Paleosols: What Are They and Are They Evidence for the Old Earth?
by Owen Borville
Evolutionists claim that paleosols (fossilized soils) are evidence of ancient soils formed much longer ago than the creationist time frame of 6,000 years and are common through the stratigraphic record. However, creationists explain that these paleosols are very different than modern soils. Many paleosols observed in the field do not have root traces, soil horizons, or the proper structure or texture of soil. Evolutionists claim that these paleosols formed from the processes of weathering over long periods of time (millions and billions of years of geologic time) and not during a catastrophic flood 4,500 years ago. However, creationists have explained that these paleosols were likely formed by the floodwaters by several processes, including erosional and chemical. The floodwaters likely "leached" through the newly deposited sediment, causing chemical alteration and creating the loose sediment material that is identified as a paleosol. Creationists explain that paleosols are not true soils and and have been falsely interpreted as soils by evolutionists. (1) It is also important to point out that many sedimentary rock strata layers do not contain soil layers or any material other than the hardened rock in between layers, which gives strong evidence of rapid deposition during the global flood event and eliminates the need for million of years between layers. Many evolutionist-identified paleosols are overlain with multiple horizontal layers of hardened sedimentary rock with no soil layers in between, signifying rapid deposition. Some identified paleosols could be soils or sediments of pre-Flood origin that were physically or chemically modified by the floodwaters. In addition, clays, calcium carbonates, or red layers could simply have been deposited by the Genesis Flood as regular sediment. These paleosols also could have formed by the modification of sediment or rock by ground water sometime after deposition or after the Flood within several thousand years. Other processes could have created these paleosols or fossilized soils, such as the alteration of sediment by diagenesis, or the physical and chemical changes occurring during the conversion of sediment to sedimentary rock including compaction, cementation, oxidation, and reduction, without weathering or metamorphic processes that evolutionists claim occur over millions of years. (2)
(1) Paleosols: digging deeper buries ‘challenge’ to Flood geology. Journal of Creation 17(3):28–34—December 2003.
(2) Oard, Michael J et al. Are Paleosols Really Ancient Soils? Creation Research Society Quarterly 12-2003, pg. 140.
by Owen Borville
Evolutionists claim that paleosols (fossilized soils) are evidence of ancient soils formed much longer ago than the creationist time frame of 6,000 years and are common through the stratigraphic record. However, creationists explain that these paleosols are very different than modern soils. Many paleosols observed in the field do not have root traces, soil horizons, or the proper structure or texture of soil. Evolutionists claim that these paleosols formed from the processes of weathering over long periods of time (millions and billions of years of geologic time) and not during a catastrophic flood 4,500 years ago. However, creationists have explained that these paleosols were likely formed by the floodwaters by several processes, including erosional and chemical. The floodwaters likely "leached" through the newly deposited sediment, causing chemical alteration and creating the loose sediment material that is identified as a paleosol. Creationists explain that paleosols are not true soils and and have been falsely interpreted as soils by evolutionists. (1) It is also important to point out that many sedimentary rock strata layers do not contain soil layers or any material other than the hardened rock in between layers, which gives strong evidence of rapid deposition during the global flood event and eliminates the need for million of years between layers. Many evolutionist-identified paleosols are overlain with multiple horizontal layers of hardened sedimentary rock with no soil layers in between, signifying rapid deposition. Some identified paleosols could be soils or sediments of pre-Flood origin that were physically or chemically modified by the floodwaters. In addition, clays, calcium carbonates, or red layers could simply have been deposited by the Genesis Flood as regular sediment. These paleosols also could have formed by the modification of sediment or rock by ground water sometime after deposition or after the Flood within several thousand years. Other processes could have created these paleosols or fossilized soils, such as the alteration of sediment by diagenesis, or the physical and chemical changes occurring during the conversion of sediment to sedimentary rock including compaction, cementation, oxidation, and reduction, without weathering or metamorphic processes that evolutionists claim occur over millions of years. (2)
(1) Paleosols: digging deeper buries ‘challenge’ to Flood geology. Journal of Creation 17(3):28–34—December 2003.
(2) Oard, Michael J et al. Are Paleosols Really Ancient Soils? Creation Research Society Quarterly 12-2003, pg. 140.
Badlands National Park, South Dakota, USA, Lakota
