Creation Science Research and Fossil Forests
Creation science is nowhere nearly as well-funded as the secular science industry, but creationists have still managed to do serious work. However, some areas need development, such as stellar astronomy models. Another area of challenge is that of fossil forests, including botany and geology.
Using a Genesis Flood model, it needs to be determined if fossil trees were buried in situ (where they are found) or were transported before burial by the Flood. There are some expensive words in this somewhat technical article, but the two most common are defined for us: "One must keep in mind that the term “autochthonous” refers exclusively to trees that are buried in position of growth and “allochthonous” is applied exclusively to transported, especially Flood-transported, trees."
To tell the difference in those kinds of trees, several criteria have been developed. Examining forests today as well as the events of the Mt. St. Helens eruption and Spirit Lake are used. Other criteria were added to those proposed originally, and the authors are hoping that their material will be helpful in developing this aspect of a Flood model. Creationists have disagreed on some details, then shake hands and depart friendly. But hopefully, they can work things out for a more uniform model.
 |
| Fossil forest on Speciman Ridge, Yellowstone National Park Credit: NPS /Neal Herbert (usage does not imply endorsement of site contents) |
To tell the difference in those kinds of trees, several criteria have been developed. Examining forests today as well as the events of the Mt. St. Helens eruption and Spirit Lake are used. Other criteria were added to those proposed originally, and the authors are hoping that their material will be helpful in developing this aspect of a Flood model. Creationists have disagreed on some details, then shake hands and depart friendly. But hopefully, they can work things out for a more uniform model.
The presence of purported fossil forests in the geological record have occupied the attention of creationists ever since they began to publish scholarly articles in the 1970s and 1980s in secular journals on the topic of the Yellowstone fossil forests. Nothing has appeared in secular journals by creation scientists on the general topic of fossil forests since that time. Creationism’s focus on the Yellowstone “fossil forests” has faded into the past as far as field research goes. In the meantime, secular scientists have published scores of studies on purported fossil forests in the last four decades. The central issue among creationists is whether any purported fossil forests are truly in situ, or autochthonous. To help resolve this issue a list of criteria has been developed from a creationist standpoint to identify what is in situ. This can have profound implications for the establishment of Flood models.To get to the root of the discussion, you can finish reading the article by clicking on "The Challenge of Fossil Forests for Creationist Research".