The scientists studying these fossils approached the evidence from a naturalistic and evolutionary perspective. Since their starting point is a belief in evolution and millions of years, they interpret these trilobites as having lived 480 million years ago, during the so-called geologic period, the Ordovician.
They appear to be in the exact position they were before they were buried!
But they can’t explain these fossils the way evolutionists typically do: by appealing to slow and gradual processes. It’s obvious these creatures were fossilized rapidly. They appear to be in the exact position they were before they were buried! So, the researchers say,
The rocks around the trilobite fossils showed evidence of repeated, rapid storm deposits . . . The lined-up trilobites were probably buried instantly by an avalanche of sediment, possibly accompanied by the stirring-up of oxygen-poor waters that helped suffocate the animals rapidly.
The idea that slow and gradual processes, like we observe in the present, have shaped the earth through millions of years of history has been a standard belief in geology for centuries. But so many finds, such as this one, point to something different—catastrophe and rapid burial. Geologists are increasingly beginning to recognize this.
When we start with a biblical worldview, however, we have an entirely different way of interpreting this unique fossil. Trilobites were created by God on day five of creation week (they, and their complex behavior, didn’t evolve “very, very early” as the researchers claim). Trilobites thrived during the world before the global flood of Noah’s day. Being sea creatures and likely dwelling on the ocean floor, they were among the first creatures to be rapidly buried as the fountains of the great deep broke open and the floodwaters began to surge. These trilobites met their doom from an avalanche of sediment triggered by the onslaught of the flood.
These fossils give us a snapshot into the quiet ocean environment that was destroyed by the flood.
The Ordovician isn’t a geologic period some 480 million years ago. It’s a specific layer of flood sediment laid down shortly after the initial stages of the flood. These fossils give us a snapshot into the quiet ocean environment that was destroyed by the flood. The evidence we uncover today is totally consistent with such a scenario.
Get More Answers on Answers News
This item was discussed today on Answers News with cohosts Dr. Gabriela Haynes, Avery Foley, and Bodie Hodge. Answers News is our weekly news program filmed live before a studio audience here at the Creation Museum and broadcast on my Facebook page and the Answers in Genesis Facebook page. We also covered the following topics:
- Euthanasia, pornography, drugs—are these things immoral?
- The Kellogg Company announces special “all together” cereal.
- Junk food cravings—are they because of our evolutionary past?
- And more!
Watch the entire episode of Answers News for November 4, 2019.
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Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.
