The Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism (2018)

Whitmore, J.H., and P.A. Garner. 2018. The Coconino Sandstone (Permian, Arizona, USA): Implications for the origin of ancient cross-bedded Sandstones. In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism , ed. J.H. Whitmore, pp. 581– 627. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Creation Science Fellowship. THE COCONINO SANDSTONE (PERMIAN, ARIZONA, USA): IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORIGIN OF ANCIENT CROSS-BEDDED SANDSTONES John H. Whitmore , Cedarville University, 251 N. Main St., Cedarville, OH USA 45314 johnwhitmore@cedarville.edu Paul A. Garner, Biblical Creation Trust, P.O. Box 325, Ely, CB7 5YH United Kingdom paul@biblicalcreationtrust.org ABSTRACT The Permian Coconino Sandstone is one of the most prominent layers of rock in the Grand Canyon and is important to creationists because it has often been used by conventional scientists to discredit the Bible since it is a supposed wind- blown (eolian) deposit. Their argument is that deposits like this would be impossible to form in the midst of a global flood as described in Genesis. Over the past forty years, new data has been collected by us and others that we believe indisputably identifies the Coconino as a subaqueous sandstone--data that will be difficult for our critics to counter. These data include evidence from petrology, fossil footprint studies, sedimentology, regional stratigraphy and soft sediment deformation features. In our studies we found that there are many misconceptions or “urban myths” about the Coconino Sandstone including its grain roundness, grain sorting, grain frosting and angle of cross-bed dips. There are no modern analogs that match the precise sedimentology of the Coconino, but we believe that subaqueous sand waves may be a start in the right direction to understand how the Coconino was deposited. Instead of the Coconino being a problem for creationists, it can be one of our most powerful arguments in support of the biblical account of the Flood. There are many other similar cross-bedded sandstones around the world; the Coconino may be the key to unlocking their origin as well. KEY WORDS Coconino Sandstone, Permian sandstones, vertebrate trackways, cross-bedded sandstones, sand waves Copyright 2018 Creation Science Fellowship, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA www.creationicc.org 581 INTRODUCTION The Coconino Sandstone (Permian, Arizona, USA) has been something of a “type” example for the conventional geological community for what eolian sandstones should look like (Figs. 1 and 2). The eminent Grand Canyon geologist Edwin McKee published the first and, until our studies, the only comprehensive study of the sandstone in 1934. He concluded then and in his later works (1979) that the Coconino was wind-blown. Many Pennsylvanian and Permian sandstones very similar to the Coconino occur around the world and this fact is often used as compelling evidence that Pangea was a subaerial supercontinent. At various times for about the last forty years some significant new discoveries have been made about the Coconino. This report is a summary of that work and what we currently understand about the Coconino. Even though more work remains to be done and all of the answers are not yet clear, we believe the evidence now undeniably suggests a subaqueous origin for this important sandstone. Hence, we believe that some of the same features that are found in the Coconino may be useful for reinterpreting other sandstones with large cross-beds, of course after careful study. The primary features that many have claimed support the eolian origin of the Coconino are its large cross-beds, steep cross-bed dips, well-rounded and well-sorted quartz sand grains, vertebrate and invertebrate trackways and raindrop prints. We have found evidence that some of these claims are simply not true or that they do not support an eolian origin for the sandstone. We have found other features that seem to have no explanation besides a subaqueous depositional environment. Examples include extensive mica and dolomite, parabolic recumbent folds, extensive current lineation, planar beds, poor sorting and rounding of grains, cross-bed dips averaging about 20 degrees, similarity of vertebrate trackways to those made underwater, sand injectites and other features. The Coconino Sandstone has been important in the discussion as to whether the Genesis Flood actually happened as described in Scripture, or not at all. For example, speaking specifically about Figure 1. The Coconino Sandstone as viewed from the Hermit Trail, Grand Canyon, Arizona. JHW photo 8131-2013.