Limestone and Its Rapid Formation Around the World
The Dover Cliffs, Southeast Asia Limestone, and the Rapid Formation of Limestone
The thick limestone layers around world in certain locations, particularly the Dover Cliffs of England have been mentioned as a problem for the creationist model by showing evidence for millions of years of accumulation along with "the present is the key to the past" philosophy and uniform rates of accumulation. However, the creation model adequately explains the origin of these layers of limestone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate which originates from the organic matter found in marine organisms. Evolutionists describe the accumulation of marine organic matter containing calcium on the ocean floor over long periods of time. Many marine organisms produce this calcium-rich organic matter which is gradually deposited by settlement on the marine floor. In addition, when marine organisms die, this organic material also accumulates on the seafloor. Over time, this organic matter builds up into a layer of limestone sediment.
The evolutionists and old-earth geologists question how the thick layers of limestone found in the world today could have formed from the accumulation of organic matter in the short period of time of 6,000 years as the creationists propose. Mainstream scientists calculate that chalk accumulates only a few centimeters per 1,000 years, which would not be enough time to produce the thick layers seen today in the creationist model. Old-earth geologists therefore assign ages of tens of millions of years to more than 100 million years for limestone rock layers seen today. However, limestone can also form from the precipitation of calcium carbonate from seawater. As the floodwaters rose during the Genesis Flood and covered the land surface, creationists propose that limestone formed from precipitation in warm shallow waters around the world. Thick limestone layers can be seen today in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Indonesian islands, and in the Pacific Ocean islands.
One must also consider the effects of the eruptions of the fountains of the deep and the initiation of the Genesis Flood as proposed by the creationist model. As boiling water and steam was released from these fountains of the deep, much limestone could have precipitated and in turn produced the thick layers of limestone we see around the world today. In addition, the carbon dioxide gases (CO2) released from the massive volcanic activity likely combined with the calcium, sodium, and magnesium in the basalt to produce the limestone layers. The Dover Cliffs of England are part of a large limestone deposit that extends into Europe and Central Asia and rises over 100 meters above the sea waters. Known as a symbolic shield to protect England from military invaders, the Dover Cliffs are located on the southeast coast and the narrowest point of the English Channel from France. The Dover Cliffs are composed of a specific type of limestone called chalk, which is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcium carbonate. Creationists also site the occurrence of fossils in the Dover Cliffs, which points toward a catastrophic and rapid burial from the floodwaters of the Genesis Flood. Other creationists site the clean and pure nature of the limestone chalk at Dover Cliffs and question how this could accumulate over millions of years. The Nebraska Chalk in North America is a similar formation to the Dover Cliffs, further showing large sedimentary deposits over vast areas across continents in line with the creationist model. Limestone chalk is also found in Kansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi.
The limestone karst and the shallow waters of the Sunda Shelf and the South China Sea in Southeast Asia give great evidence for the Genesis Flood. The Sunda Shelf, which contains much of western Indonesia, is likely part of a former continent that was submerged in many parts by the rising waters of the Genesis Flood and subsequently formed the chain of islands that exists today. The shallow waters of the Sunda Shelf and the South China Sea allowed for the formation of the karst limestone deposits and the unusual limestone “tower karst” erosional features that we see today. In addition, the strong volcanic activity associated with the Indonesian Islands would allow for the right conditions for precipitation of limestone. The precipitation of limestone from warm ocean waters can explain the large accumulation of limestone deposits found around the world. Other chalk accumulations near volcanic activity include the Dover Cliffs near the Icelandic volcanic region and the Nebraska Chalk near the Yellowstone hot spot volcanic center.
Recent work has demonstrated that limestone and carbonate rock can form or precipitate quickly and does not need millions of years to form as the evolutionists and old-earth geologists claim. Limestone makes up about 10 percent of sedimentary rocks on earth. A geothermal power plant in Hellisheidi, Iceland, which is known for converting geothermal energy on the volcanic island into electricity and hot water, has been converting CO2 gas into stone. The work is an effort to find a way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere and help reduce global warming by converting this gas into solid form. The process begins when waste CO2 from steam is captured and dissolved into large volumes of water, similar to the creation of soda or carbonated water. This water is then piped to an injection site where it is injected or pumped 1,000 meters into the basalt-rich subsurface. The carbonated water then chemically reacts with the calcium and magnesium-rich basalt rock underground to precipitate calcite minerals inside the pores of the basalt rock, the dark, porous rock formed from cooled lava and found extensively in Iceland. This process has been documented to occur within months. Calcite (calcium carbonate) is the main mineral constituent of limestone rock and therefore this process shows that limestone can form quickly. This CO2 to stone idea has emerged recently since scientists did not realize that calcite minerals could form so quickly. However, the pressure to find a solution to reduce fossil-fuel carbon emissions in the atmosphere around the world has led to this recent development. (1) This discovery is just another example of how evolutionist ideas and uniformitarian assumptions hold back science from progress.
This rapid precipitation of limestone can explain the occurrence of the thick layers of limestone seen around the world, particularly near volcanic sites. The events of the Genesis Flood, including the emergence of large amounts of water onto the surface and the large amount of volcanic activity believed to have occurred during this event would have produced these thick accumulations of limestone and carbonate rock seen around the world, many of which include fossil graveyards of dead animals carried by the floodwaters.
(1) Turning Carbon Dioxide Into Rock-Forever. BBC.com. May 18, 2018.
The thick limestone layers around world in certain locations, particularly the Dover Cliffs of England have been mentioned as a problem for the creationist model by showing evidence for millions of years of accumulation along with "the present is the key to the past" philosophy and uniform rates of accumulation. However, the creation model adequately explains the origin of these layers of limestone. Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed primarily of calcium carbonate which originates from the organic matter found in marine organisms. Evolutionists describe the accumulation of marine organic matter containing calcium on the ocean floor over long periods of time. Many marine organisms produce this calcium-rich organic matter which is gradually deposited by settlement on the marine floor. In addition, when marine organisms die, this organic material also accumulates on the seafloor. Over time, this organic matter builds up into a layer of limestone sediment.
The evolutionists and old-earth geologists question how the thick layers of limestone found in the world today could have formed from the accumulation of organic matter in the short period of time of 6,000 years as the creationists propose. Mainstream scientists calculate that chalk accumulates only a few centimeters per 1,000 years, which would not be enough time to produce the thick layers seen today in the creationist model. Old-earth geologists therefore assign ages of tens of millions of years to more than 100 million years for limestone rock layers seen today. However, limestone can also form from the precipitation of calcium carbonate from seawater. As the floodwaters rose during the Genesis Flood and covered the land surface, creationists propose that limestone formed from precipitation in warm shallow waters around the world. Thick limestone layers can be seen today in the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the Indonesian islands, and in the Pacific Ocean islands.
One must also consider the effects of the eruptions of the fountains of the deep and the initiation of the Genesis Flood as proposed by the creationist model. As boiling water and steam was released from these fountains of the deep, much limestone could have precipitated and in turn produced the thick layers of limestone we see around the world today. In addition, the carbon dioxide gases (CO2) released from the massive volcanic activity likely combined with the calcium, sodium, and magnesium in the basalt to produce the limestone layers. The Dover Cliffs of England are part of a large limestone deposit that extends into Europe and Central Asia and rises over 100 meters above the sea waters. Known as a symbolic shield to protect England from military invaders, the Dover Cliffs are located on the southeast coast and the narrowest point of the English Channel from France. The Dover Cliffs are composed of a specific type of limestone called chalk, which is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock composed mostly of calcium carbonate. Creationists also site the occurrence of fossils in the Dover Cliffs, which points toward a catastrophic and rapid burial from the floodwaters of the Genesis Flood. Other creationists site the clean and pure nature of the limestone chalk at Dover Cliffs and question how this could accumulate over millions of years. The Nebraska Chalk in North America is a similar formation to the Dover Cliffs, further showing large sedimentary deposits over vast areas across continents in line with the creationist model. Limestone chalk is also found in Kansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi.
The limestone karst and the shallow waters of the Sunda Shelf and the South China Sea in Southeast Asia give great evidence for the Genesis Flood. The Sunda Shelf, which contains much of western Indonesia, is likely part of a former continent that was submerged in many parts by the rising waters of the Genesis Flood and subsequently formed the chain of islands that exists today. The shallow waters of the Sunda Shelf and the South China Sea allowed for the formation of the karst limestone deposits and the unusual limestone “tower karst” erosional features that we see today. In addition, the strong volcanic activity associated with the Indonesian Islands would allow for the right conditions for precipitation of limestone. The precipitation of limestone from warm ocean waters can explain the large accumulation of limestone deposits found around the world. Other chalk accumulations near volcanic activity include the Dover Cliffs near the Icelandic volcanic region and the Nebraska Chalk near the Yellowstone hot spot volcanic center.
Recent work has demonstrated that limestone and carbonate rock can form or precipitate quickly and does not need millions of years to form as the evolutionists and old-earth geologists claim. Limestone makes up about 10 percent of sedimentary rocks on earth. A geothermal power plant in Hellisheidi, Iceland, which is known for converting geothermal energy on the volcanic island into electricity and hot water, has been converting CO2 gas into stone. The work is an effort to find a way to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere and help reduce global warming by converting this gas into solid form. The process begins when waste CO2 from steam is captured and dissolved into large volumes of water, similar to the creation of soda or carbonated water. This water is then piped to an injection site where it is injected or pumped 1,000 meters into the basalt-rich subsurface. The carbonated water then chemically reacts with the calcium and magnesium-rich basalt rock underground to precipitate calcite minerals inside the pores of the basalt rock, the dark, porous rock formed from cooled lava and found extensively in Iceland. This process has been documented to occur within months. Calcite (calcium carbonate) is the main mineral constituent of limestone rock and therefore this process shows that limestone can form quickly. This CO2 to stone idea has emerged recently since scientists did not realize that calcite minerals could form so quickly. However, the pressure to find a solution to reduce fossil-fuel carbon emissions in the atmosphere around the world has led to this recent development. (1) This discovery is just another example of how evolutionist ideas and uniformitarian assumptions hold back science from progress.
This rapid precipitation of limestone can explain the occurrence of the thick layers of limestone seen around the world, particularly near volcanic sites. The events of the Genesis Flood, including the emergence of large amounts of water onto the surface and the large amount of volcanic activity believed to have occurred during this event would have produced these thick accumulations of limestone and carbonate rock seen around the world, many of which include fossil graveyards of dead animals carried by the floodwaters.
(1) Turning Carbon Dioxide Into Rock-Forever. BBC.com. May 18, 2018.
