I’m a firm believer in the world-wide Biblical Flood, initially because I believe the Bible to be the word of God. Additionally, the world is covered in deep sedimentary layers of rock, almost all deposited by water and containing billions of fossils. Often the fossils show rapid burial of creatures in fast-moving currents, and in some cases huge animals and even herds of thousands were buried together. Mass graveyards exist containing numerous different animals buried together. Marine animals are found fossilized with land creatures; shark remains are found with T. Rex.

However, where are the human fossils? Creationists find this to be the most common question they’re asked, frequently by skeptics anxious to disprove the Flood model.

As I’ve discussed in other articles, secular geologists have become more convinced in recent decades that catastrophic processes have caused at least some of what we see in the record of the rocks and the fossils, whereas they once insisted that the present is the key to the past. The difference in their interpretation of the effect of catastrophism is that they believe multiple disasters over many millions of years formed the rock record, whereas the creationist puts most (not all) of the features we see today, including most of the fossil record, down to one colossal catastrophe: the Biblical Flood. Interestingly, the fossil record has always been there under our feet, even when no – one was interested in it and when the Bible still spoke of that world – wide event killing almost all life on earth:

“But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed” (2 Peter 3:5-6).

For some time I had satisfied my own curiosity on the question of the lack of human fossils by thinking it through in accordance with good creationist theory, and a dose of my own logic. I realized that people – even then – were much more intelligent and resourceful than the bulk of the animal kingdom. Once aware of what was going on – and the Flood was a process of colossal and terrifying upheaval, not a gentle rainstorm – they would have taken steps to escape it. They would have the mobility, the speed and the intelligence to make their way to the highest ground available. They probably had boats and rafts, and they likely were able to swim or be determined to try when there was no other choice. Once afloat, humans were far less likely to be buried in the colossal and powerful movements of sediment under the surface of the water. Their remains would be left on the surface, and then would rot quickly or be eaten, with no chance of fossilization.

I recently came across two commentaries on the question by well – known and trustworthy creationists. Dr Timothy Clarey, a credentialled and experienced geologist, wrote the following in his book, “Carved In Stone: Geological Evidence of the Worldwide Flood”:

“The lack of sediments preserved across the pre -Flood uplands may also help explain the lack of human fossils in the rock record. Most pre – Flood humans likely survived until close to day 150 and probably congregated in the areas of highest ground. As the water levels peaked the humans still there would have drowned and been washed away in all directions. Their remains would not have been clustered together or covered deeply enough in sediment for fossil preservation. Any remains that were buried most likely would have been destroyed in post – Flood erosional activity.” (page 405).

On page 348 to 349 Clarey also brings the subsequent ice age into the mix, noting that movements of ice-related erosion would continue the destruction of any fossil remains not far from the rock surfaces.

In an Answers – In – Genesis video titled, “Why Have No Dinosaur and Human Fossils Been Found Together?” Calvin Smith notes that in recent times fossils of animals we share the world with today are found with those of dinosaurs:

The fossils of ducks, beavers, pine trees, platypus, squirrels, badgers and many other creatures common today have all been found in rock layers considered by evolutionary scientists to be dinosaur age. This means essentially that they all lived at the same time.

Why have ducks and squirrels not evolved out of recognition after 65 million years?

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