KT impact.  Here is an example at allaboutcreation.org:

Over 70% of the earth’s surface rock is sedimentary rock (the rest of earth’s surface rock is volcanic igneous and metamorphic rock). In these sedimentary rock layers, geologists find some very odd features. For example, fossilized trees buried at all angles, upside-down and right-side-up, often passing through multiple rock layers, obviously the result of a marine cataclysm. These “polystrate” fossils (poly, meaning more than one; strate, meaning rock layer) are a worldwide phenomenon.

Or this one:

“95% of all fossils are marine invertebrates, particularly shellfish. Of the remaining 5%, 95% are algae and plant fossils (4.74%). 95% of the remaining 0.25% consists of the other invertebrates, including insects (0.2375%).

Or this one:

Also consider the abundant fossil remains of marine life found atop every mountain range in the world. For example, clusters of hundreds of gigantic (300kg/650lbs) oysters found atop the Andes Mountains in South America.

I agree.  Consider the evidence… consider all of the evidence.

Evidence the Entire World was Underwater

Another interesting point is the reaction to any evidence suggesting the world was ever completely covered in water.  Well, it was.  For example, zircon crystals suggest water leaving the core of the earth at very hot temperatures, consistent with the means by which the world became covered in water.  The crystals themselves date to 4.5 billion years ago, suggesting that that the world was covered in water shortly thereafter.  Now, Creation Scientists might accept this as evidence of the world being covered in water, but they would then point out that the Bible records it.  And the fact that 4.5 billion years ago suggests a different time frame than the KT Impact.  They would attribute it to faulty dating methods.  I prefer the interpretation that it points to the different time

When acknowledging evidence for the world being covered in water, Young Earthers consistently overlook Genesis 1:2, which says that the Holy Spirit hovered over the deep… a global ocean, before there was light on the earth.  Interestingly, there is scientific evidence for just such a time: Effect of Zircon Discovery on other Early-Earth Theories.

Do not dismiss the science, but do not dismiss the scripture!

With two different ways of interpreting the same evidence, here is why why I side with the secular science.  It helps document a nice sequence of events that matches scripture.  However, based on what I know, Creation Science would unintentionally force me into a science of dismissal.  For example, Creation Scientists point at evidence for Genesis 1:2, attribute it to the flood, and conclude that dating methods are unreliable.  Evidence dismissed.  No proof for a particular Creation Science theory? While they will readily admit it, they embrace it as proof that one just cannot know the truth from science alone.  Science dismissed.  It drives me crazy… and it breaks my heart.  Sometimes I even hate to write about it, because of the respect and affection I feel for these same Christians in all other matters of salvation and biblical interpretation.  But, on this one topic, I find them wrong, and it makes us look as foolish as a Greek still worshipping Zeus.

That said, they have a point about scripture… it really sounds like a description of a global deluge.  But, when the KT evidence is weighed into the mix, you begin to realize the Bible’s account of The Flood does not describe it.  Am I simply letting secular science trump God’s Holy Word?  Oh my, no.  In fact, lining up Day 4 right after the KT impact is an interpretation that matches our fossil record to the scripture so nicely, that I cannot help but see it as confirmation of both!

What does science therefore say about The Flood?

Well, given how well science and scripture line up (as I have documented throughout this blog), I have found that all of the evidence for global geographic phenomena either line up with just before Day 4, or with just before Day 1.  All of it.  But alas, having lined up the evidence with the scripture describing creation, this leaves no evidence for a world wide flood at the time of Noah. 

None.

My conclusion? Whatever happened, whatever the scripture is recording, it is not a world wide flood.

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 10th, 2010 at 9:50 am and is filed under Bible Commentary, The Science, Creationism, The Flood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.