Skip to content

Today's Creation Moment

Delicate, Precise Designs
Matthew 6:28

Why Are Human Fossils Scarce?

Psalm 18:30

One question we are often asked is why more human fossils are not found in older rocks. In order to become a fossil, a creature must be buried rapidly in sediment so that it does not decay. Aquatic animals would be much more likely to produce fossils in, say, a worldwide flood than land animals, and, indeed, geologists universally use small marine creatures as their "index fossils."
Why are human fossils scarceUsually, the smaller the creature is, the larger the population, and this is another reason why small marine fossils are so plentiful. They are found worldwide from almost the very lowest sedimentary rocks to those at the surface and even at mountaintops. Generally speaking, the birds and the larger mammals, including man, have much smaller populations and are, indeed, found much less frequently. If all these deaths resulted from the Great Flood, then as the valleys filled with water, the larger animals would run for the safety of higher ground; small animals would be exhausted and drown, as would the birds who could not fly in the heavy 40-days of rain. Mankind would have survived until exhausted on floating vegetation.

For the most part, the drowned bodies of birds and small mammals, including man, would decompose quickly in the swirling waters and not be trapped in sediment. The larger animals, such as the dinosaurs, would easily be trapped in mud and rising sediment and, thus, be good candidates for fossilization.

The pattern of fossils actually found worldwide does not support the theory of evolution, but it does, indeed, support the biblical record of the Genesis Flood.

Lord, with so many conflicting voices and claims in our world, I thank You that Your Word is trustworthy. Help me to see more clearly when the world's claims contradict Your truth, and increase my faith. Amen.
Photo: Lucy, Australopithecus afarensis, another so-called "missing link" between apes and humans.