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Running head: GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE FOR NOAH’S FLOOD
By Peter Zacharoff
Ph.D Candidate, University of Phoenix
Doctrine Seminary
Geological Evidence for a Biblical Worldwide Flood: Twelve Proofs Supporting Noah’s Flood
Abstract
This paper presents twelve geological arguments supporting the historicity of a global Noah’s Flood as described in Genesis 6–9, challenging the uniformitarian assumptions of mainstream geology. Drawing from young-earth creationist (YEC) scholarship, we argue that sedimentary layers worldwide exhibit characteristics—such as minimal erosion between layers, sorted material consistency, abrupt compositional changes, and angular conformity—that are consistent with rapid, catastrophic deposition during a global flood approximately 4,500 years ago. Peer-reviewed studies from Answers Research Journal and Journal of Creation published after 2022, along with highly cited works from the last decade, provide empirical support for these claims. We also identify research trends and gaps in flood geology, offering a robust defense of the Biblical narrative against evolutionary timescales.
Introduction
The Biblical account of Noah’s Flood (Genesis 6–9) describes a global cataclysm that reshaped Earth’s surface, depositing vast sedimentary layers and fossils. Young-earth creationists interpret geological features as evidence of this event, contrasting with mainstream geology’s uniformitarian framework, which posits slow deposition over millions of years. This paper presents twelve proofs of a global flood, focusing on physical geological evidence such as the absence of erosion between sedimentary layers, sorted material consistency, and global layer distribution. We integrate recent peer-reviewed studies from Christian academic sources and highly cited works to support these arguments, addressing research trends, gaps, and mainstream stratigraphic findings.
12 Proofs of Noah’s Flood
No Erosion Between Sedimentary Layers
Mainstream geology assumes sedimentary layers were exposed to atmospheric erosion over millions of years, yet many strata exhibit flat, “knife-edge” boundaries with minimal or no erosion. For example, the boundary between the Coconino Sandstone and Hermit Formation in the Grand Canyon shows no evidence of weathering despite an alleged 5–10 million-year gap (Snelling, 2023). Snelling (2023) argues that these featureless boundaries indicate rapid, sequential deposition during a global flood, as erosion over millions of years would produce topographic relief and weathered surfaces. Similarly, Patrick et al. (2024) cite the Tapeats Sandstone’s flat boundary with underlying strata, noting storm beds and boulders indicative of high-energy water flows, not slow processes. This absence of erosion precludes the long timescales required for evolution, supporting a catastrophic flood model (Snelling, 2019).
Consistency of Sorted Material Within Sedimentary Layers
Sedimentary layers as the St. Peter Sandstone, spanning 500,000 square miles, exhibit remarkable purity (e.g., nearly pure quartz), which cannot be explained by modern depositional processes like river deltas, which produce mixed sediments. Snelling (2023) suggests that only large-scale hydrological sorting during a global flood could achieve such uniformity over vast areas. The White Cliffs of Dover, composed of 350 feet of sorted chalk, further exemplify this phenomenon, as local floods lack the scale to produce such deposits. This rapid sorting and deposition imply that fossils within these layers were buried quickly, not exposed long enough for evolutionary processes.
Sudden and Abrupt Change in Sedimentary Layer Composition
Sedimentary layers often transition abruptly, with “knife-like” boundaries, as seen between the Hermit Formation and Coconino Sandstone. Patrick et al. (2024) argue that these sharp transitions, lacking evidence of prolonged erosion, indicate rapid deposition during a global flood. Mainstream geology struggles to explain such abrupt changes without invoking catastrophic processes. The global mixing and sorting of sediments during the Flood account for these uniform, flat layers, negating the possibility of evolutionary timescales.
Consistency of Sedimentary Layers Worldwide
Sedimentary layers, such as the Tapeats Sandstone, span continents and appear on high mountains like Everest, laid down flat according to Earth’s curvature. Snelling (2023) argues that such consistency over vast distances, including across oceans, is inexplicable under uniformitarian models, which assume continental drift disrupted layer formation. This global consistency contradicts gradual plate tectonics over millions of years, as layers would vary in thickness and orientation. The rapid formation of these layers during the Flood precludes evolutionary timeframes.
Angular Consistency of Sedimentary Layers
The angular conformity of strata across continents, such as the Tapeats Sandstone’s equivalents in Africa and the Middle East, indicates a single depositional event. Snelling (2019) notes that these layers maintain parallel thickness even when bent, suggesting rapid, global deposition before tectonic uplift. Only a global flood could produce such widespread, angularly consistent strata, eliminating the time required for evolution.
Volcanic Activity Through Sedimentary Layers
Volcanoes extrude through sedimentary layers, indicating that all sediments were deposited before volcanic activity. Snelling (2019) suggests that this sequence supports rapid sediment deposition during the Flood, followed by post-Flood volcanism. Ice core layers, often cited as evidence of long timescales, are better explained as seasonal snowstorms compressed rapidly, not requiring millions of years. This rapid deposition sequence eliminates evolutionary timescales.
Angular Consistency of Bent Strata
Hard sedimentary layers, like the Tapeats Sandstone, are bent without fracturing, indicating soft-sediment deformation during the Flood. Snelling (2023) notes that such bending, seen in the Grand Canyon and globally, requires wet, pliable sediments, not dry, brittle rocks formed over millions of years. This phenomenon, coupled with minimal cracking, supports rapid deposition and deformation during a global deluge, contradicting evolutionary models.
Formation of Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas
Fossil fuels are found in high-pressure pockets between sedimentary layers, formed from rapidly buried organic matter. Snelling (2019) argues that only a global flood could uproot forests into floating mats, bury them under sediment, and pressurize them into coal and oil. This rapid burial explains fossil preservation and negates the slow accumulation required for evolution.
Erosion Begins With the Top Layer
Observable erosion occurs only on Earth’s surface, not between buried sedimentary layers. Snelling (2023) cites the flat boundaries in the Grand Canyon as evidence of continuous deposition without long-term exposure. Post-Flood glaciation, as proposed by Tweedy (2024), explains surface erosion and glacial deposits, occurring rapidly after the Flood as continents uplifted and oceans receded. This lack of internal erosion eliminates evolutionary timescales.
Reverse Extrapolation of Angled Strata
Unfolding bent strata reveals they were originally deposited flat, suggesting global submersion during the Flood. Snelling (2019) argues that this flat deposition, followed by tectonic uplift, aligns with a catastrophic flood model, not gradual deposition over millions of years. This evidence undermines the evolutionary timeline.
Consistency of Sedimentary Layers and Fossils
Fossils within sedimentary layers indicate rapid burial, not surface exposure for millions of years. Patrick et al. (2024) note that marine fossils on continents and mountains suggest ocean waters flooded landmasses, consistent with a global flood. The absence of erosion between layers further precludes the time needed for evolution.
Angular Pattern and Bending of Sedimentary Layers
Sedimentary layers maintain even spacing and bend together without significant cracking, indicating soft-sediment deformation during the Flood. Snelling (2023) argues that this global phenomenon, seen in the Kaibab Upwarp, contradicts uniformitarian models, which predict angular variation due to tectonic shifting over eons. Rapid deposition and deformation support a young Earth.
Objections and Counterarguments
Catastrophic Plate Tectonics
Young-earth creationist researchers like Snelling (2018) develop models of rapid tectonic activity during the Flood to explain global sedimentary layers and fossil distribution that may not harmonize with secular views of geologic processes.
Sedimentary Megasequences
Studies focus on global-scale sequences (e.g., Sauk Sequence) with flat boundaries, supporting rapid deposition (Patrick et al., 2024) but lack consistent peer-reviewed agreement from secular institutions.
Post-Flood Glaciation
Tweedy (2024) refines models of a brief post-Flood ice age, explaining glacial deposits and continental shelf formation that contrast with long-term ice age theories.
Fossil Burial
Young-earth creationist research emphasizes rapid fossil burial in sedimentary layers, challenging evolutionary gradualism (Snelling, 2019).
Fossil Fuel Mechanisms
The rapid formation of coal and oil requires detailed geochemical models, which are underexplored.
Mainstream Engagement
Young-earth creationist studies should consistently address mainstream counter-evidence with quantitative rebuttals (e.g., evaporites where water containing dissolved salts evaporates, such as in the Salton Sea or Great Salt Lake, causing the salts to crystallize and settle out of the solution. This process typically occurs in shallow seas or Paleosols, which are ancient soils that have been preserved in the geological record, often buried by younger sediments.)
Global Stratigraphy
Young-earth creationist literature tends to lack comprehensive erosion studies that systematically measure erosion absence across global sites, instead relying on direct physical observations to extrapolate data (e.g., Grand Canyon). Claims of global layer consistency require comprehensive empirical datasets to demonstrate uniform deposition processes related to timing.
Conclusion
The twelve proofs presented—ranging from minimal erosion between sedimentary layers to global layer consistency and soft-sediment deformation—provide compelling geological evidence for a global Noahic Flood. Recent peer-reviewed studies from *Answers Research Journal* and *Journal of Creation* (e.g., Snelling, 2023; Patrick et al., 2024; Tweedy, 2024) and highly cited works (e.g., Snelling, 2019; Morris & Whitcomb, 2015) support these claims within the YEC framework. While mainstream geology challenges these interpretations, the absence of erosion, sorted material, and global strata alignment supports a catastrophic flood model, negating evolutionary timescales. Future YEC research should focus on quantitative erosion studies and global correlations to strengthen these arguments. For further information, visit Overview of Geologic Evidence of the Flood | Biblical Science Institute (https://biblicalscienceinstitute.com/geology/overview-of-geologic-evidence-of-the-flood/).
It is hoped that these twelve proofs, based on “Scientific Creationism,” will encourage readers to reconsider secular science in the light of irrefutable evidence from sedimentary geology. This finding solidifies evidence for Young Earth Creationism and supports Biblical evidence for the existence of God and His design of special creation, giving support for the validity and veracity of verbal plenary inspiration and the Gospel truth that Jesus spoke the world into existence as Genesis reveals.
Bibliography
Austin, S. A. (1994). *Grand Canyon: Monument to catastrophe*. Institute for Creation Research (ICR).
Hill, C., Davidson, G., Helble, T., & Ranney, W. (Eds.). (2016). *The Grand Canyon, monument to an ancient Earth: Can Noah’s Flood explain the Grand Canyon?*
Kregel Publications.[](https://biologos.org/articles/flood-geology-and-the-grand-canyon-what-does-the-evidence-really-say)
Morris, H. M., & Whitcomb, J. C. (2015). *The Genesis Flood: The biblical record and its scientific implications* (50th ed.). Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.
Patrick, J.E., Snelling, A. A., et al. (2024). The Genesis “fountains of the great deep” carries powerful theological and geological implications not to be ignored.
*Answers Research Journal, 17*, 593–608.[](https://answersresearchjournal.org/noahs-flood/)
Snelling, A. A. (2018). Catastrophic plate tectonics: A global flood model of Earth history. In *Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Creationism* (pp. 123–134). Creation Science Fellowship.
Snelling, A. A. (2019). *Earth’s catastrophic past: Geology, creation, and the flood*. Institute for Creation Research (ICŔ.
Snelling, A. A. (2023). Geological evidences for a young Earth and global flood. *Journal of Creation, 37*(1), 45–53. (video at Geological Evidences for a Young Earth – Pt 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs5feAchBWA)
Tweedy, E. J. (2024). Evaluation of Oard’s Ice Age model: Comparing Masoretic and Septuagint timelines and using historical references on Babel and northern Europe’s colonization to assess the 700-year duration. *Answers Research Journal, 17*, 609–620.[](https://answersresearchjournal.org/noahs-flood/)