Flood Geology

Flood geology is the study of the Earth's geology from the point of view that the Genesis account is true and accurate, and that evidence of the Flood can be found in the geology of the Earth.

History

Until the rise of uniformitarian geology in the early 19th century, most geologists accepted the Noahic deluge as part of geology. But James Hutton proposed in 1795 that geology ought to be based on the processes that we see happening now, thereby automatically ruling the Flood out of consideration. During the 19th century a number of "scriptural geologists" held out against the rising acceptance of Hutton's principles, but they fought a losing battle and interest in flood geology virtually died out by the end of the 19th century.

However, in the second half of the 20th century, interest was revived amongst people keen to show that the biblical account was correct, and a small but growing number of geologists are now studying this field again, although the vast majority of geologists still reject the idea of a global flood on Earth.

Interest in Flood Geology was stimulated by the 1961 publication of The Genesis Flood, by Henry Morris and John Whitcomb.

The Model

Flood Geology actually covers more than just the Noahic Deluge. Flood geologists attempt to identify whether rock formations are from the initial creation, the period between creation and the Flood, during the Flood, or post-Flood, as well as divisions of these categories.

Flood processes

Flood geologists propose that a world-wide, year-long flood would have caused massive erosion, sedimentation, and geological movements, and leaving extensive evidence in the geological record.

According to flood geologists, the flood resulted from subterranean water erupting to the surface ("the springs of the great deep burst forth" ), combined with 40 days and nights of rain. Although the rain stopped after 40 days, the flood waters continued to rise for 150 days, and lasted just over a year before Noah and the others on the boat were able to leave. During the flood, there was massive tectonic activity, including some land rising up and other land dropping, such that the waters ended up in newly-deepened oceans. All the animals and birds (except those on the ark), and large numbers of sea creatures perished, and many of them were buried so quickly that they became fossils, accounting for the vast majority of fossils existing today.

Flood geologists point to extensive formations of sedimentary rocks, many with large fossil beds, as evidence consistent with this model. They also point out that there is enough water on Earth today to cover the entire surface to a depth of 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles), if the surface was levelled out.

Plate tectonics

Many Flood geologists propose that there was a single continent before the flood that broke up during the flood. The idea of tectonic plate movement was proposed by creationary scientist Antonio Snider in 1859, although it was not until several other scientists had proposed similar ideas that the idea was adopted by mainstream scientists in the last few decades of the 20th century.

Several models for rapid plate tectonics have been developed, including the runaway subduction model of Dr. John Baumgardner.

Coal formation

Flood geologists also propose that the flood waters swept together and buried large mats of vegetation ripped from the surface of the Earth, forming the coal beds that are mined today. They point to observations made in Spirit Lake following the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 in support of this process.

Total destruction

Flood geologists argue that the scale of destruction of the Flood, especially if rapid plate tectonics was involved, would mean almost certain total destruction of the pre-Flood world, including any evidence of civilisations predating the Flood, along with the destruction (if it existed at the time) of the Garden of Eden. After the Flood, and particularly after the Tower of Babel, new civilisations developed, that either survive to this day or that we find archaeological evidence of today.

Dating

Flood geologists date the flood to around 2350 B.C., based on biblical chronology. They argue that uniformitarian dating methods are unreliable, reasoning that the Flood would invalidate some of the presumptions behind uniformitarian dating methods. On this basis, flood geologists argue that archaeological dates which purport to show civilisations and artifacts being older than the Flood are incorrect because they are based on the presumption that none of these methods would not be altered by the effects of a global flood in such a way as to render conclusions drawn from them invalid.

Common Criticisms

Critics claim that there is not enough water on the Earth to actually cause a worldwide flood, or ever has been; in addition, many archaeological records (notably tree-ring records and the records of various early civilizations, including Egypt and Sumeria) stretch through the period of time most often given as that of the Great Flood, without any actual reference to such an event.