Roma

I watched a video in Christian high school about the Mt. St. Helen's eruption. I don't remember the details, but the video/teacher said that it proved that creation was possible b/c of how fast layers of sediment formed and how it showed that it didn't require millions of years to form these layers. Has anybody out there heard this claim or have any comments/links about it? I'm sorry that I can't remember more details about the video b/c it was probably five or six years ago and I was arguing the old-earth theory with my friend who brought it up. Thanks in advance for any help.

-Roma

Gracchus

I would recommend that you peruse the following: http://www.uga.edu/~strata/sequence/seqStrat.html

When you understand a little about the different kinds of rock, and how sedimentary rocks differ in composition and how they are deposited, you will understand that the geologic column could not have been deposited in less than millions of years.

Then visit this site: http://www.kaibab.org/geology/gc_stair.htm

Pay particular attention to the unconformities. Young earth creationists change the subject, or run for cover when confronted with the record written in the rocks. Men may write lies, but the rocks and stars speak to those who truly want to understand.

KJV Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

MrDarwin

In a nutshell, geologists aren't stupid, and know the difference between sedimentary layers laid down by slow processes (e.g., varves), and those laid down by catastrophic processes (e.g., floods or volcanic eruptions). No geologist claims that all the sedimentary layers were laid down over millions of years.

ps418

The problem is that no geologist ever said that lots of layers require lots of years to deposit. Geologists dont stare at an outcrop of rock, and say "Look at all those layers! They must have taken millions of years to form!" Lots of layered deposits can be deposited quickly, such as turbidites, tidal and pyroclastic deposits. This is hardly a secret to geologists.

The real question for flood geology is whether all of the deposits in the geologic record are compatible with such rapid deposition. The answer is "hardly." For instance, layers of bored and encrusted hardgrounds could not have formed rapidly, nor could the many strata containing autochthonous benthic marine fossils (see article below), or autochthonous plant fossils, or fossil soils and weathering mantles, or cyclically bedded marine sediments reflecting annual-to-Milankovitch scale orbital cycles. All of these require a depositional rate much too slow to reconcile with the one-year flood. For examples of each of the above, see:

Fossils and the Flood Autochthonous marine fossils

Fossil Reefs, Flood Geology, and Recent Creation More on autochthonous marine fossils

A Paleosol Bibliography Info on fossil soils

Weathering mantles and the Age of the Earth More info on weathering features

Microbolites in the Geologic Record Microbial carbonates

Dino eggs and the flood Dino eggs dpnt work well with the flood either

Hardgrounds and the Flood More info on hardgrounds

Also, since the rapid layering of pyroclastic material at Mt St Helens is invoked as an explanation for layered deposits such as the Green River Formation, check out some articles on that deposit as well, which show how foolish and contrary to the evidence such hypotheses really are:


Kevin Henke's critique of Sarfati's Flood Geology, Section on Layered Sediments

Creationist Misuse of the Green River Formation, by Glenn Morton

Patrick