Soil Time

Young-Earth Creationists Klevberg and Bandy (2009) Attempt to Eliminate Time as Relevant in Soil Formation

Kevin R. Henke

December 18, 2016

Young-Earth creationists (YECs) Klevberg and Bandy (2009, p. 76) discuss the relationship between time and the soil forming processes of climate, biological activity, topography, and groundwater. They stress that these processes are a function of time, but that time is not a distinct process.

Because YECs lack time in their biblical interpretations, it’s not surprising that Klevberg and Bandy (2009) would go beyond what is reasonable and try to minimize the role of time as an important issue in soil formation. In their attempts to diminish time, Klevberg and Bandy (2009, p. 76) make the following absurd statement, which is either very poorly worded and does not represent what they really believe or demonstrates that they don’t really understand the concept of chemical equilibrium and its important role in weathering and soil development:

“If one could hold climate, parent material, geography, and biology constant while varying only time, soil formation would not occur, not in a year, not in a billion years, for it is the cumulative effect of these other processes that produces soil.” [their emphasis in italics; my emphasis in bold]

Notice that Klevberg and Bandy (2009, p. 76) are arguing for constant conditions and not that climate, parent material, geography and biology have stopped functioning or that they are absent. So, they’re not describing rocks sitting on shelves in the display cabinets of museums.

Olivine, pyroxenes and other minerals that crystallize in magmas, lavas or from high-grade metamorphism are not in equilibrium with the cool, moist and oxygen-rich conditions associated with surface conditions. As dictated by the laws of thermodynamics and generally represented by Goldich’s weathering series, most minerals that form at high temperatures are chemically unstable and will break down over time in the presence of oxygen, moisture, cool temperatures, and active biological organisms, even if temperature, oxygen concentrations, humidity and biological activity are held constant. So, constant biological activity over time will produce A horizons in soils contrary to the claim in Klevberg and Bandy (2009, p. 76). Iron-bearing minerals will oxidize (“rust”) over time at a constant humidity, constant warm temperatures and in the presence of air with a constant oxygen concentration of 21%, contrary to Klevberg and Bandy (2009, p. 76). Because of their instability, even water-insoluble igneous and metamorphic minerals (such as: pyroxenes, olivine, feldspars) will chemically and physically weather over time to form B, C, and other soil horizons even under absolutely constant climatic and biological conditions. Gravity and particle flow in water will also produce clay-rich B horizons in soils over time even under absolutely constant environmental conditions.

Only on places like the Moon, where biology and climate are absent and where weathering processes are limited to solar and stellar radiation and currently infrequent impacts of mostly micrometeorites, do we find some very ancient rocks that have very little alteration. Because of their religious commitments to young-Earth creationism, Klevberg and Bandy (2009) want to minimize time as an issue in soil formation, but the laws of chemistry and physics won’t permit it.

Reference

Klevberg, P. and R. Bandy. 2009. “Do Soils Indicate Long Ages?”, chapter 5 in M.J. Oard and J.K. Reed (editors). 2009. Rock Solid Answers: The Biblical Truth Behind 14 Geological Questions, Master Books: Green Forest, AR, pp. 63-92.