Hot Water

YOUNG-EARTH CREATIONISTS GET INTO HOT WATER

Kevin R. Henke, Ph.D.

May 4, 2014

As discussed in “How Could the Castile Formation have Ever Formed during Noah's Flood?”, the delicate, thin and laterally extensive layers of the Castile Formation and other large-scale salt deposits (evaporites) are totally incompatible with Flood Geology and a young creationist Earth. In an unsuccessful attempt to deal with these problems, young-Earth creationists (YECs) typically argue that the salt deposits had a rapid magmatic-volcanic or hydrothermal origin during Noah’s Flood rather than slowly forming from the evaporation of seawater under hot and dry conditions (e.g., “A Magmatic Model for the Origin of Large Salt Formations” by Stef Heerema). Kevin Nelstead (GeoChristian) provides an effective rebuttal to YEC claims for magmatic, volcanic or hydrothermal origins for these salt deposits. Stef Heerema has responded to Kevin Nelstead's critique, here. Kevin is currently writing a response to this critique.

In addition to Kevin Nelstead's arguments, there are stark differences in the trace element chemistry and mineralogy of hydrothermal salt deposits and evaporites. Lithium, boron or other trace elements are common in hydrothermal salts, other hydrothermal deposits, pegmatites and igneous and metamorphic ore deposits, but not so much in evaporites (Krauskopf and Bird 1995, p. 370, 497). Known examples of hydrothermal halite (sodium chloride) are extremely rare, but halite is common in evaporites. Purple or green anhydrite (CaSO4) sometimes occurs in hydrothermal deposits. However, due to the lack of unusual hydrothermal or igneous trace elements, anhydrite and resulting gypsum (scroll down) in massive salt deposits are typically white or light gray, and more closely resemble the white 98%+ pure anhydrite powders that are sold by chemical manufacturers. Evaporites are sedimentary rocks and simply don't have the trace element chemistry and mineralogy of hydrothermal and igneous rocks.

Reference

Krauskopf, K.B. and D.K. Bird. 1995. Introduction to Geochemisty, 3rd edition, WCB McGraw-Hill: Boston, 647pp.