James Hutton and the Siccar Point Faulty Observation
On the rocky coastline near Edinburgh, Scotland, Scottish scientist James Hutton made observations in the late 18th century that led to the "birthplace of modern geology." It is here where Hutton mistakenly assumed that he had proof of long ages in the millions of years of time in contrast to the traditional Biblical timeline of 6,000 years. At Siccar Point on the eastern Scottish coastline, Hutton discovered an "angular unconformity" where the lower rock layers are tilted nearly vertical while the upper rock layers are nearly horizontal and produce an abrupt change in the rock layering pattern. The upper horizontal sandstone layers have been eroded near the coastline to expose the lower, tilted sandstone layers. Hutton believed that the erosion of these layers would take an inconceivable amount of time to complete, and therefore proposed millions of years to accommodate this erosional process. Despite the fact that no observers were present to witness this perceived erosion over millions of years, Hutton made this incorrect assumption.
Hutton's assumption was that the present is the key to the past, or that present geologic processes including erosion are occurring at the same rate as from the beginning. This philosophy does not consider the possibility of catastrophic events, such as the global flood described in the Book of Genesis. The work of this year-long flooding event could easily describe the formation of the rock layers at Siccar Point. Here the rock layers are deposited with near seamless boundaries and no soil layers or erosion in between, indicating quick deposition of water-soaked sediment over a short time period as the flooding event would certainly produce. The upper nearly horizontal sandstone layers were deposited later during the flooding event on top of the lower tilted layers, which contain alternating layers of shale and poorly sorted sandstone called greywacke and indicate rapid deposition. The upper sandstone also contains fossils of fish and plants, another indication of rapid deposition, while the existence of cross-bedding also indicates rapid deposition by the floodwaters. In addition, the upper sandstone extends for 700 kilometers or 430 miles and is up to four kilometers thick, indicating the vast extent of this deposition that could only have been deposited by the Genesis Flood.
Hutton's assumption was that the present is the key to the past, or that present geologic processes including erosion are occurring at the same rate as from the beginning. This philosophy does not consider the possibility of catastrophic events, such as the global flood described in the Book of Genesis. The work of this year-long flooding event could easily describe the formation of the rock layers at Siccar Point. Here the rock layers are deposited with near seamless boundaries and no soil layers or erosion in between, indicating quick deposition of water-soaked sediment over a short time period as the flooding event would certainly produce. The upper nearly horizontal sandstone layers were deposited later during the flooding event on top of the lower tilted layers, which contain alternating layers of shale and poorly sorted sandstone called greywacke and indicate rapid deposition. The upper sandstone also contains fossils of fish and plants, another indication of rapid deposition, while the existence of cross-bedding also indicates rapid deposition by the floodwaters. In addition, the upper sandstone extends for 700 kilometers or 430 miles and is up to four kilometers thick, indicating the vast extent of this deposition that could only have been deposited by the Genesis Flood.
