Part 5 geology - gradulaism or catastrophism

A Creation
Seminar by
Mark Woodson
Mark Woodson
P.O. Box 226
Terra Ceia, FL. 34520
(941)737-0279

e-mail: Godsnomonkey@gmail.com

What is the Geologic Column?
Among the earliest contributions to
historical geology came from the
Italian scientist & artist Leonardo da
Vinci (1452-1519), who speculated that
fossils might have come from the
remains of long-dead animals.

The geologic column is the supposed
arrangement of sedimentary layers
called strata. These strata are
theoretically arranged in various
configurations based as much upon
what geologists and paleontologists
say should be there as what is
actually found there.

What is strata?
The field of science dedicated to the
study of these strata is called
stratigraphy. Specifically its the
study of rock strata, especially the
distribution and {presumed} age of
sedimentary rocks.

Stratigraphy itself had its
beginnings when the Danish
geologist Nicolaus Steno
(1638-1687) studied the
{supposed} age of rock strata.

Steno formulated what came to be known
as the law of superposition, or the idea
that strata are deposited in a successive
manner so that the deeper the layer, the
older the rock.
This, of course, assumes that the rock
has been undisturbed, and it is applicable
only for one of the three major types of
rock, sedimentary (as opposed to
igneous or metamorphic).

Steno was a Biblical literalist, meaning
that he believed that the Biblical account
of earth’s history as beginning
approximately 4390 B.C. was literal
and accurate.
Steno, was the man who founded the
science of earth history. His success
earned him the title of "founder" of the
sciences of crystallography, paleontology,
stratigraphy, and earth history, if not the
father of geology itself.

Steno grew up in northern Europe during
the Protestant Reformation but made his
mark in geology while in northern Italy,
where he followed on the heels of Galileo.
Steno was first and foremost a Flood
geologist, who saw the earth as having a
finite history dominated by creation, the
flood, and coming judgment. For him there
were no "prehistoric ages," for earth and
man were both created during the same six-
day span only a few thousand years ago.

Although it may come as a surprise to geology
students, Flood geology gave to scientists
what they didn't have before -- a linear view of
Earth history. Steno's geology was politically
incorrect for another reason -- he incorporated
intelligent design into his reasoning.
He observed the remarkable similarity
between the natural (inorganic) growth of
crystals in the laboratory and the growth of the
mineral that composes the shells of living
organisms.

Shell growth is controlled by an ordering
principle, a teleonomy, by which the calcium
carbonate conforms exactly to the form of the
soft-bodied creature it contains; i.e., a clam
shell grows in such a way as to perfectly
enclose the creature inside. No such ordering
principle is found in inorganically formed
crystals, only repetition. When he
demonstrated apparent design and purpose
in fossil shells, Steno demonstrated (contrary
to Aristotle) that fossils are the
remains of once living organisms.

[The interesting thing is] . . .

He used intelligent design to do it.

How odd that Steno is universally praised
today for his accomplishments in geology,
yet spurned (on two counts) for his methods
of arriving at them.
Steno believed a literal Genesis.

*William A. Hoesch, M.S. geology, is research assistant in Geology.

Later, the German geologist
Johann Gottlob Lehmann (1719-1767)
put forward the theory that certain
groups of rocks tend to be associated
with each other and that each layer of
rock is a sort of chapter in the history of
Earth.

Thus, along with Steno, Lehmann helped
pioneer the idea of the stratigraphic
column . . . The man credited as the
"father of stratigraphy," however, was the
English engineer and geologist
William Smith (1769-1839).
In 1815 Smith produced the first modern
geologic map, showing rock strata
in England and Wales.

Smith's achievement, . . . influenced all
of geology to the present day by
introducing the idea of geologic, as
opposed to geographic, mapping.
Furthermore, by linking stratigraphy
with paleontology, a new division of
stratigraphy, was created known as
biostratigraphy.

The ten strata systems that
Geologists use

(Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian,
Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic,
Cretaceous, and Tertiary)

compose the "standard geologic
column" and are claimed by many to
contain the major proof
of evolutionary theory.

Several erroneous notions have been
attached to the geologic column.

The following are the ten
most common misconceptions.
On the following slides
the 10 misconceptions are taken from:

IMPACT No. 137
TEN MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT THE GEOLOGIC COLUMN
By Steven A. Austin, Ph.D.
ICR , PO Box 2667, El Cajon, CA 92021
Voice: (619) 448-0900 FAX: (619) 448-3469

November 1984
Copyright © 1984 All Rights Reserved

Misconception No. 1.

The geologic column was
constructed by geologists who,
because of the weight of the
evidence that they had found,
were convinced of the
uniformitarian theory and organic
evolution.

It may sound surprising, but the standard
geologic column was devised before 1860
by catastrophists who were creationists.
Adam Sedgewick, Roderick Murchison,
William Coneybeare, and others affirmed
that the earth was formed largely by
catastrophic processes, and that the
earth and life were created.

These men stood for careful empirical
science and were not compelled to believe
evolutionary speculation or side with
uniformitarian theory.
Although most would be called progressive
creationists" in today's
terminology, they would not be
pleased to see all the
evolutionary baggage that has
been loaded onto their
classification of strata.

Misconception No. 2.
Geologists composed the
geologic column by assembling
the "periods" and "eras"
which they had recognized.

The geologic column was not composed by
assembling a chronology of "periods“ or
"eras" or other supposed measures of time,
but by superposition of objectively defined
sequences of sedimentary strata called
"systems." The "periods" and "eras" were
later appended to the system classification
of the "geologic Column"
transforming it into a
"geologic time scale."

Misconception No. 3
The strata systems
of the geologic column
are worldwide in their
occurrence with each strata
system being present below
any point on the earth's surface.

The notion that the earth's crust
has an "onion skin" structure
with successive layers containing all
strata systems distributed
on a global scale is not an
accurate representation
of what actually
is found.
Its claims are not
according to the facts.

Data from continents and ocean basins
show that the ten systems are poorly
represented on a global scale:
approximately 77% of the earth's
surface area on land and
under the sea has
seven or more
(70% or more) of the
strata systems
missing beneath;

94% of the earth's surface
has three or more systems
missing beneath;
and an estimated 99.6%
has at least one missing system.
Only a few locations on earth
(about 0.4% of its area)
have been described
with the succession of
the ten systems beneath
(west Nepal, west Bolivia, and central Poland).

Even where the ten systems
are present, geologists recognize
individual systems to be incomplete.

The entire geologic column, composed
of complete strata systems, exists only
in the diagrams!

Misconception No. 4
Strata systems always occur
in the order required
by the geologic column.

Locations are known where the order of the
systems identified by geologists does not
match the order of the geologic column.
Strata systems are believed in some places
to be inverted, repeated, or inserted where
they do not belong.
Overturning, overthrust faulting, or
landsliding are frequently maintained
as disrupting the order.

In some locations
such structural changes
can be supported by physical evidence
while elsewhere physical evidence
of the disruption may be lacking
and special pleading may be required using
fossils or radiometric dating.

Misconception No. 5
Because each strata system
has distinctive lithologic
composition, a newly discovered
stratum can be assigned easily
to its correct position
in the geologic column.

Sandstone, limestone, dolomite, shale,
chert, salt, conglomerate, coal and
other rock types are not diagnostic
of specific strata systems.
Therefore, a rock's physical
appearance cannot, with certainty,
distinguish the system or strata level to
which a rock may belong.

Misconception No. 6
Fossils, especially the species
distinctive of specific systems,
provide the most reliable method
of assigning strata to their level
in the geologic column.

Bed-to-bed comparison of strata to their
"system type" area is the most reliable
method of assigning strata to a system.
The visual information from oil well drilling,
seismic surveys, and surface geologic
mapping is of such character that visual
subsurface comparisons
of stratigraphic units of the thickness
of systems is possible
on a continental scale.

Although some fossils appear to be
distinctive of certain systems
(most fossil taxa range through a few to several systems),

care must be exercised in comparison by
fossils.

First, the range of location of a fossil type
within the layers of strata is always open to
being extended beyond its current limits as
new fossils are discovered in those layers.

Second, when an extension
of a fossil's range may be required,
geologists may call upon erosion (reworking
fossils into younger strata or leaking fossils
into older strata) and structural events
(overturning or faulting strata & fossils).

An example of the first problem
is the monoplacophoran
mollusk Pilina, which might
otherwise be considered
diagnostic of the
Silurian System, except for the
startling discovery that
Neopilina lives today, and,
therefore, would be expected in
any system overlying the
Silurian.

Wikipedia still has this animal classified as
early Cambrian to Devonian.

For these reasons
correlation by fossils must always remain
tentative awaiting further confirmatory
evidence from lithostratigraphy.
We should look very skeptically
at strata correlations which rely
solely on fossils.

Misconception No. 7
Sedimentary evidence proves
that periods of millions of years
duration were required to deposit
individual strata systems.

Before radiometric dating was devised,
uniformitarian geologists postulated
"periods" of millions of years duration to
slowly deposit the strata systems.

A single sedimentary lamina, or bed, was
supposed by uniformitarian geologists to
represent typically a year or many years
duration.

It was concluded, therefore, that multiplied
thousands of lamina and beds
superimposed required millions of years.
Recently, however, geologists have
discovered that lamina and beds form
quickly on floodplains of rivers
during floods, in shallow marine areas
during storms, and in deep water
by turbidity currents.

The evidence of rapid sedimentation
is now so easily recognized that geologists
observing a strata system these days often
ask where to insert the "missing time" of
which the strata do not show
sedimentary evidence.
Catastrophism, quite naturally,
is making a come-back.

There is good reason to believe
that entire strata systems,
and even groups of systems,
were accumulated in a hydraulic cataclysm
matching the description of Noah's Flood
in the Bible.

Misconception No. 8
Radiometric dating can supply
"absolute ages" in millions of
years with certainty to systems
of the geologic column.

Geologists and geochronologists assert that
radiometric dating verifies that individual
strata systems and their strata are millions
of years old.
When asked to document the most reliable
radiometric age dates, geologists usually
point to isochronal and concordia plots
which employ multiple isotopic analyses,
which they claim will remove the effects of
original "contaminants," and display the
"age" of a rock in graphical form.

However, we find geologists
often reporting isochronal plots
which are discordant with the accepted
"ages" of strata systems.

Frequently, these discordant isochronal
plots "date" strata systems much older than
even the accepted old ages customarily
assigned to the systems

Geologists should be asking which,
if any, of the isochronal plots should be accepted
as "absolute ages," and if the discordances do
not falsify the assumptions upon which
radiometric dating is based.

Geologists need to consider radiometric methods
which indicate ages of thousands of years for
strata systems, as well as general indicators
supporting young age.

Misconception No. 9
The environmental "pictures"
assigned to certain portions of
the geologic column allow us to
accurately visualize what its
"geologic ages" were like.

Books, films and museum displays contain
illustrations asking us to visualize what
earlier "geologic ages" were like. These
"pictures" show supposed primitive earth
conditions, specific environments with
sediments being slowly deposited, inferred
"transitional organisms" evolving toward
familiar forms, and whole communities of
organisms "at home" with other organisms
absent.

Perhaps the most blatant environmental
picture" has been assigned to lower
Precambrian strata, formed when
the earth supposedly had a reducing
atmosphere and an "organic soup" in which
life evolved. Yet, geologists have yet to find
sedimentary evidence for the reducing
atmosphere and the soup.
This reminds us that accepting
an environmental "picture" requires much
imagination from a meager
supply of facts.

Misconception No. 10
The geologic column and the
positions of fossils within the
geologic column provide proof of
amoeba-to-man evolution.

All the animal phyla,
including chordate fish,
are now known as fossils
in the Cambrian System.
No ancestral forms can be found
for the protozoa, arthropods, brachiopods,
mollusks, bryozoans, coelenterates,
sponges, annelids, echinoderms or
chordates.

These phyla appear in the fossil record
fully formed and distinct,
in better agreement with the concept
of "multiple, abrupt beginnings" (creation)
than with the notion of "descent from a
common ancestor" (evolution).

REFERENCES
1. R. Ritiand, "Historical development of the current understanding of
the geologic column: part II," Origins, Vol. 9, 1982, pp. 28-47.
2. Estimated by the author using data from J. Woodmorappe, "The
essential nonexistence of the evolutionary-uniformitarian
geologic column: a quantitative assessment," Creation Res.
Soc. Quarterly, Vol. 18, 1981, pp. 46-71.
3. D.V. Ager, The Nature of the Stratigraphical Record, 2nd ed. (New
York: John Wiley, 1981), P. 11.
4. C. Brooks, D.E. James and S.R. Hart, "Ancient lithosphere: its role
in young continental volcanism," Science, Vol. 193, 1976, pp.
1086-1094.
5. R.V. Gentry, et al., "Radiohalos in coalified wood: new evidence
relating to the time of uranium introduction and coalification,"
Science, Vol. 194, 1976, pp. 315-318.
6. S.A. Austin, "Did the early earth have a reducing atmosphere?"
ICR Impact 109, July 1982, 4 pp.

From where did the Earth’s strata
and fossils come?

What are fossils?

A fossil is a remnant of a biological or
botanical organism (skeleton, leaf, even the
skin of an animal) which has been
preserved by immediate burial with
sediment at the time of “death” or as the
cause of “death” with extreme amounts of
pressure applied to the organism being
buried.

Claims of the Evolutionary
Geology
1. The strata of the earth were laid down layer upon
layer over billions of years.
2. Each stratum contains fossils indigenous to that era
because each sedimentary layer caused the
fossilization of the creatures it contains and each
new layer contains more advanced life forms than
the last.
3. Radiometric & other forms of dating prove an old age
for earth’s strata.
4. Uniformitarianism accounts for all geologic
formations & fossils.

Geology

1. The strata of the earth
were laid down layer
upon layer over
billions of years.

Geology

Evolutionary geologists claim that these laminat lines are the
result of yearly deposits of debris building up over billions of
years. Each of these lines are part of a group of lines within
a certain stratum.

As mentioned earlier, while discussing geo-
chronometers - about 3,650,000 tons of meteoric
dust accumulates on the earth every year.
Scientists claim that this is one of the sources of
the debris which formed Earth’s strata. Other
sources are recycled matter from seismic events,
such as volcanoes,
plate tectonics and
localized floods.
These events laid
sedimentary layers
which hardened over
time and formed our
strata.

The biggest issues evolutionists must address by
adopting this belief of stratum formation are:
1. Would it take billions of years of volcanoes,
plate tectonics and localized floods, to form the
layers of sediments into the strata we have
today?
2. Are there valid
Geo-Chronometers
offering justification
for their “billions of
years” hypothesis?

1. Why would it take billions of years of
volcanoes, plate tectonics and localized floods, to
form the layers of sediments into the stratum we
have today?
Truth is, many geologists know it would NOT take
billions of years to form these geologic
formations. Geologists developed the geologic
column as an arrangement of the Earth’s strata,
according to the various fossils which they
contained. Because of this, these
strata are represented as forming
over the billions of years to
agre with biological evolution.

Geologist take
dates for their
From the fossils
strata . . . they contain

Paleontologists
from the strata
they are found in.
take dates for
their fossils . . .

Geologist take
dates for their
From the fossils

Paleontologists
from the strata
they are found in.
take dates for
their fossils.

Geologists take
dates for their
From the fossils

So let’s look
again.

Paleontologists
from the strata
they are found in.
take dates for
their fossils.

Geologic dates
are obtained . . .
from fossils
dates.

And, fossil dates
from geologic dates. are obtained . . .

2. Geo-Chronometers offering proof of billions of
years?

This will be discussed later . . .

Geology
2. Each stratum contains fossils
indigenous to that era because
each sedimentary layer caused
the fossilization of the creatures
it contains and each new layer
contains more advanced life
forms than the last.

1. A smooth transition from simple to
advanced life forms is not found in the
geological column.

2. Fossilization does not happen over
long periods of time – that would be decay.

This smooth
transition from
“simple” (by which
they could only mean
smaller),
to more
advanced horses
is NOT found
in this order
in the fossil
record!

Water

Soft
sediment

Compacted
sediment

Meta-morphic
rock

The previous method of
fossilizaton works for creatures
who have a hard exoskeleton,
for soft bodied organisms
immediate burial is required.

Remember
A fossil . . . has been preserved
by immediate burial of sediment
at the time of death or as the
cause of death with extreme
amounts of pressure applied to
the organism being buried.

Bones of soft-bodied organisms
may survive a slow burial and
fossilization, but that is because
bones and teeth are already
partially mineralized while the
creature was alive. However, this
method tells us little about the
organism and usually the bones
are scattered by scavengers.

There are over 20 differing versions
None of which can actually be found
anywhere on Earth.
These columns differ in stratum
arrangements as well as fossil placement.

Ager stated that,

“We are only kidding ourselves if we think that
we have anything like a complete succession for
any part of the strati graphical column in any one
place.”
In, Creation Research Society Quarterly, Vol. 18, No. 1, June 1981, pp. 46-71.

Geology

3. Radiometric & other
forms of dating prove an
old age for earth’s strata.

What is Radiometric Dating?
Radiometric dating is a
term used for a grouping of
tests, utilized by
evolutionary scientists, in
an attempt to establish a likely date of death,
burial, petrifaction, stratification and/or
fossilization for either
organic or inorganic
things.

The following list is of the more well-
known radiometric dating methods:

1. Carbon14 or C14 dating.

2. Uranium - Lead,
Potassium - Argon,
Rubidium - Strontium,
Thorium - Protactinium
Lead - Lead . . .etc.

1. C 14 dating
created by W.F.
Libby is based on
evolutionary assumptions
which cause miscalculations.

Libby’s formula was based on the
presupposition that the atmosphere
had already reached a state of
complete C 14 saturation.

Meaning that the earth was losing
as much C14 due to radioactive
decay as it was gaining new C 14

in the upper atmosphere.

Libby had calculated that the earth
should reach the state of C14 saturation
30-50 thousand years following it’s
natural production in our atmosphere.

Since he also “knew” the earth to be
much older than this, he created a
formula which conformed to those
parameters.

Now, Carbon-14, is a radioactive
isotope of carbon discovered
February 27, 1940, by
Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben.
Its Nucleus contains 6 protons
and 8 neutrons.
Its presence in organic materials
is used in radiocarbon dating.

It occurs naturally and has a relative
abundance up to 0.00000000012%.
That is approximately 1
atmospheric atom of Carbon 14 to
every 1 trillion atmospheric atoms.
The half-life of carbon-14
is 5,730 years.
It decays into nitrogen-14
through beta-decay.

Carbon-14 is produced in the upper
layers of the troposphere and
the stratosphere by thermal neutrons
absorbed by nitrogen atoms.

The only things
which can be carbon 14 dated
are biological or botanical matter
or things formed by these –
such as coal, which is formed
by plant matter.

This is because carbon 14 is a
gas and is literally “breathed-in”
by plants, animals and humans.
Rocks don’t breath
and liquids do not retain gasses
for long periods of time
so C14 dating does not work
for these items.

The only way this could be
measured in order to obtain a
date is to have a constant.

In this case, the constant MUST
be a constant amount of C 14

in the atmosphere
which does not increase or
decrease.

This would allow us to measure
the amount of C14 still present
in remains against that in the
atmosphere.

Using this figure against
the decay rate of C14
offers a reliable date of death –
but only if the atmosphere
has reached a state of
equilibrium concerning C14
saturation.

For evolutionists there is
a perceived second problem -
the organism tested has to have
died no more than 100,000
years ago, because current
instruments cannot detect C 14

in very low concentrations,
which is what you would have
IF the remains were that old.

This presents a genuine problem for
evolutionists because C14
is measurable and in the same
concentration throughout the entire
coal seam dated by geology as
30-300 million years ago!

Diamonds are usually said to be the
oldest of formations on earth.
Yet they contain
measurable amounts of Carbon 14!

Now, due to the density and hardness
of diamonds, they are nearly impossible
to contaminate with outside elements

meaning that these “oldest”
of precious stones, are younger
than 100,000 years at most!

Lee, Robert E., in an article called,
“Radiocarbon, Ages in Error”

“The troubles of the radiocarbon dating
method are undeniably deep and serious.
Despite 35 years of technological
refinement and better understanding,
the underlying assumptions have been
strongly challenged, and warnings are out
that radiocarbon may soon find itself
in a crisis situation.”

“Continuing use of the method depends on
a “fix-it-as-we-go” approach, allowing for
contamination here, fractionation there,
and calibration whenever possible.
It should be no surprise, then,
that fully half of the dates are rejected.
The wonder is, surely, that
the remaining half come to be accepted.”

The following are some
examples of Carbon 14 dating
which are FAR MORE common
than evolutionary geologists
would like you to think.

1) Coal from Russia was said to be 300
million years old, however, tests
yielded a date of 1,680 years old.
A mere 299,998,320 year difference.

2) Natural gas from Alabama, supposedly
from the Cretaceous Period (50 million
years old), when C14 dated, showed an
age of 30,000 years.

3) Another natural gas sample from
Mississippi, dated by geologists as
being from the Eocene period 135
million years old, dated as only 34,000
years by C14 dating.

4) A Sabre-toothed tiger from the La Brea
tar pits geologically dated @ 100,000
million years old and by C14 dating
gave an age of only 28,000 years.

5) A freshly killed seal showed that it had
died 1,300 years ago.
6) Living mollusk shells were dated at
2,300 years.

7) Living snails showed death dates of
27,000 years ago.

“No matter how ‘useful’ it is, though,
the radiocarbon method
is still not capable of yielding
accurate and reliable results.
There are gross discrepancies,
the chronology is uneven and relative,
and the accepted dates
are actually selected dates.”
Lee, Robert E., in an article called, “Radiocarbon, Ages in Error”
Anthropological Journal of Canada, Vol. 19, No. 3, 1981, pp. 9, 29 (Assistant Editor)

2. Uranium - Lead
Potassium - Argon,
Rubidium - Strontium,
Thorium - Protactinium . . . etc.

All of these have severe
mathematical errors and reflect
evolutionary bias.

What are Potassium Argon
& Uranium Lead dating?
Both are quite similar to the C14 dating
method, only they utilize some different
elements to do the same thing.
These other methods are important
because C14 dating only works on once
living biological or botanical matter,
or trapped natural gasses,
where as Potassium-Argon and
Uranium-Lead methods are used
for dating rock sediments.

Assumptions of Radiometric Dating
1. It’s a Closed System.
2. No original “daughter” atoms were
present.
In the case of Potassium-Argon dating
it is important than no original Argon-40
was in the sedimentary rock previous
to the decay of Potassium-40.

This would cause much older dates to
be detected than actually occurred.

3. No Laboratory errors.

4. No variations from the same sample.

5. Results have not been altered due to the
presence of pressure or heat.

What’s Wrong with These
Forms of Dating?
Potassium-Argon dating relies
upon the presence of igneous rocks
(cooled, molten rock) or volcanic ash
in the stratum directly above the fossils.
This is interesting in that scientists
admit that the presence of intense heat
during the fossilization process will
cause major miscalculations
in the fossil date.

Some of Potassium-Argon and Uranium-Lead
embarrassing dates.

1)Tree roots in Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada,
were fossilized in seconds in 1973 when a
high voltage power line fell to the ground.
When scientists where asked what the
result of Potassium-Argon testing these
roots would be, they said, the tests would
show them to be millions of years old, due
to the intense heat involved in their
petrification process.11

2) Hawaiian Lava flows, known to be less than
200 years old, were dated at 3 billion years
old by Potassium-Argon dating!12

3) The famous Australopithecus found in
Ethiopia, Potassium-Argon dated at
approximately 2 million years old.
When mammal bones where C14 tested
within the same deposit, instead of
acquiring a date of 50,000 yrs.,
which is the top end of the C14 method,
it offered a date of 15,500 years.13

Geologic Column

4. Uniformitarianism
accounts for all geologic
formations & fossils.

Modern seismic events
fail to demonstrate that long
periods of time are
necessary to form:
• Fossils
• Large geologic formations
• Stratification
• Petrification
• . . . or any other major geologic changes.

Claims of Flood Geology
1. The strata of the earth were laid down quickly
during the global flood mentioned in the
Bible.

2. Flood geology explains why we find what we
actually find in the geologic column.

3. Young earth known by presence of Pleochroic
halos in the granites of the Earth.

4. Catastrophism explains the creation of geological
formations.

Claims of the Flood Geology

1. The strata of the earth were laid
down quickly during the global
flood mentioned in the Bible.
&

4. Catastrophism explains the
creation of geological
formations.

Mt. Saint Helens offered us a unique chance
to test flood geology in action

Among the last pictures ever taken of Mt. Saint
Helens – the morning of May 18, 1980

Subsequent volcanic ash eruptions
in March and April.

Northern Slope Undulating & Swelling

This photograph shows the directions of
geological shifting, plus the conditions just prior to
eruption.

Landslide material stripped these trees and
washed them down into Spirit Lake

An entire forest of trees like toothpicks all
over the lake and surrounding area.

Spirit Lake after the landslide

These are some of the trees washed
out into Spirit Lake

Many, many trees were washed out
into Spirit Lake.

Movement of Log Mat

In the Morning Two hours later

Examination of the progression of
the catastrophe.

This is stage 1

One or two seconds into the landslide event.

Landslide and beginning of the steam blast

This is a
diagram
of the 3
stages of
mountain
debris.

A few seconds later onto stage two.

Still less than a minute later it is onto the 3rd stage.

This is just the first few seconds of the eruption.

This is an aerial shot of the eruption,
during its first few seconds.

This is an Satellite shot 43 minutes
after the eruption.

This is an outline of the original summit.

This is close-up of the outline the summit.

Overview of the altered terrain.

Bow Your heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the
mountains, and they will smoke. Psalm 144:5

After 9 hours of seismic events Mt. Saint Helens resembles a
1/40th scale model of the Grand Canyon!

Following the May 18th eruption of 1980, there were
five subsequent eruptions that year plus a large
seismic event worthy of note on March 19th 1982.
Each was preceded by distinct
bursts of seismic activity (harmonic tremor).
May 25th
June 12th
July 22nd
August 7th
October 16th
March 19th 1982
For our purposes we will only be looking closely at three of
them. Those of May 18th & June 12th 1980, and that of
March 19th 1982.

The following are just a few of the astounding geological
alterations which were made by there separate seismic events
all of which when added together took less than a few days.

Some Before and After Pictures of the Forests.

Complete Destruction of Forests.

In ascending order there were
three separate flows which
left these deposits.
The first is the air fall deposit
from the May 18th eruption of
1980.
The second, is the Pyroclastic
or Pumice flow deposit from
the June 12th, 1980
The third, is the Mudflow
deposit of March 19th, 1982.

May 18th 1980

The air fall deposit of May
18th,1980 was laid down as a
result of the major eruption of
volcanic ash.

The ash spewed from the
mountain for 9 hours in a
huge ongoing eruption
depositing, in some areas up
to 100’ of air fall material in
layered strata formation.

As these photos graphically
demonstrate, there were some
areas close to the mountain
where the landslide material
covered the terrain in 100’ of
dirt and ash first, only to be
covered by an additional 100’
of air fall ash, leaving a total
of 200’ of deposit just from
the eruption of May 18th.

Steam Explosion Pit
There were secondary steam explosions
caused by the glacier summit ice cap being
immediately buried under 550 degrees of
volcanic ash. It actually took 5 days for this
ice to escape as steam which formed
enormous steam explosion pits near the
south west corner of Spirit Lake.
Some of the fantastic aspects of this event
was the rapid formation of reel and gully
topography.
These pits are125’ deep, 2,300’ long and
1,000’ wide. After settling, the pit is now
100’ deep with 25’ of ash deposits filling
the bottom.

Steam Explosion Pit
This reverse angled picture was taken in
June after cooling and shows the pit now
containing 25’ of deposit.
This topography has many features in
common with the badlands of South
Dakota or the desert terrain in the South
West United States.
Evolutionary Geology teaches that only
hundreds of thousands of years of reel and
gully erosion can form this topography. Yet
it happened before our eyes quickly (within
5 days) by steam pressure opening a hole
into which deposits fell by gravity.

The June 12th eruption (which was the third eruption)
was almost entirely a magmatic eruption.

Now Magmatic eruptions are lacking in high silica and
water content and are not explosive. This eruption
flowed out onto the earth’s surface as a lava flow at
about 140 miles per hour.

Pumice is a unique product of
magmatic eruptions. It is a
frothy volcanic rock formed by
the expansion of gases such as
steam in erupting lava.
Because it is laced with
bubbles, it can be very light and
even float on water. It can have
so many bubbles, it will be mere
froth. It’s heat, density and force
driving the eruption can cause
many different degrees of
destruction from very little to
catastrophic.

On June 12th, 1980, hurricane
velocity (2x’s highway speed)
surging pryoclastic flows
deposited 25’ of minutely layered
strata in hours.
It was thought that such a flow
would leave behind a
homogenized mess of hardened
material, but instead thinly
layered strata were laid down!

Over the years, several lava domes have Arial Views

formed on Mt. Saint Helens. These lava
domes were formed by lava being forced
up the neck of the volcano like toothpaste
from a tube. As it oozed out and was
exposed to the atmosphere, it cooled,
cracked and settled into previous cracks in
the surface forming this dome.

October 10th 1980

Steam and ash plume rises
over Mount St. Helens' east
crater rim. This is the calm
before the storm. The
eruption occurred 6 days
later.
USGS Photograph taken on October 10, 1980, by Lyn Topinka.

October 18th 1980

On October 18, 1980 following the eruption of the 16th, a
new dome started growing. This dome was 112 feet high and
985 feet wide, making it taller than a nine-story building and
wider than the length of three football fields.
This aerial view is from the north. This dome was not the first
dome to grow in the crater. In June and August 1980, two
domes formed, only to be blasted away by the explosive
events of July 22 and October 16.
USGS Photograph taken on October 24, 1980, by Terry Leighley, Scandia Labs.

The lava dome is 1,000’ high and a few thousand feet in
diameter (taller than a 30 story building).
It acts like a liquid cork which solidifies, and thus bottles
up the neck of the volcano.
There have been 6 lava domes which have built up
since 1980.

For two years the whole upper drainage basin of the Toutle
River remained blocked by 3/8ths of a cubic mile of landslide
material from the initial moments of May 18th effectively
damming it up and cutting it off from the Pacific Ocean.
The blockage was then removed by a subsequent mud flow on
March 19th 1982.

An explosive eruption on March 19, 1982, sent pumice and
ash 9 miles into the air, and resulted in a lahar (the dark
deposit on the snow) flowing from the crater into the North
Fork Toutle River valley.
Part of the lahar entered Spirit Lake (lower left corner) but
most of the flow went west down the Toutle River, breeching
the blockage and eventually reaching the Cowlitz River, 50
miles downstream.

This mudflow very quickly gouged out canyons with tree
branching drainage patterns of incredible complexity.
Part of the drainage basin formed in the Spirit Lake area.
These newly formed canyons include a complexity of
features such as a flat gully-headed side canyon, a cup-
shaped side canyon, and a snaking pattern.

A system of 5 canyons come together here some of which are
over 100’ deep and was all essentially done in a single day.

All of these laminate lines are supposed
to take at lest one year each to form,
and these all formed in hours!

All of these laminate lines are supposed to
take at lest one year each to form,
and these all formed in hours!

Another catastrophic result of the mudflow.
Mud Flow Markers
Middle of Mud Flow Edge of Mud Flow

Mud Flow Markers
Middle of Mud Flow Edge of Mud Flow

This valley was filled ¼ mile wide to 30’ deep in mud
scouring the entire area down to bedrock.
By the time the mudflow subsided it deposited 15’
of mud sediment.

Another interesting outcome of the Mt. Saint Helens
eruptions has been both the complete and partial
validation of hypothesis’ held by Flood Geologists as to
the formation of Fossil Forests and coal beds.

Steven Austin had speculated that an event such as those
which washed the forest into Spirit lake, might produce,
fossilized forests, non-indigenous fossilized forests and
peat for natural coal production.

Traditional evolutionary thinking would say that the trees
grew at different times and were subsequently buried, thus
demonstrating the geologic ages of their existence.

For every log which had some vertical orientation, there
was a corresponding number of “waterlogged” ends,
under the water, holding them upright.

Above the water

Under the water

Evolutionary Geologists have conclusively stated that what
you are seeing here could never happen. These tree stumps
were redeposited miles away from their original location.
Just like the petrified stumps of non-indigenous trees in
Yellowstone National Park.

As far as a layer of peak for future coal formation the
bottom of Spirit lake is covered in the partially
decomposing bark which was stripped off of the trees
by the scouring wave caused by the landslide material
of May 18th .

No Bark!

These are fossilized trees from the Yellowstone
National Park.

August 7th 1980

During the May 18, 1980 eruption, at least 17 separate
pyroclastic flows descended the flanks of Mount St.
Helens. Pyroclastic flows typically move at speeds of over
60 miles per hour (100 kilometers/hour) and reach
temperatures of over 800 Degrees Fahrenheit (400 degrees
Celsius). Photographed here, a pyroclastic flow from the
August 7, 1980 eruption stretches from Mount St. Helens'
crater to the valley floor below.
USGS Photograph taken on August 7, 1980, by Peter W. Lipman.

July 22nd 1980

This eruption sent pumice and ash 6 to 11
miles into the air, and was visible in Seattle,
Washington, 100 miles to the north.

The view here is from the south.
USGS Photograph taken on July 22, 1980, by Mike Doukas.

Evolutionary geologists have been
rethinking the idea of the Colorado River
carving out the Grand Canyon over millions
of years. It has appeared, more and more
that massive seismic events (including
flooding) causing a quick catastrophic
change is more likely and more consistent
with the evidences. Also, the fact that this
Satellite photography (color enhanced)
show an elevation of 8-9,000’ above sea
level on northern plateau and 7,000’ on the
southern (arrow), make the canyon’s
formation through that region via a small
river very difficult, since water flows
downhill.

On a personal note, anyone
who could think that a
narrow, single directional
river could flow upstream and
carve out a canyon this
enormous is certifiable!

Remember
A fossil . . . has been preserved by
immediate burial of sediment at the
time of death or as the cause of
death with extreme amounts of
pressure applied to the organism
being buried. Flood geology alone
provides these conditions!


2. Flood geology explains why we
find what we actually find in the
geologic column.


3. Young age of the Earth known by
presence of Pleochroic halos in
the granites of the Earth.

We gave many reasons for a
young Earth earlier,
but even the appearance of
age is addressed in the Bible
as being superficial.

Within the first week
of creation, oceans were full
of life, trees were full grown
with fruit already on them
and man was already
an adult.

“For this they willfully forget:
that by the Word of God the
heavens were of old, and the
earth standing out of water
and in the water, by which
the world that then existed
perished, being flooded with
water. . .”II Peter 3:5,6.

world - Greek word, kosmos, which
means the orderly arrangement,
adorning, world.

perished - Greek word, apollumi, which
means To destroy fully, loose,
mar, perish.

This section on Flood
Geology is covered in depth in

Part 5b: Noah’s Ark & Flood
Geology.

Part 5 geology - gradulaism or catastrophism

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