Polystrate Fossils and the Creation  Model

​Polystrate fossils are one of the best and most cited evidences by creationists for the young earth model. The term polystrate comes from the word poly, which means many, and strate, which refers to geologic strata. A polystrate fossil is defined as a fossil that extends through multiple layers of sedimentary rock strata. Evolutionists and old-earth geologists believe that sedimentary rock strata are deposited in layers over hundreds of thousands or millions of years between layers. It is inconceivable that the strata could be buried over hundreds or thousands of years while the tree continues to stand upright as the tree would have rotted and decomposed in that presumed amount of time. Therefore, the existence of polystrate fossils is one of the best evidences of the young-earth model and the Genesis Flood. A common polystrate fossil includes an upright standing fossilized tree, including its trunk and roots, that extends through multiple layers of sedimentary rock strata that would normally be assumed to have long time periods between each layer. The existence of upright tree trunks extending through multiple strata layers indicates that these layers were not deposited over long periods of time, but were deposited simultaneously by a catastrophic deposition of sediment. This catastrophic deposition of sediment would likely have happened during a large flooding event, such as the global flood described in the Book of Genesis. A well-known place where polystrate fossils are found is at the eroding cliffs at Joggins, Nova Scotia, in addition to Germany, England, France, Australia, Yellowstone National Park, and Washington state. Some polystrate fossils form when trees are buried alive and become fossilized while still standing upright, while other polystrate fossils form when trees are uprooted by strong flooding events and redeposited upright. Regardless of how the polystrate fossil formed, the fact that a single fossilized tree trunk extends through multiple strata layers indicates that the layers were deposited simultaneously and not with long periods of time between layers, giving further evidence for the young earth creation model.
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(1) Dawson, J.W., 1868. ''Acadian Geology. The Geological Structure, Organic Remains, and Mineral Resources of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island'', 2nd edition.