Long-distance boulder deposits reveal Noah’s Flood

Geomorphology is a field of study involving the features of the earth’s surface. It provides dramatic evidence of the Recessive Stage of Noah’s Flood. The floodwaters rushing off the land into the oceans, initiated by the mountains rising and ocean basins sinking, would have eroded massive amounts of rock from the continents. This flowing water would have transported the material for long distances, pulverizing the softer rocks and rounding the harder ones. We would expect to find rounded, hard rocks far away from the mountain ranges where they originated. This is exactly what we do observe, and Flood runoff seems to be the only way to account for these observations.

The Northern Rocky Mountains

Quartzite is a hard metamorphosed sandstone that outcrops in layers in the western Rocky Mountains of North America, specifically in central/northern Idaho, far western Montana, and Canada. As the Rockies, running roughly north-south, uplifted, floodwater eroded hard quartzite rock from these mountains and spread it far away to the west and east. Well-rounded quartzite rocks from that source in the Rockies are found dumped at numerous locations in the northwest USA and adjacent Canada. As for all of our examples, the source location is determined by analysis of the rocks’ makeup and is not in dispute. Some have been transported 640 km (400 miles) west to the Pacific Ocean. Others have travelled over 1,000 km (600 miles) east all the way to the High Plains in southwest Manitoba and North Dakota.

Amazingly, quartzite cobbles and boulders are also found on the tops of four sets of mountains:

  • The northern Teton Mountains of northwest Wyoming.
  • The Gravelly Mountains of southwest Montana.
  • The Wallowa Mountains of northeast Oregon.
  • The Blue Mountains of central Oregon.

The receding waters of Noah’s Flood explain this puzzle. To begin with, as the continent started to rise in the second (Recessive) stage of the Flood, the waters receded in wide sheets with fast-flowing currents, carving the land flat to produce ‘planation surfaces’ and depositing the rocks on top. As the waters continued to recede, the mountain ranges within the greater Rocky Mountains rose above the water, lifting the rocks with them.

Evidence from the Southern Rockies and the Ogallala Formation

Quartzite boulders and other hard rocks were carried east onto the High Plains from the central and southern Rockies. These are mixed with abundant sand and are by and large called the Ogallala Formation. It is generally undisputed that this used to cover some 1.5 million km 2 (580,000 sq miles). Today, it covers only 768,000 km 2 (296,000 sq miles), because the deposit was re-eroded as the floodwaters continued to recede. Hard rocks have been transported as far east as central Texas, 800 km (500 miles) away, where they are found on ridges up to 300 m (1,000 ft) high. Well-rounded quartzite rocks with percussion marks are even found in a gravel pit in southwest Iowa, about 1,000 km (600 miles) from their source.

Geological Indicators of Massive Water Action

As the water carried the quartzite boulders along, they would have crashed together ferociously leaving percussion marks on their surfaces. These arc-shaped marks are easily seen with the naked eye. Not all quartzite boulders have percussion marks but many do. Importantly, no river has been known to create percussion marks on rocks as hard as quartzite. These rocks have travelled far from their source and sometimes accumulated in large, deep cracks in the upper crust. Some of the deposits have an estimated present-day depth of about 4,500 m (14,800 ft) in eastern Idaho and 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in northwest Wyoming. The weight of rock piled on top of rock has fractured the rock surfaces, and created pressure solution marks on the points of contact.

Summary of Boulder Transport Data:

  • Westward Transport (Pacific Ocean): 640 km (400 miles)
  • Eastward Transport (High Plains/Manitoba): Over 1,000 km (600 miles)
  • Texas Transport Distance: 800 km (500 miles)
  • Iowa Transport Distance: 1,000 km (600 miles)
  • Maximum Estimated Deposit Depth: 4,500 m (14,800 ft) in Idaho
  • Original Extent of Ogallala Formation: 1.5 million km 2