Torch, Summer 1979

that dripstone, deposits of chemicals which form stalactites and stalagmites, has always formed extremely slowly under the environmental conditions found in caves. Consequently, large stalactites and stalagmites, and the caves containing them, are often considered to be hundreds of thousands to millions of years old. Creationists, however, assume that limestone caverns were formed several thousand years ago during or immediately following the Genesis flood. The generally accepted scientific theory of cave formation is in agreement with the Genesis account of a world-wide flood and therefore supports this assumption. Caves may have formed rapidly during the flood (after the major sedimentary deposits had been laid down) or immediately following the flood. As the continents were raised, declining water tables would have drained the caves and produced conditions suitable for the growth of dripstone. The present existence of large stalactites and stalagmites in caves would therefore demand environmental conditions suitable for rapid formation of dripstone. The following data concerning the actual growth rates of dripstone under various environmental conditions should be of interest, therefore, to creationists and evolutionists alike. In April of 1976, numerous stalactites were observed under a concrete bridge on U.S. 42 approximately five miles east of Cedarville, Ohio. According to construction records, the bridge was built in 1941. Thus, the stalactites measuring up to 5. 91 inches in length and 0.51 inches in diameter have grown in 35 years or less. This means that the minimum average growth rate is 0.17 inches per year (or 0.032 cubic inches per year). This is considerably greater than the average rate of deposition of dripstone of 0.01 cubic inches per year (one cubic inch per hundred years) sometimes mentioned by evolutionists. Since the road surfaces of bridges in this part of Ohio are sealed to reduce penetration and erosion by rain water, and since stalactite growth under bridges can only occur during wet weather, this minimum average growth rate is indeed surprising. It is admitted that environmental conditions under bridges are considerably different from those in caves. Thus, it could readily be argued that these growth rates do not apply to stalactites in caves. Conditions in mines, however, might be expected to more closely resemble those found in caves. Examination of a study of stalactite and stalagmite growth conducted at the Experimental Mine of the U.S. Bureau of Mines near Bruceton, Pennsylvania, revealed even greater growth rates. The growth rates of stalactites on the concrete ceiling of the mine range from 0.4 7 inches per year to 6.81 inches per year. These are from thre~ to 40 times the minimum average growth rate observed under the concrete bridge! Obviously the environmental conditions in this mine are even more, rather than less, conducive to rapid stalactite growth than those under the bridge. Finally, an effort was made to obtain evidence of rapid deposition of dripstone under authentic cavern conditions. A survey of the Olentangy 13 Indian Caverns, just off U.S. 23 north of Columbus, Ohio, revealed that the electrical wiring is encrusted with 0.04 to 0.08 inches of flowstone in·several locations and, in one instance at least, is actually cemented to the wall of the cave by the deposits. Much of the original wiring, installed in 1935, has been replaced in more recent years. Since maintenance records concerning the wiring have not been kept, the exact age of the encrusted wiring is uncertain, but it cannot be more than 41 years old. Obviously, deposition of dripstone can occur at measurable rates even under the environmental conditions found in caves today. Furthermore, the large stalagmite known as Crystal Spring Dome in Carlsbad Caverns has been reported to be growing as fast as 2.5 cubic inches per year, in spite of the dry NewMexico desert above. At this rate, a 10,000 cubic inch stalagmite which would require one million years for formation at the rates suggested by the evolutionists (0.01 cubic inches per year), could actually be formed in only 4. 000 years!When the possibility of even greater growth rates in the recent history of the Earth are considered, it becomes apparent that even the largest known dripstone formations could have formed in only a few thousand years. In most cases involving dating methods, it is just as unnecessary to contend that the Earth is billions of years old in order to account for the facts. When one considers the facts from a biblical perspective involving a recent creation and recognizes the changes that have occurred in the earth due to the fall of man into sin, the resulting curse by God upon creation and the flood of Noah, it is often found that the facts not only fit, but fit better than they do in an evolutionary framework. Thus, the conflict between science and the Bible is only apparent rather than real. When all the facts are properly considered and understood, it is clear that they are in agreement with the Bible. The Bible is truly the authority by which we must judge all else. Dr. Helmick is a Professor of Chemistry in the Department of Science and Mathematics at CedalVille College. This article is adapted from a paper originally published in the Creation Research Society Quarterly. Dr. Helmick was assisted in his research by two students, Joseph Rohde and Amy Ross.