Brief commentary on the geologic column as a theme in "creation geology"

 


INTRODUCTION

According to several young earth creationist organizations, such as Creation Ministries International or Answers in Genesis, the geologic column is a popular way to represent the ancient layers of the Earth despite not existing anywhere on the planet: it exists only in diagrams. (Woodmorappe, n.d.) (Patterson, 2011)This article aims to examine these claims in light of the relevant data.

ANALYSIS

First, the geologic column absolutely is found all over the Earth. The idea that it exists "only in textbooks" is an often repeated (and objectively wrong" claim that has been made over the years. In fact, the column can be observed in its entirety from the Precambrian to the Tertiary in the Williston Basin of North Dakota, among other places such as the Bonaparte Basin of Australia. (Isaak, 2005) (Morton, 2001)

It needs to be made very clear: these sites are not needed to confirm the validity of the geologic column, because it is an abstraction. It is an idealized composite representation of what all of the Earth's layers would look like if we in fact had access to them all the time. In the words of Dave Matson:
"The geologic column is an ideal, complete, chronological reference frame that defines the status of those strata having (more or less) a worldwide distribution or correlation in time...the earth's strata has a very definite chronological order to it, and that order, taken at its most complete, ideal form, serves as an abstract reference frame for defining the actual strata of each locality...That is usually what is meant when one refers to the geologic column." (Matson, 2002)
For a more thorough break down of why the geologic column would still be a valid construct even if we couldn't observe it in reality, check out this abridgment of a video by YouTube Logicked, that uses spider-man action figures to explain the concept. (Edmonds, 2022)

For some, thought, there is no path forward for some other than to find arbitrary reasons to deny the fact that the geologic column actually does exist. Creationist John Woodmorappe makes it clear: not only has he on record confirmed that the geologic column exists in proper order in many places throughout the world, but moves the goal post by claiming that even if the geologic column exists in the real world, it's not the "proper" thickness, so therefore still doesn't really exist! (Matson, 2002) (Woodmorappe, n.d.) Young earth proponents like Woodmorappe must continue to come up with reasons that the geologic column cannot exist, because they have tied the column's existence to the reality of evolution and the non-reality of a globe-spanning flood in the last several thousand years. If the column can be confirmed to exist, whether by direct observation or extrapolation, then in their minds, evolution can be confirmed to be real and the Bible disproven.

However, research conducted by young earth creationists who have genuine credentials in geology demonstrates that the geologic column is a reality that creationists should not attempt to argue against, and should rather view it as something that needs to be accommodated / integrated into creation models. Timothy L. Clarey (B.S., Geology ; M.S. Geology ; Ph.D. Geology) and Davis J. Werner (ongoing undergraduate, geology) published a paper in 2018 in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism, where they describe the process by which they confirm the reality of the geologic column:
"This paper examines the sedimentary rocks across three continents in an attempt to test the validity of the global geologic column. We attempted to assess the data primarily from a lithologic viewpoint, and as independent of the fossil data as possible. To accomplish this, we constructed a new data set of over 1500 local, stratigraphic columns across three continents, recording the detailed lithologic information and Sloes-type megasequence boundaries at each site...We also constructed maps of the basal lithology for each megasequence...Results show extensive lithologic units...covered portions of every continent and are correlative across vast regions and even continent to continent. The correlation of these stacked basal megasequence units...confirm the validity of the geologic column on a global scale." (Clarey, Werner 2018)

Thus data published from creationists confirms that the geologic column is not only an extant reality, but there exists no good argument to object to it (other than ideological ones). Similarly to these authors, who see the column as a reality to be embraced and not one to be challenged, David A. Plaisted (a computer science professor with the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina) has independently published an analysis of three separate global flood models that are compatible with the geologic column as it is observed today. (Plaisted, n.d.)

While it will still be argued that such integration is erroneous based on data external to the immediate question surrounding the geologic column, academic creationist explanations exist to harmonize the geologic column with the idea of a young earth and a recent global flood, demonstrating that the majority of dissenting voices within creationist circles are at best wrong in their claims that such a column doesn't exist / wholly invalidates their worldview.

CONCLUSION

In closing, the geologic column does exist in nature and, while it was most likely not caused by a global flood event in the recent past, is compatible with the creationist paradigm. As such, it should not be rejected as having been invented by advocates of the theory of evolution for the purposes of invalidating a specific interpretation of the Biblical narrative.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Clarey, T. L., Werner, D. J. (2018) Global Stratigraphy and the Fossil Record Validate a Flood Origin for the Geologic Column. Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism, 8(28), 327-350. LINK.

Edmonds, N. J. (2022, September 14) Using Spider-Man Action Figures to Demonstrate the Reality of the Geologic Column. LINK.

Isaak, M. (2005) CD101: Entire Geological Column Existence. Index to Creationist Claims. LINK.

Morton, G. (2001, February 17) The Geologic Column and its Implications for the Flood. TalkOrigins. LINK.

Patterson, R. (2011) Geologic Column. In R. Patterson (Ed.) Evolution Exposed: Earth Science. Petersburg, Kentucky: Answers in Genesis. LINK.

Plaisted, D. (n.d.) Three Flood Models. University of North Carolina. LINK.

Woodmorappe, J. (n.d.) The Geologic Column: Does it exist? Creation Ministries International. LINK.

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