The "Miniature Grand Canyon"

The "Miniature Grand Canyon" is found in Washington State at the north fork of the Toutle River.  It resembles the Grand Canyon of Arizona in several ways, but on a smaller scale (about 1/50th). There are stratified layers of sedimentation which are characteristic of the Grand Canyon. Geologists generally assume that these layers of stratified sediment were deposited over thousands or millions of years. In the Grand Canyon, geologists estimate that the age of the rocks themselves span a time of 2 billion years from top to bottom, although the Canyon itself is estimated by the scientists to have formed in 5 to 6 million years.

The "Miniature Grand Canyon" also has a "dendritic" or branching pattern to it, just as the Grand Canyon has. It is also assumed by geologists that this indicates slow erosion by rainfall or rivers over millions of years.

No one witnessed the formation of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but what about the "Miniature Grand Canyon"?  And how does the assumption that geological formations such as canyons taking millions of years to form fit in with the Biblical chronology, in which everything takes place over a period of thousands of years, not millions or billions of years?  Does this mean the Bible is false?

So how old IS the "Miniature Grand Canyon"?

Man is privileged in begin able to have witnessed the formation of the "Miniature Grand Canyon". Most of this 100 foot deep, branching, stratified canyon was formed in just ONE DAY on March 19, 1982.  This region was devastated with the explosive eruption of the Mount St. Helens volcano on May 18, 1980.  On March 19, 1982 a subsequent eruption caused a thick snow pack in the crater of the volcano to melt, sending a flood of water and mud down the north side of the volcano, severely eroding pumice and pyroclastic rock deposits that had been laid down 2 years earlier with the initial eruption.  This is when this "Miniature Grand Canyon" was formed.  Subsequent water erosion has deepened the canyon and created 50 foot deep gullies in its walls over the next 2 years.

The "Miniature Grand Canyon", and many other features around Mount St. Helens, were rapidly formed as a result of a series of catastrophic events, not over a period of thousands or millions of years by slow erosion.  In just a matter of days or a few years, the region has taken on a "mature" geological appearance, which includes the dendritic pattern, the gully formation, the stratified layers, and other features.  This appearance is typically assumed by scientists to indicate a long, gradual, incremental process over millions of years. 

This photograph shows an example of stratified rock which was laid down in a rapid period of time in the vicinity of Mount St. Helens (and then subsequently rapidly eroded).  The entire process occurred over a period of a few years, not millions of years.

How Does this Relate to the Grand Canyon of Arizona?

If the "Miniature Grand Canyon" could be formed in a day, does this indicate that the Grand Canyon itself was formed in a rapid period of time rather than millions of years?  What kind of catastrophic event would be required to create a canyon 1 mile deep and 5 miles wide? 

Genesis 7 and 8 gives an answer to this question.  While we do not know if the Grand Canyon was created during the receding of Noah's flood, a catastrophic event of that magnitude could rapidly create a canyon of this size:

"For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. . . They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.  The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than twenty feet."  - Genesis 7:17-20

 

Imagine the forces exerted when this massive worldwide flood drained off of the surface of the land over a period of about 9 months:

 

“Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky.  The water receded steadily from the earth.  At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.  The waters continued to recede until the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. . . By the first day of the first month of Noah's six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth." - Genesis 8:2-5,13

A straightforward Biblical chronology indicates that Noah's flood occurred from about 4200 to 6900 years ago.  This example illustrates how a widespread scientific assumption can be thwarted by simple observation of current day events.  In the case of the "Miniature Grand Canyon," what should have taken millions of years to form according to scientific theories, only took days.

"...everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.  But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.  By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.  By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. " - 2 Peter 3:4-7
 

We CAN believe the WHOLE Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, without compromise.  If you visit the Answers in Genesis website (see link below), you will learn learn how well the Bible explains our world, as opposed to many scientific theories, which undergo continuous modification and revision and they are disproven over time.
 

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References:

Answers in Genesis - information about how the Book of Genesis provides a foundation for the understanding of our world.

Rapid Erosion at Mount St. Helens, Steven A. Austin, Research Associate in Geology, Institute for Creation Research, El Cajon, California - Excellent discussion of the rapid geological changes that took place with the eruption of Mount St. Helens.

Flood Strata Formed at Mount St. Helens, Creation Institute of Puget Sound - evidence that the deposition of stratified layers can occur rapidly, just as erosion can.