> There are numerous substantial geologic problems with the idea that
>the
>sedimentary record is evidence of Noah's flood. [snip]
> 3. The occurrence of ichnofossils (trace fossils like burrows,
>tracks,
> coprolites, root casts, etc.) seems difficult to understand in
>the
> context of a global flood with rapid sedimentation. How does
>one
> deposit thousands of feet of sedimentary rock in a violent flood
> and then form a sandstone bed with dinosaur tracks on it?
I think Robert Gentry (in "The Young Age of the Earth video by Alpha
Productions) satisfactorily explained that dinosaurs could have stayed
alive on floating mats of vegetation. Gentry pointed out dino tracks on
the roof of a coal mine in Utah (?), and said that these dinos were
trying to escape drowning since their vegetation mat had now grounded and
was being submerged by water.
> Or develop a paleosol?
You mentioned root casts above, and I assume you would say the root zone
below a coal seam is a paleosol. I now realize that there are roots
below most coal seams, and I believe that these roots grew in situ.
However, the roots are poorly developed and the root zone is generally
only a few inches deep. The paper by Bob Gastaldo, which I critiqued
last year at your request, persausively argues that the Carboniferous
trees were massive (up to maybe 30 meters tall) and required long
stigmarian axial root systems for support. Bob failed to note that we
don't observe these long root systems beneath coal seams.
Where we do see long root systems, I believe that they may have been
eroded from their original growth site, rafted by the flood to another
location, and reburied in growth position, similar to the numerous
vertical fossil tree trunks we observe (without roots).
The shallow roots that we do observe beneath coal seams developed after
the still living vegetation settled out of suspension. When it touched
firm sediment, it began to root in an attempt to gain a foothold and
begin a new forest. The fact that these roots are so shallow is evidence
that the vegetation quickly died as it was buried by additional sediments
in the flood. Therefore, we have transported (allochthonous) coal with
in situ (autohthonous) roots.
Comments?
Bill Payne, Professional Geologist
Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.
2100 RiverChase Center, Suite 450
Birmingham, AL 35244
Tel: 205-733-7624 Fax: 205-985-2951
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