Yellowstone National Park surpasses all other sites in the United States forits petrified wood, for here is found large amounts of it, in an exquisite stateof preservation. In and around Yellowstone Park, erosion has exposed in crosssections an incredible sequence of rather flat-lying rock layers, eachcontaining numerous petrified trees. Many of these trees are upright, in growthpositions. The question remains, are they in growth location?
The argument as presented to lay people, and as reflected on the roadsidemarker, includes the growth and petrification of a series of forests, as well asthe erosion of the hillside. Each layer contains the remains of a mature forest,we are told, with petrified trees discovered in many layers containing as manyas 1000 or so tree rings. Following burial of the standing forest in volcanicash and other debris, the trees petrified. Meanwhile, the ash exposed on thesurface weathered into clay and eventually into a soil suitable for growth of anew forest. This is thought to take 200 years or so. At Specimen Ridge, 27 successive layers have been claimed, but at nearbySpecimen Creek, over 50 have been counted, each requiring the lengthy burial anddecomposition process described above. Obviously, the total time for thedeposition was at least tens of thousands of years (Fritz, 1985). [1] Erosion of the hillside, which exposes the layers particularly evident atSpecimen Ridge, proceeds slowly also, probably requiring more time than thedeposition in a uniformitarian model. This would have occurred after the mostrecent series of volcanic episodes. When this time is added to the time neededfor deposition, the total time becomes incompatible with the straightforwardBiblical time scale. In more technical presentations, evolutionists allow for more variety indispositional models (i.e., Fritz 1980). [4] Instead of a rigid adherence to forestsburied where they stood by volcanic ash fall, geologists are free to proposeforests growing on a broad, flat, flood plain, adjacent to volcanic highlands.Mud flows, associated with eruptions, buried some trees where they stood, butmoved others to their final locations, occasionally in upright positions. Treesand plant remains of several habitats are thus mixed together. But the total time needed for petrification doesn't change. The individuallayers still represent different episodes of volcanic activity and separateforests. Discussed below are several factors to consider.
Fossils and Soils
Interestingly, no animal fossils have been discovered in association withthe abundant plant material—no mammals, no birds, no insects, no earthworms.While more mobile animals could potentially escape a mud flow, it does seemcurious that none have been found if this deposit represents a standing forest.Researchers have found an amazing diversity of plant species represented inthe individual beds. Including pollen, up to 200 species have been identifiedfrom a wide range of ecological habitats, seemingly far too wide to haveoriginated in one standing forest. Some species are from semiarid deserts,others are from rain forests (Coffin, p. 139). [2] Many representatives of temperateclimates are present, but so are fruit trees. Significantly, the pollen andleaves present are from species other than the trees.
In many growing trees, the root systems are larger than the tree itself. Inthe Specimen Ridge trees, however, the roots abruptly terminate at ground level,or in some cases with a "root ball"—individual roots having beenbroken. The older trees are sequoia, the same species as those which today growto be thousands of years old and are virtually immune to disease and pests, andresistant to fire. They have no bark or branches. They are typically found withyounger trees, in the 30 to 40-year-old range. It is interesting that nonesignificantly older have been found and that few are intermediate between thetwo groupings.
Seldom reported is the fact that some of the upright trees transgress intothe layer above or below. If the trees in the overlying layer give evidence ofbeing more than a few years old, there would be sufficient time for anyprotruding snag or trunk to decay. In the most publicized area of SpecimenRidge, one upright tree terminates within the root ball of an upright tree inthe overlying layer. Yet these trees typically show clearly preserved tree ringswith no sign of decay. Coffin (p. 137) [2] and others have measured the orientation of prostate treesand the long axis of the vertical trees and have found a similarity oforientation. This orientation could be accomplished by moving fluids, but wouldnot be present in a standing forest, especially with a rather flat floor. Growing forests possess a well-developed soil and humus layer, consisting oforganic debris from the trees and plants, but also abundant animal life.Investigators have found fossilized remains of leaves and needles (but rarelycones) which they interpret at the original floor of the forest. The organiclevel also contains short rootless only radiating from the larger trees. Theorganic level, when present, is usually near the root level of the trees but iscompletely missing from many layers. Often the fossil plant material displays precise preservation. But fragileleaves would decay rapidly once deposited on the floor. Newly fallen ones wouldbe on the top, while earlier ones would be being altered by decay beneath. Theancient "soils" do not show this profile of differential decay. Oftenthe organics are mixed in with the volcanic sediments. As noted by Coffin (p.142), [2] the organic levels extend laterally, but split and recombine and usuallyterminate abruptly. The average organic level is only about three centimetersthick, too thin for a well-developed forest soil. These fossil organic levels are nearly horizontal, but in growing forests(particularly those on the flanks of volcanoes) the ground surface may be at asevere angle. Even a horizontal forest covered horizontally by volcanic ash or mud would, in just a few years, develop stream drainage, but no suchtopographic relief has been reported. Thin sections of these organic-rich zones show clear evidence of wateraction and none of active soils (Coffin, p. 143). [2] While finer grainspredominate, normal grading is clearly present in most, with coarser grainsbelow, fining upward, and it includes inorganic volcanic ash in the sequence.Occasional reverse grading has also been found. Thin laminations are present,clear indication of deposition by moving fluids. Finally, the "soil" layers possess no clay (Coffin, p. 145), [2] thealtered remnant of volcanic ash. Time is needed to weather the ash into clay, sothe absence of clay implies the lack of much time having passed between layers. Specific volcanic sources are hard to trace in this intensively active area,but Fritz (1985, p. 14) [1]and others have speculated that two long chains ofvolcanoes were erupting all at the same general time, with a narrow valleybetween them. As the volcanoes erupted at intervals, mud flows may haveinundated a specific area from any one of a number of specific vents. In betweenthe individual eruptions, forests grew on the previous deposit. These debrisflows (or lahars) transported some logs and other material, while burying othersin growth location (Fritz, 1980). [4] But as we have seen, this view does notaddress all the issues. As Coffin has pointed out (pp. 146-148), [2] the beds of volcanic breccia areextremely variable and highly discontinuous. They inter tongue with finergrained ash beds throughout the area. The beds of all types are nearlyhorizontal, and it is difficult to envision mud flowing for long distances overdry land with such low dips. However, similar deposits have been observed toform underwater.
Dendrochronology
The study of tree rings provides insights into the history of a tree. Wetseasons, droughts, insect infestation, frost, and unusual weather patterns canall be discerned from tree rings. By comparing the ring patterns from trees ofoverlapping life spans, a chronology of past events can sometimes beconstructed.
Much effort has gone into developing such a chronology for long-living treeswhose remains are still in a woody condition. The bristlecone pine has been usedin the southwestern United States, while the oak has been developed in theUnited Kingdom. These are further used to calibrate radiocarbon dating. Contrary to common belief, dendrochronology is not a simple exercise. Twotrees, growing side by side at the same time, will not necessarily haveidentical tree-ring geometry. Rings from one side of a tree will not identicallymatch those from the opposite side. In order to correlate the rings, investigators look for a signature pattern,a unique series of thin and thick, wet and dry, etc., years involving a seriesof at least several rings. The specific thickness of an individual ring may notbe important, but the thickness and characteristics relative to other rings formthe basis for recognizing the signature. Theoretically, closely spaced treesgrowing at the same time, and enduring the same general conditions, shoulddisplay similar patterns in their rings, in at least some cases. At the Specimen Creek fossil forests, tree-ring patterns from several layershave displayed a recognizable signature (Arct, 1991). [3] This demonstrates that the traditional interpretation of those trees and layers as consecutive forestsand volcanic episodes does not seem to be supported by the data. The large treestumps did not grow in place, as evidenced by the broken root systems, the lackof suitable soils, the diversity of plant species, and the lack of animalfossils. The trees are oriented in a preferred direction, unlike modern standsof trees. Moving fluids must have been involved in the deposition of thegeologic materials and the transportation of the trees from elsewhere. Mudflowsof volcanic material must have come in pulses, the time between which was lessthan it takes for leaves to suffer decay. Water must also have been involved inproducing the graded and laminated sediments and the orientation of trees, whilethe matching tree-ring signatures demand that at least some of the trees indifferent layers grew together. Coffin (p. 150) [2] has proposed that "volcanic activity in the Yellowstoneregion occurred while the area was at least partly under water. Trees, somevertical, were carried along in mud and gravel, or floated in the water alongwith organic debris. As trees and vegetable matter became water-saturated, theysettled down onto the breccia at the bottom. Within a relatively short time,another slide moved over and around the trees and organic debris. Before theappearance of each succeeding breccia flow, more trees and organic matterdescended to the bottom or were spread about by the flows. Thus layer upon layerof trees and organic zones built up in a relatively short period of time." Could it be that the larger trees, observed to have been on the order of1000 years old, lived during the 1656 years between Creation and the Flood?Dislodged by the Flood waters, they floated through the Flood, with bark andbranches being abraded off. Once the Flood ended, they settled to the groundwhere sprigs and seeds sprouted and grew. But the years following the Flood were rife with volcanic activity and theground surface remained saturated with much standing water. Perhaps post-floodvolcanism relocated the older dead and younger living trees in associatedmudflows with some of each retaining an upright posture, as has been observed atMount St. Helens.
Conclusion
Thus we have seen that a classic argument for errors in the Bible is itselfin error. The evidence, while difficult to interpret fully, supports Biblicalhistory. This area was visited by a hydraulic and volcanic catastrophe ofdramatic proportions with these layers deposited either during the year of thegreat Flood, or in the years closely following.
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