Page 75 - Genesis: Book of Beginnings and Science Behind it

Darwin and his contemporaries were aware of this problem with the fossil record some 160 years ago,
but they believed that the fossil record had been insufficiently sampled up to that time. Their “belief”
was that paleontological research in the future would more adequately sample the fossil record and
show it to be more in line with evolutionary theory. They were wrong! Exactly the opposite happened.
After a century and a half of excavating fossils from the strata, we have found the problem to be worse,
not better. Contrary to the tree of life depicted in the schoolbooks, the fossil record depicts exactly the
opposite story. The tree of life is an inverted cone and not a tree at all.

Today, let’s examine the fossil record to see what is revealed. Before we deal with fossils, however, we
must first understand how fossils are formed and, once found, how scientists date them.

The Process of Fossilization

Fossilization is the process by which plant and animal remains are
preserved in sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is that which is laid
down by water. Some organisms were buried intact quickly, and
their remains are the best preserved. Others were buried after they
had suffered some decay and breakup. Their remains are usually
found in beds of jumbled bones of all types and different species.
The organism must be buried quickly. The organism normally must die in abnormal conditions for this
to happen, such as in a flood, volcano eruption, or an earthquake. Otherwise, it is nearly impossible for
an animal to be preserved.

The organism must be kept from normal decay. If the animal is exposed to oxygen or bacteria, it will
quickly start to decay.

The organism must be buried in the matter that is leached with mineral-rich waters where carbonates
are precipitating. These minerals will replace the original tissue so that a stone remains in the shape of
the original tissue.

Interestingly, about 75 percent of all the continental area surfaces are covered with sedimentary
rock. lxxiii Yet it comprises only about 5% of the total rock mass of the Earth. Almost all the sedimentary
soil or rock covers a thin layer over the earth's outer surface, exactly as we would imagine if there was a
worldwide flood 4,000 years ago! lxxiv The evidence is so obvious --- even a blind person can see that the
world was covered with water. Here are some types of sedimentary rock:

Sandstone Limestone Clastic Rock Conglomerate Carbonate Rock Arkose
All sedimentary rocks are carbonate rocks. They consist of 50 percent or more calcite and aragonite. lxxv
On the next page is a map of the US showing the spread of sedimentary rock over the continent.

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