12 / 38
MARINE TRANSGRESSION
In Genesis 7, we read that the waters rose and
eventually covered the whole earth. So on top of The
Great Unconformity, we should find marine layers
that cover the continents. In geology, we refer to a
sequence of rocks that represent a rise in sea level as a
transgression. That is exactly what we find on top ofThe
Great Unconformity, not only in the Grand Canyon but
on all the continents.
This is not just any
transgression; it is a
worldwide marine
transgression! What
better evidence for
Noah’s flood could
we expect to find?
Marine rocks that
extend across all of
the continents are
rather unexpected by
conventional geology. Continents are made of relatively
lightweight rock compared to that of the ocean floors,
and that is why the continents are above sea level. It is
difficult (if not miraculous) to make the ocean come
on top of a continent, let alone all of the continents at
the same time; yet, that is what we find. As you look at
the layers of rock above The Great Unconformity in the
Grand Canyon, the layers are marine, and many extend
across the entire North American continent.
FOLDING LAYERS
When sediment is deposited on the ocean floor, it
is deposited as flat, horizontal layers. However, in the
Grand Canyon there are several places where the flat
layers have been contorted into what geologists call
“folds.” The sediments that make up the rock must have
folded when they were still soft. If they were already
hard, they would
have shattered when
forces were applied,
d u e t o b e i n g
brittle. We find
such folds in the
Tapeats Sandstone
in Carbon Canyon,
a s i d e c a ny on
deep within the
Gr and Canyon .
The conventional
story is the Tapeats
S a nd s t on e wa s
formed about 525
million years ago in the bottom of an ocean. Over time,
this layer was buried deeply (more than a mile!) by
other layers causing the Tapeats to turn into solid rock.
Then, about 50 million years ago, as the story goes, the
whole area was lifted up, and that is when the folding
took place, about 475 million years after the original
sandstone was formed. The problem with this theory is
you cannot bend hard rock; it breaks instead of bends. A
better explanation? The uplift happened soon after the
Tapeats was deposited, not millions of years later. In this
scenario, the sediments would have still been soft and
folded easily, as the field evidence indicates. This more
reasonable scenario eliminates hundreds of millions of
years of Grand Canyon history!
SOLID FOUNDATION
I have discussed just some of the evidence that I
see in the rocks of the Grand Canyon that support a
young earth and the story of Noah’s flood. Evidences
such as these led me as a young, Christian geologist
to eventually accept the biblical account was true. So
why do so many people not accept the biblical account
as truth? In 2 Peter 3, Peter prophesies about the last
days, saying men will “deliberately overlook” (ESV) or
be “willfully ignorant” (KJV) of two truths: the fact that
God created byHisWord (v. 5) and the fact He destroyed
the earth with Noah’s flood (v. 6). Ignoring the Word
of God or compromising what it clearly says is nothing
new; Adam and Eve were the first to do it in the Garden.
Today, we still fall for the same temptation, even in fields
like geology. As Christians, we need to heed Peter’s
warning and encouragement when he says “… take care
that you are not carried away with the error of lawless
people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”
(2 Pet. 3:17–18).
John Whitmore
is Professor of Geology at Cedarville
University. He has been at Cedarville since 1991.
He earned his Ph.D. in biology with a paleontology
emphasis fromLoma Linda University. He developed the
Bachelor of Science in geology and Bachelor of Arts in
geoscience majors at Cedarville — the only evangelical
Christian school where these majors are offered from a
young earth perspective. In 2015, Whitmore and three
co-authors, including Cedarville Professor of Physics
Steven Gollmer, published
The Heavens and the Earth
,
the first college-level earth science textbook from a
young-earth perspective. Whitmore has made numerous
trips to the Grand Canyon and partners with Answers
in Genesis and Canyon Ministries in guiding raft trips
down the Colorado River.
Continental Core
(mostly granite-like rock)
Ocean
Ocean
Ocean Crust
(mostly basalt)
All of the continents are covered with a
thin layer of marine sedimentary rocks
The Great Unconformity
The general construction of a continent. All continents have
a granite-like rock core that was originally formed during the
creation week. Early in the flood, the continents were eroded
(making The Great Unconformity) and then a thin layer of
marine rocks was laid down on top of that.
Folding in the Tapeats Sandstone in Carbon Canyon, a side
canyon of the Grand Canyon. Note the people in the lower right
hand corner for scale.
12
|
Cedarville Magazine