GENESIS, GEOLOGY AND THE GRAND CANYON
Dr. Gary Gromacki
Associate Professor of Bible and Homiletics
Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania
In June of 2008 I traveled by motorized boat 187 miles down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon with 28 Bible teachers and creation scientists. Tom Vail of Canyon Ministries[1] led ouradventure. Terry Mortenson and Andrew Snelling, with Answers in Genesis[2], gave lectures on the age of the earth as well as the geology of the Grand Canyon.Our group started the rafting trip at Lee’s Ferry. We went through Marble Canyon and then through the Grand Canyon. Some highlights of the trip for me included rafting the rapids in the Colorado River, viewing the rock strata in the canyon, visiting some Anasazi ruins, seeing a petrified log, seeing fossils at Redwall Cavern, jumping into the pool at Elves Chasm, listening to a teacher read Genesis 1 in the inner gorge, floating down the Little Colorado River, hiking through the slot canyon at Matkatamiba,surviving Lava Falls rapids, praying as a group to start each day, and taking a helicopter ride out of the canyon.
The Grand Canyon is an amazing place. Over five million visitors travel there each year to experience its breathtaking beauty. It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world.[3] The Grand Canyon in northern Arizona contains one of the most exceptional series of exposed rock formations found anywhere in the world. The sequence of rock layers in the canyon vary in color and thickness and extend from the Colorado River to the Kaibab Plateau. The Grand Canyon is approximately one mile deep and extends 278 miles between Lake Powell on its eastern end and Lake Mead to the west. The Colorado River meanders through the GrandCanyon.[4]
In this article we will examine the question of the age of the earth as we study the book of Genesis, geology, and the Grand Canyon. How old is the earth? How was the Grand Canyon formed?Do the rock layers of the Grand Canyon prove that the earth is old?Is Genesis opposed to geology?Does Genesis teach us anything about the age of the earth?How have Bible scholars and creation scientists interpreted Genesis, geology and the Grand Canyon? This paper will attempt to answer these questions regarding the Bible and science.
THE GRAND CANYON AND
THE AGE OF THE EARTH
How long ago was the Grand Canyon formed?[5]Evolutionist geologists assert that the rock strata of the Grand Canyon were formed over millions of years as oceans slowly advanced and retreated over the North American continent.They believe that the Grand Canyon was cut in six million years by the Colorado River.[6]Belknap argues for an old earth as he describes how the Grand Canyon was formed:
The dark, contorted rocks of the Inner Gorge are the ancient, highly metamorphosed remains of even older sedimentary and igneous rocks. How ancient? Detailed studies of radioactive elements reveal that the Canyon’s oldest rock, the Vishnu Schist, was metamorphosed some 1.7 billion years ago; presumably the original rock was deposited as silt or fine sand a few hundred million years before that during the Proterozoic Era. Above the inner gorge is a thick sequence of flat lying sedimentary rock. In this sequence the harder sandstone and limestone layers form vertical cliffs; the slopes between the cliffs are softer siltstone beds. Fossil plants and shells found here indicate that the sediments were deposited in the Paleozoic Era during a time span of 295 million years, from about 545 to 250 million years ago. Although most rocks younger than Paleozoic have been eroded away from the Canyon rim, nearby outcrops show that at least 2000 feet of sediment was deposited during the succeeding 170 million years. This period of deposition occurred during the Mesozoic Era (the age of dinosaurs), a time when the region was low and swampy, but not deeply submerged. The Mesozoic ended about 65 million years ago when vast disturbances began to raise both the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau. After a long period of stop and go uplift, the present river drainage patterns began forming. In the last 6 million years, the ancestral rivers organized themselves into the present Colorado. During that time the river cut down through a mile of rock to form Grand Canyon.[7]
Belknap holds to a uniformitarian view of historical geology. Uniformitarians argue that the geological processes seen today are the same processes that occurred in the past andwill always be the same in the future.[8] Uniformitarian geologists argue that the present is the key to the past. They reject the worldwide flood of Genesis. They would argue that the earth is millions of years old and would seek to use the Grand Canyon as exhibit A for their view.
Young earth creationists and biblical geologists have a different view regarding the age and formation of the Grand Canyon. Young earth creationists believe that the days of Genesis 1 were six literal 24-hour days which occurred a little over 6000 years ago. Biblical geologists assume that the book of Genesis gives a true, historical account of origins. They would argue that the earth is not millions of years old, but just thousands.[9] They would interpret the formation of the Grand Canyon in light of the fact that Genesis teaches that there was a global flood (Gen 6-8). Biblical geologists would argue that most (not all) of sedimentary rock layers seen in the Grand Canyon are the result of a catastrophic worldwide flood.They believe that the Grand Canyon was not eroded slowly over millions of years, but in a short period of time either as a result of receding flood waters or the breaking of a dam from post-flood lakes or a combination of these two events.
THE GRAND CANYON AND
THE GEOLOGIC COLUMN
The Grand Canyon is known for its many different types of rock layers. In 1870 John
Wesley Powell was the first geologist to explore the Grand Canyon. He called the rock strata of Grand Canyon “a book of revelations in the rock leaved Bible of geology.”[10]Geologists classify rocks in three main types: igneous[11], sedimentary[12], and metamorphic.[13] All three types of rocks are found in the Grand Canyon.
Geologists have related these rock layers to different time periods in earth’s history. The vast ages of earth history have been divided by geologists into a series of geological eras and periods.[14] The whole sequence is known as the Geologic Column. TheGeologic Column has never been found in its totality in any one location. It is an artificial construct developed by geologists who believe in an old earth. The Geologic Column is used by evolutionist geologists to date rocks and fossils. It is used as an argument to support the teaching of evolution. The Geologic Column is often displayed in books on the Grand Canyon. Geologists believe that the youngest rocks are at the top of the Grand Canyon and the oldest rocks are at the bottom.
The Geologic Column is divided into two supereons:Phanerozoic and Precambrian. The supereons are divided into eons. The Precambrian supereon is divided into two major eons: Archean and Proterozoic. The Phanerozoic supereon is divided into three major eras: Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. The eras are divided into periods. The following description of time periods in the Geologic Column will be given from oldest to youngest.
The oldest rocks come from the Precambrian[15] eon. TheArchean (formerly called Archaeozoic) is a geological eonthat has rocks that date from 2500 million years ago and older.Some geological columns place the Hadean before the Archean while others have the Hadean as included the Archean.Supposedly the first continents formed during this eon. The Proterozoic eon dates before 542 million years ago. Evolutionists believe that primitive water dwelling plants and animals evolved during this time.
Evolutionist geologists believe that the Paleozoic[16] era (542-250 million years ago) was marked by the first appearance of animals with shells such as clams, invertebrates (animals without backbones), fish, land plants, and amphibians. The Paleozoic era is divided into Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian periods. Evolutionists believe that all invertebrate animals evolved in the primordial seas during the Cambrian period. Brachiopods and trilobites were common. Evolutionists believe that during the Ordovician period the earliest known vertebrates evolved. Graptolites, corals, brachiopods, cephalopods, and trilobites were abundant. The oldest primitive land plants also evolved at this time. During the Silurian period evolutionists believe that the earliest known land animals evolved along with fish. During the Devonian period evolutionists believe that amphibians evolved along with a great variety of boneless fish and the first known seed plants. The Mississippian period supposedly saw the rise of the amphibians and culmination of crinoids. The Pennsylvanian period is known for the earliest known insects. Evolutionists believe that during the Permian period primitive reptiles evolved, the trilobites became extinct, and the first modern corals were formed.
The Mesozoic[17] era (251-65 million years ago) is divided by geologists into the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. During the Triassic period evolutionists believe that the earliest dinosaurs evolved along with flying reptiles, marine reptiles and primitive mammals. Cycads and conifers were common. Ammonites also evolved during the Triassic period. During the Jurassic period, evolutionists believe that dinosaurs ruled the world. Also during this time evolutionists believe that birds evolved. Evolutionists believe that dinosaurs, flying reptiles, and ammonites became extinct during the Cretaceous period.
The Cenozoic era (65 million years ago to the present) is the time when mammals and flowering plants became dominant. The Cenozoic era is divided into the Tertiary and Quaternary periods. The Tertiary period is divided into five epochs (from oldest to youngest): Paleocene Epoch, Eocene Epoch, Oligocene Epoch, Miocene Epoch, and the Pliocene Epoch. The Quaternary period is divided into the Pleistocene Epoch and the Recent Epoch. Evolutionists believe that during this time modern plants, animals, and man evolved.
Biblical geologists are divided over the Geologic Column and its significance.Reed and Oard have edited a book entitled The Geologic Column: PerspectivesWithin Diluvial Geology.[18]Some biblical geologists (Tyler, Coffin) believe that the Geologic Column should be accepted as foundational fordeveloping anunderstanding of the geological history of planet earth, but they reject the chronology of the Geologic Column. They believe it is helpful in identifying various rock strata and index fossils within the strata.[19] A second approach by biblical geologists is called recolonization. Recolonization accepts the Geologic Column and seeks to understand the fossil and rock strata within a framework of biblical history with short time periods.[20]A third group of biblical geologists accepts the Geologic Column as a general flood order with many exceptions. Oard gives arguments for Walker’s biblical geological model. The sedimentary rocks labeled as Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic strata areviewed as early Flood. Cenozoic strata can be early Flood, late Flood, or post-Flood depending upon their location and the particular fossil used to date the Cenozoic.[21] A fourth group of biblical geologists calls for a rejection of the Geologic Column and an interpretation of the rock record within a biblical framework of creation, fall, and flood. They would argue that the rock record is a descriptive term for those sections of the rocks that can be observed by geologists today. They believe that the Geologic Column is an interpretation of the rock record by means of assumptions of millions of years, evolution and the continuity of depositional processes. Reed, Klevberg, and Froede Jr. state their position: “If the column rests on the presuppositions of evolution, deep time, and uniformitarianism—all inimical to creationism—then it has no meaningful role in creationist stratigraphy.”[22]
The different rock layers in the Grand Canyonare classified by evolutionist geologists using the GeologicColumn. These different layers and their geologic ages are listed from top to bottom according to this scale. The youngest rocks are listed first and the oldest rocks are listed last. The rock record of the Grand Canyon strata is in bold print and the Geologic Column ages are given in regular type:
Kaibab- Paleozoic era; Permian period
Toroweap- Paleozoic era; Permian period
Coconino Sandstone- Paleozoic era; Permian period
Hermit Formation- Paleozoic era; Permian period
Supai Group- Paleozoic era; Pennsylvanian/Permian periods
Esplanade Sandstone- Paleozoic era; Permian period
Wescogame Formation- Paleozoic era; Pennsylvanian period
Manakacha Formation- Paleozoic era; Pennsylvanian period
Watahomigi Formation- Paleozoic era; Pennsylvanian period
Redwall Limestone: Paleozoic era; Mississippian period
Temple Butte Formation: Paleozoic era; Devonian period
Unclassified Dolomites: Paleozoic era; Cambrian/Devonianperiods
Tonto Group: Paleozoic era; Cambrian period
Muav Limestone: Paleozoic era; Cambrian period
Bright Angel Shale: Paleozoic era; Cambrian period
Tapeats Sandstone: Paleozoic era; Cambrian period
Great Unconformity
Grand Canyon Supergroup: Late Proterozoic era;
Precambrian period[23]
Chuar group: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Sixty mile formation: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Kwagunt formation: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Galeros formation: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Nankoweap: Middle-Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Unkar group: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Cardenas Basalt: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Dox Sandstone: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Shinumo Quartzite: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Hakatai Shale: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Bass Limestone: Late Proterozoic era; Precambrian period
Vishnu Schist and Zoroaster Granite: Early Proterozoic era[24]
OLD EARTH VIEWS AND
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
Most geology textbooks date the age of the earth as 4.6 billion years old.[25] Many geologists would argue that the many sedimentary layers of the Grand Canyon prove that the earth is old. Many Christian scholars (Hugh Ross, Davis Young, Norm Geisler) believe in an old earth.[26] They argue that millions of years can be inserted in the Bible, and so they try to reconcile geology and Genesis. The following is a summary of old earth views.
Atheistic Evolution
Atheistic evolutionists believe that the universe has always existed or came into existence as a result of a big bang.[27] They believe that the sun existed before the earth and that the earth spun off from the sun and was at first a hot molten sphere. Atheistic evolutionists believe that a single cell evolved from non-living chemicals in the hot, primordial seas. Mutations were beneficial and led to the evolution of multi-cellular organisms. Some amphibians evolved into reptiles, including the dinosaurs. The dinosaurs lived millions of years before man came on the scene.Many evolutionists believe that the dinosaurs were killed off by a meteor that hit the earth and caused a change in climate. Some shrew-like creatures survived which evolved into the mammals of today. Atheistic evolutionists believe that man evolved from some ape like creature a few million years ago.
Carl Sagan writes, “The secrets of evolution are death and time—the deaths of enormous numbers of lifeformsthat were imperfectly adapted to the environment, and time for a long succession of small mutations that were by accident adaptive,time for a slow accumulation of patterns of favorablemutations.”[28]
Atheistic evolutionists reject the biblical account of creation in Genesis. They view Genesis as myth. They would view the layers of rock in the Grand Canyon as a result of millions of years of changing environments including a time when the region was like a desert (Tapeats Sandstone) and times when the region was covered with water (Redwall Limestone).
The teaching of Genesis on the origins of life contrastswith the teaching of evolution. Genesis teaches that God created the earth on day one before the sun, while evolution teaches that the sun existed before the earth (Gen 1:1). Genesis teaches that God created light on day one before he created the sun on day four, while evolution teaches that the sun and light have always existed or came into existence as a result of a big bang.Genesis teaches that life began on dry land (Gen 1:11-12) while evolution says that life began in the ocean. Genesis states that birds existed before insects (Gen 1:20, 24) while evolution reverses this order. Genesis states that birds and fish were created on the same day (the fifth day of creation; Gen 1:20-23), but evolution says that fish evolved before birds. Genesis indicates that God created plants and animals to reproduce after their kinds (Gen 1:11, 12, 21, 24), while evolution teaches that animals can change their genetic makeup as a result of positive mutations and become different types of animals. Genesis teaches that God created Adam from the dust of the ground (Gen 2:7) and breathed into him the breath of life, while evolution teaches that man descended from a sub-ape creature. Genesis teaches that man and dinosaurs were created on the same day (sixth day; Gen 1:24-31) and existed at the same time, while evolution teaches that dinosaurs existed millions of years before man came into existence. Genesis teaches that death and suffering came into the world because of man’s sin (Gen 3), while evolution teaches that death and suffering existed before man evolved.