The Story with the Fossils
Genesis 7:21-22
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.”
Fossils are fascinating. Most of us love to find common fossils such as ammonites or gryphaea (the so-called “devil’s toe-nails”). How much more exciting to find a large fossil of a big plant or maybe even a dinosaur.
Fossils are usually found in sedimentary rocks. The fossil is usually enclosed within the rock. The sediment must have been laid down over and around the dead animal. Usually, much of the tissue of the organism has been replaced over time by the mineral of which the rock is made.
It is assumed in many high school textbooks that the sedimentation has taken place over a long period of time. One science textbook, to which I referred in order to write this piece, suggested that it could be assumed that the sedimentary rock had been laid down at a steady rate. This could have produced perhaps half an inch every million years.
But many fossils are bigger than half an inch. A large dinosaur skeleton could be taking up a couple of feet depth of rock. Therefore, we could assume that it would take tens of millions of years for the dinosaur to be covered. Is it realistic to suppose that the bones would have lain there, partially sticking out of the ground, for so long?
The worldwide Flood would have caused lots of sediment to be formed rapidly, covering the dinosaur very quickly. Possibly this violent fossilization is what killed the animal. Once again, the Bible’s explanation makes more sense.
Prayer: When we look at fossils, Lord, we are reminded that You flooded the world to judge people of their sin. But You saved Noah and his family because of Your grace and mercy, and now Jesus is our true Ark of Salvation, and for that we thank You. Amen.
Ref: Slow Deposition vs. Rapid Flow, < https://answersingenesis.org/geology/sedimentation/slow-deposition-vs-rapid-flow/ >, accessed 8/2/2018. Image: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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