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The fossil record contains countless billions of creatures and many of them are remarkably preserved. And this causes one to wonder how these fossils formed. According to the standard theory presented in most museums and textbooks it is a slow and gradual process over millions of years. It is said that “when a creature dies, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Next, it is slowly buried and preserved over long periods of time. Massive rock layers slowly accumulate above it. Given the right conditions, some of these fossils turn into stone, and when those bones are exposed, usually due to erosion, we might find ourselves a fossil.”[1]
While this theory is presented as factual, real-word observations through the science of taphonomy—the study of how dead creatures decay over time—shows that this isn’t what actually happens. For one thing, if this slow and gradual story were true then there should be millions of dead creatures on the sea floor just waiting to be buried. But that’s not what we observe at all. Instead, when a creature dies it usually floats for a few days during which time fish pick it apart. And any scraps that make it to the bottom of the sea floor are quickly finished off by marine scavengers like lobsters and shrimp. So it’s lucky if the carcass lasts even a month let alone millions of years! Also, even if there were no scavengers, “Soft tissue decays quickly, including the ligaments holding the bones together, so the skeleton falls apart (disarticulates). Furthermore, bones dissolve in seawater, so we should not expect to find bones of these creatures if they have been exposed for millions of years. Even if some parts reach the ocean bottom (abyssal zone), bone-eating worms (Osedax) and bacteria consume the bones.”[2]
This goes for human bones as well. In fact, human skeletons dissolve in seawater after only about 50 years. Maybe the best and spookiest example of this is the wreck of the Titanic. The Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, but as anyone who has visited the wreckage will attest, there are no human remains to be found anywhere. They do find things like boots but there is no body filling those boots. Obviously, this is a huge problem for the idea that fossils form over millions of years.
Furthermore, experiments with pig and crocodile carcasses have illustrated just what conditions are required for a fossil to form. The first two are that the creature must be buried rapidly and under think sediments so that it is protected from scavengers and doesn’t float. But “It requires more than just rapid burial under thick sediments to preserve a fossil like this. Lots of water is [also] required to dissolve minerals that fill the spaces in organic tissue before the bones dissolve away, and eventually turn it to stone. Also, the porous sediments draw away noxious decomposition products that would turn the fossil to mush. So not only must the creature be buried quickly, but the process of fossilization/permineralization had to be fairly rapid.”[3]
While the secular theory clearly fails to meet these criteria, the global cataclysm of Noah’s Flood recorded in the Bible provided all the necessary conditions. As Dr. Jonathan Sarfati and Joel Tay explain, “Well-preserved fossils are a conundrum for those who believe they take millions of years to form. But they are not a problem for biblical creationists who believe that the Noahic flood ~4,500 years ago is the cause of most of the rock layers and strata we see today.” Truly these fossils are a testament to the global flood of Noah!
Ryan Hembree is a daily co-host, speaker, and writer of Bible Discovery. He also hosts a YouTube channel that shows the unity of the Bible and how science and Scripture fit together. Ryan also has an honorary Masters of Ministry in Creation Science from Phoenix University of Theology.
