And comes from the DVD
series, "Awesome Science"
00:00:04.43\00:00:09.27
On May 18th, 1980,
a catastrophic event
00:00:10.24\00:00:14.21
occurred that has been called
God's gift to creationists.
00:00:14.31\00:00:18.71
On a beautiful
Sunday morning at 8:32 AM,
00:00:18.81\00:00:22.02
Mount St. Helens erupted
and caused the largest landslide
00:00:22.12\00:00:25.75
in modern human history.
00:00:25.85\00:00:27.69
Then, for nine hours, it
released the explosive power
00:00:27.79\00:00:31.09
of one atomic bomb every second.
00:00:31.19\00:00:33.80
Not only was the world
shocked by the eruption's
00:00:33.90\00:00:36.63
explosive power, but
it also challenged the way
00:00:36.73\00:00:39.87
that secular scientists
think how catastrophes
00:00:39.97\00:00:42.74
have changed this earth.
00:00:42.84\00:00:44.87
Never did
creation scientists have
00:00:44.97\00:00:47.21
such a wonderful,
observable laboratory
00:00:47.31\00:00:49.61
to help explain so
many other geologic features
00:00:49.71\00:00:52.65
around the world by
catastrophic processes.
00:00:52.75\00:00:55.35
It doesn't take
millions of years
00:00:55.45\00:00:57.39
to form canyons, stratified
layers, and petrified forests,
00:00:57.49\00:01:01.62
only days, weeks, and months.
00:01:01.72\00:01:04.19
All of this and more,
next, on "Awesome Science."
00:01:04.29\00:01:12.70
"Awesome Science"
takes you on a field trip
00:01:12.80\00:01:15.60
to some of the most amazing
geologic and historical sites
00:01:15.70\00:01:19.04
around the world where we
use "The Bible" as our history
00:01:19.14\00:01:22.21
guidebook to
interpret what we see,
00:01:22.31\00:01:24.75
that "The Bible" can be
trusted, and empirical science
00:01:24.85\00:01:28.15
falls in line with the
Biblical account of creation,
00:01:28.25\00:01:30.89
the fall, and the Flood.
00:01:30.99\00:01:33.82
Science-- it's awesome.
00:01:33.92\00:01:35.99
[music playing]
00:01:36.09\00:01:37.43
Some creationists have developed
the idea of two great lakes
00:01:41.50\00:01:45.27
behind the Kaibab plateau.
00:01:45.37\00:01:47.30
This dam formed by the
plateau was breached and eroded
00:01:47.40\00:01:51.01
the canyon in a matter of days
as the lakes drained rapidly.
00:01:51.11\00:01:56.31
These lakes would have been left
from the receding flood waters
00:01:56.41\00:01:59.65
as valleys and plateaus quickly
rose at the end of the Flood,
00:01:59.75\00:02:03.49
trapping the water
in these huge lakes.
00:02:03.59\00:02:07.32
Other creation
scientists have suggested
00:02:07.42\00:02:09.59
the Grand Canyon, and many
other canyons around the world,
00:02:09.69\00:02:13.50
were formed when
the flood waters were
00:02:13.60\00:02:15.03
receding across the land cutting
huge gaps in the landscape.
00:02:15.13\00:02:20.90
Whatever the
mechanism, we know they
00:02:21.00\00:02:23.00
were the result of catastrophe
and not slow processes.
00:02:23.10\00:02:27.74
Using Mount St.
Helens as a laboratory
00:02:27.84\00:02:30.08
for studying
catastrophic processes
00:02:30.18\00:02:32.25
helps us realize
the incredible impact
00:02:32.35\00:02:34.62
the Flood had on
forming the features
00:02:34.72\00:02:36.69
we see on this earth today.
00:02:36.79\00:02:38.15
Just to the south
of Mount St. Helens
00:02:44.26\00:02:46.39
is a fascinating feature
called the Trail of Two Forests.
00:02:46.49\00:02:51.33
Around 2,000 years ago when
the lava flow came through here,
00:02:51.43\00:02:54.80
there was a tree standing
right in this exact place.
00:02:54.90\00:02:57.61
As the lava flowed
around it, it hardened
00:02:57.71\00:03:00.11
enough against the cool
wood to make a form right there.
00:03:00.21\00:03:03.65
And then the wood
vaporized through the heat,
00:03:03.75\00:03:05.75
and whatever was left just
rotted away, leaving a hole.
00:03:05.85\00:03:10.72
Since that
time, a new forest has
00:03:10.82\00:03:12.99
grown on top of the lava flow.
00:03:13.09\00:03:15.56
Hence, the Trail of Two Forests.
00:03:15.66\00:03:18.23
An easy to use
walkway has been built for us
00:03:18.33\00:03:20.90
to see this
great volcanic feature.
00:03:20.96\00:03:24.20
Not all the trees were upright.
00:03:24.30\00:03:26.17
Some of them fell down and
created these lateral tunnels
00:03:26.27\00:03:29.04
all across the area.
00:03:29.14\00:03:30.54
Who wants to see me go
down one of these right now?
00:03:30.64\00:03:32.71
Show of hands, anyone?
00:03:32.81\00:03:33.81
[applause]
00:03:33.91\00:03:35.18
All right, your vote wins.
00:03:35.28\00:03:36.31
Here I go.
00:03:36.41\00:03:39.51
Are you certain my
insurance covers this?
00:03:39.61\00:03:42.62
Oh well.
00:03:42.72\00:03:44.35
Wow.
00:03:47.22\00:03:48.86
[laughing]
00:03:53.63\00:03:56.26
That was cool.
00:03:56.90\00:03:58.47
Science, it's awesome.
00:03:58.57\00:04:01.47
When Mount St. Helens
erupted on May 18th, 1980,
00:04:03.24\00:04:07.01
the largest
landslide in recorded history
00:04:07.11\00:04:09.44
slid down the mountain
and into the valley below.
00:04:09.54\00:04:12.18
One fourth of the landslide
barreled into Spirit Lake
00:04:12.28\00:04:15.42
causing an 860 foot tidal wave.
00:04:15.52\00:04:19.05
That wave washed up
onto the surrounding hills
00:04:19.15\00:04:22.26
and into the old growth forest.
00:04:22.36\00:04:24.56
When the water came
washing back into the lake,
00:04:24.66\00:04:27.36
it pulled down about
one million trees with it.
00:04:27.46\00:04:31.60
The landslide also
displaced the lake so
00:04:31.70\00:04:34.20
that the present level is
200 feet above the level it
00:04:34.30\00:04:37.44
was before the eruption.
00:04:37.54\00:04:39.34
Mountain cabins
and lakeside camps
00:04:39.44\00:04:41.38
were buried in a
matter of seconds.
00:04:41.48\00:04:44.31
As the eruption
stopped and scientists
00:04:44.41\00:04:46.61
were able to go
into the blast zone,
00:04:46.72\00:04:48.58
an amazing sight unfolded.
00:04:48.68\00:04:50.42
Some first thought
that Spirit Lake was gone
00:04:50.52\00:04:53.32
because they couldn't see it.
00:04:53.42\00:04:54.96
But it was just covered in logs.
00:04:55.06\00:04:58.23
As the lake
emerged, scientists were
00:04:58.33\00:05:00.26
excited to know this
would be their first chance
00:05:00.36\00:05:03.03
to study how logs would
behave after this catastrophe.
00:05:03.13\00:05:06.50
What they found would
forever change the way
00:05:06.60\00:05:09.17
they thought
about the development
00:05:09.27\00:05:10.94
of petrified forests.
00:05:11.04\00:05:13.01
Since 1980, the
number of logs on the lake
00:05:13.11\00:05:16.04
has decreased dramatically.
00:05:16.14\00:05:18.48
After the
eruption, scientists studied
00:05:18.58\00:05:20.82
how the logs became
water logged because the root
00:05:20.92\00:05:23.55
balls at the bottom
of the logs were denser,
00:05:23.65\00:05:26.12
they began to sink
first, forcing the logs
00:05:26.22\00:05:28.56
to stand upright
halfway in the water.
00:05:28.66\00:05:32.36
As the log soaked
up more and more water,
00:05:32.46\00:05:34.73
they began to sink to
the bottom of the lake.
00:05:34.83\00:05:37.57
What also became
evident was certain species
00:05:37.67\00:05:40.60
remained floating while others
disappeared beneath the waters.
00:05:40.70\00:05:45.17
After careful
study, it was discovered
00:05:45.27\00:05:47.24
that some tree species,
such as Noble Fir and Silver Fir
00:05:47.34\00:05:51.08
contained the less resin.
00:05:51.18\00:05:53.85
Resin slows the
absorption of water.
00:05:53.95\00:05:56.42
So those logs with more
resin would stay afloat longer.
00:05:56.52\00:06:01.42
The other curious
thing about the ones
00:06:01.52\00:06:03.56
that were still
floating was that their bark
00:06:03.66\00:06:05.59
had been stripped off.
00:06:05.69\00:06:06.96
Where did the bark go?
00:06:07.03\00:06:08.43
The only logical
explanation is that it
00:06:08.53\00:06:10.53
went to the bottom of the lake.
00:06:10.63\00:06:12.93
These processes
were new to scientists.
00:06:13.03\00:06:15.37
So they began to study
them in this living laboratory.
00:06:15.47\00:06:19.87
What excited them the
most was how what they found
00:06:19.97\00:06:22.94
could help them
interpret other geologic sites
00:06:23.04\00:06:25.65
around the world.
00:06:25.75\00:06:27.42
With many of the
logs, and all of the bark,
00:06:27.52\00:06:29.78
gone from the top of the lake.
00:06:29.88\00:06:31.59
The real mystery
lay below the waters.
00:06:31.69\00:06:34.69
After getting the right permits,
they took a small boat down
00:06:34.79\00:06:37.96
to Spirit Lake
with a sonar towfish.
00:06:38.06\00:06:41.66
They went back and
forth among the giant logs
00:06:41.76\00:06:44.27
and mapped the
bottom of the lake.
00:06:44.37\00:06:46.37
What they found was amazing.
00:06:46.47\00:06:49.34
The sonar map showed as many
as 10,000 small and large logs
00:06:49.44\00:06:54.38
standing straight up on
the bottom at various levels
00:06:54.48\00:06:57.58
in the sediments.
00:06:57.68\00:06:59.15
Then, Dr. Austin did
what any good scientist would
00:06:59.25\00:07:02.65
do, further investigation.
00:07:02.75\00:07:05.39
He and his team
put on scuba gear
00:07:05.49\00:07:07.72
and dove about 100 feet down.
00:07:07.82\00:07:10.59
As the sonar
map had showed, they
00:07:10.69\00:07:12.56
found logs standing
upright at different levels.
00:07:12.66\00:07:15.76
Some were planted firmly.
00:07:15.86\00:07:17.40
Others they could
move back and forth.
00:07:17.50\00:07:19.87
They also had root
masses at the bottom,
00:07:19.97\00:07:22.54
but broken off, as
if they were pulled out
00:07:22.64\00:07:24.74
of the ground in a Catastrophe
00:07:24.84\00:07:27.18
Given the right conditions, such
as another eruption from Mount
00:07:27.28\00:07:30.18
St. Helens, these logs
could end up completely
00:07:30.28\00:07:33.15
buried under ash and sediments.
00:07:33.25\00:07:36.22
If the area was eroded away,
it would give the appearance
00:07:36.32\00:07:39.62
that multiple forests had grown
there, one on top of the other,
00:07:39.72\00:07:43.43
over many years.
00:07:43.53\00:07:45.56
Dr. Austin began to look
at other geologic features
00:07:45.66\00:07:48.93
to see if they
could be explained
00:07:49.03\00:07:50.70
using Spirit Lake as a model.
00:07:50.80\00:07:53.13
He turned his attention to
Yellowstone's Petrified Forest
00:07:53.23\00:07:56.20
at Specimen Ridge.
00:07:56.30\00:07:58.04
Secular
scientists developed the idea
00:07:58.14\00:08:00.34
that this petrified forest was
at least 27 different forests
00:08:00.44\00:08:04.11
which grew there
over millions of years.
00:08:04.21\00:08:06.68
A forest would grow, then
get destroyed by an eruption.
00:08:06.78\00:08:09.72
Another forest would grow
on top of that, and so on.
00:08:09.82\00:08:13.29
The time frame to
develop all these forests
00:08:13.39\00:08:15.96
would have been much greater
than the biblical time scale
00:08:16.06\00:08:18.79
of 4,350 years since the Flood.
00:08:18.89\00:08:22.46
So Dr. Austin chose to look
at it from a catastrophic model,
00:08:22.56\00:08:26.27
keeping the
global flood in mind.
00:08:26.37\00:08:28.07
Something a secular
scientist would never consider.
00:08:28.17\00:08:31.57
Dr. Austin and
his team hypothesized
00:08:31.67\00:08:34.44
that if this forest was
developed the same processes
00:08:34.54\00:08:37.28
as that at Spirit
Lake, there should
00:08:37.38\00:08:39.01
be very little
evidence for multiple forests
00:08:39.11\00:08:41.68
over long ages.
00:08:41.78\00:08:43.45
They got
permission to dig up some
00:08:43.55\00:08:45.42
of the root balls of the trees.
00:08:45.52\00:08:47.49
Just as they
suspected, the trees
00:08:47.59\00:08:49.42
didn't have spreading roots
because they didn't grow there.
00:08:49.52\00:08:53.19
Just like at
Spirit Lake, these logs
00:08:53.29\00:08:55.56
were ripped out in a
catastrophe and deposited here.
00:08:55.66\00:08:59.57
They found
several other key factors,
00:08:59.67\00:09:01.80
which determined the
trees didn't grow there.
00:09:01.90\00:09:04.44
The tree rings
all matched in size.
00:09:04.54\00:09:07.11
There was no
evidence of burrowing animals.
00:09:07.21\00:09:09.81
And the ash in the soil mostly
came from the same eruptions.
00:09:09.91\00:09:14.68
The petrified
forests in Yellowstone
00:09:14.78\00:09:16.79
were formed by
catastrophe in very short order.
00:09:16.89\00:09:19.85
The park sign which
told of multiple forests
00:09:19.95\00:09:22.89
over millions of
years was taken down.
00:09:22.99\00:09:25.73
The uniformitarian
explanation of the evidence
00:09:25.83\00:09:28.93
just doesn't hold up.
00:09:29.03\00:09:30.93
At the beginning
of the global flood,
00:09:31.03\00:09:33.23
as described in "The
Bible," the rains came down
00:09:33.34\00:09:35.97
and the fountains of
the great deep were open.
00:09:36.07\00:09:38.61
It is believed these fountains
were subterranean water
00:09:38.71\00:09:41.81
and volcanic fissures.
00:09:41.91\00:09:44.55
During the Flood, the
water pushed across the land
00:09:44.65\00:09:47.68
ripping up forests
across the landscape.
00:09:47.78\00:09:50.45
Some of these logs
were buried instantly,
00:09:50.55\00:09:53.69
but many floated to the
top of the waters creating
00:09:53.79\00:09:56.79
giant floating log mats,
like those seen at Spirit Lake.
00:09:56.89\00:10:01.06
In various
places around the world,
00:10:01.16\00:10:03.73
these logs would
have begun to sink
00:10:03.83\00:10:05.63
to the bottom of the
waters and buried quickly
00:10:05.73\00:10:08.34
in the sediments and ash.
00:10:08.44\00:10:10.84
With the immense pressure
from above, the heat from below,
00:10:10.94\00:10:14.08
and the right
chemical mixture in the ash,
00:10:14.18\00:10:16.38
the logs would
have petrified quickly.
00:10:16.48\00:10:18.91
Some Secular
scientists have told us
00:10:19.01\00:10:21.18
that it takes long
ages to petrify wood.
00:10:21.28\00:10:23.85
But in reality, it
doesn't take that long at all.
00:10:23.95\00:10:27.46
Experiments have been
performed in the lab which
00:10:27.56\00:10:30.16
found that logs can
petrify in less than a year.
00:10:30.26\00:10:33.53
There's a whole
industry which petrifies wood
00:10:33.63\00:10:36.03
quickly and sells it
as flooring in homes.
00:10:36.13\00:10:40.00
Given the right
conditions, during the Flood,
00:10:40.10\00:10:42.50
producing a massive petrified
forest would have been Easy
00:10:42.60\00:10:46.91
Events at Spirit Lake have
given us a miniature laboratory
00:10:47.01\00:10:50.58
of scientific
study for the way logs
00:10:50.68\00:10:52.91
get buried in a
catastrophe and give us
00:10:53.01\00:10:56.02
a model for how things
could have happened on a much
00:10:56.12\00:10:58.75
larger scale during the Flood.
00:10:58.85\00:11:01.39
Real science is what we
can study and repeat, then use
00:11:01.49\00:11:04.93
results to explain all the
other features around the world,
00:11:05.03\00:11:08.26
like at Yellowstone.
00:11:08.36\00:11:09.73
Real science is
good confirmation
00:11:09.83\00:11:11.77
that "The Bible" can be trusted
as Earth's true history book.
00:11:11.87\00:11:16.07
Science, it's awesome.
00:11:16.17\00:11:17.64
The catastrophic
events at Mount St. Helens
00:11:22.01\00:11:24.91
have not only helped explain
petrified forests, but also
00:11:25.01\00:11:28.65
how we got our large coal beds.
00:11:28.75\00:11:31.22
The coal deposits
around the world are amazing.
00:11:31.32\00:11:34.96
They can be
hundreds of feet thick
00:11:35.06\00:11:36.56
and provide fuel for heating
and electricity generation.
00:11:36.66\00:11:40.46
The layers are usually
very glassy and smooth.
00:11:40.56\00:11:44.17
Secular scientists
have developed the idea
00:11:44.27\00:11:46.80
that these massive coal
deposits were formed slowly
00:11:46.90\00:11:49.94
over millions of
years in freshwater swamps.
00:11:50.04\00:11:53.34
Over long periods, the
logs fell from the forests
00:11:53.44\00:11:56.34
and were buried in
antiseptic waters of the swamp.
00:11:56.44\00:11:59.91
Over millions of
years, a thick spongy layer
00:12:00.08\00:12:03.02
of broken plant
material developed, called peat.
00:12:03.12\00:12:06.92
This layer of
peat eventually got
00:12:07.02\00:12:08.96
buried by other sediments,
such as clay, mud, and sand.
00:12:09.06\00:12:13.43
The peat
eventually turned into coal.
00:12:13.53\00:12:16.36
Sounds like a good story.
00:12:16.46\00:12:18.00
But there are some challenges
with the secular idea.
00:12:18.10\00:12:21.17
This is especially true when you
study the quality of swamp peat
00:12:21.27\00:12:24.91
and peat beds.
00:12:25.01\00:12:26.98
Beds of peat can be
found around the world.
00:12:27.08\00:12:30.65
In Nova Scotia,
there's a big layer
00:12:30.75\00:12:32.85
of peat near the coastline.
00:12:32.95\00:12:35.08
This layer of peat was
developed over a few years.
00:12:35.18\00:12:38.72
Recently the layer was
exposed through erosion.
00:12:38.82\00:12:42.32
This layer of peat,
and other swamp deposits,
00:12:42.42\00:12:45.29
shows something
very interesting.
00:12:45.39\00:12:47.86
What we find is that these
peats are usually full of roots
00:12:47.96\00:12:51.63
and the layers
are not very smooth.
00:12:51.73\00:12:54.10
If the present is
the key to the past,
00:12:54.20\00:12:56.20
as secular scientists believe,
then there is a major problem.
00:12:56.30\00:13:00.14
When we go to the
great coal beds of the world,
00:13:00.24\00:13:03.08
they are very smooth and
glassy and absent of roots.
00:13:03.18\00:13:07.75
Such evidence simply remains
without a good explanation
00:13:07.85\00:13:11.25
in the secular view.
00:13:11.35\00:13:12.79
But in a biblical
view, there is no problem.
00:13:12.89\00:13:16.06
These layers were
made mainly from tree bark
00:13:16.16\00:13:18.39
in the catastrophe,
not swamp materials.
00:13:18.49\00:13:21.90
Because of the size of
the beds, and the materials
00:13:22.00\00:13:24.87
that they were
made from, it would
00:13:24.97\00:13:26.30
have required massive amounts
of organic life to create.
00:13:26.40\00:13:29.54
And they must have been
deposited and buried quickly.
00:13:29.64\00:13:32.87
The events at Mount
St. Helens and the record
00:13:32.97\00:13:35.48
of the biblical
flood could give us
00:13:35.58\00:13:37.35
the answer to how these
massive coal beds were formed.
00:13:37.45\00:13:41.05
When the trees were uprooted
during the eruption at Mount
00:13:41.15\00:13:43.89
St. Helens, then deposited
as logs on Spirit Lake,
00:13:43.99\00:13:47.69
it didn't take long for
those logs to rub together
00:13:47.79\00:13:50.73
and scratch most
of the bark from them.
00:13:50.83\00:13:54.20
When Dr. Austin and his
team dove into the lake,
00:13:54.30\00:13:57.67
they found about
three feet of bark peat
00:13:57.77\00:13:59.87
on the bottom of the
lake from the logs above.
00:14:00.04\00:14:03.64
If there were ongoing
eruptions at Mount St. Helens,
00:14:03.74\00:14:06.78
the peak could be
catastrophically buried
00:14:06.88\00:14:09.08
in ash and other sediments.
00:14:09.18\00:14:10.65
That would make this
layer of peat a candidate
00:14:10.75\00:14:13.38
to be turned to coal.
00:14:13.48\00:14:15.28
As described
earlier, the Flood would
00:14:15.38\00:14:17.29
have ripped up
much of the vegetation
00:14:17.39\00:14:19.62
as the waters
prevailed on the land.
00:14:19.72\00:14:21.86
Because of wave
action and winds,
00:14:21.96\00:14:24.09
this vegetation is
thought to have clumped together
00:14:24.19\00:14:26.59
on the surface, creating
giant floating log mats.
00:14:26.70\00:14:30.40
Just like at Spirit Lake, the
logs would have rubbed together
00:14:30.50\00:14:33.64
and the bark
would have fallen off,
00:14:33.74\00:14:35.54
then sunk to the bottom of
the sea to form a layer of peat.
00:14:35.64\00:14:39.27
The logs at Spirit Lake only
produced three feet of peat.
00:14:39.37\00:14:43.24
With the immense
amount of coal we find today,
00:14:43.35\00:14:46.15
there would have
been a lot more vegetation
00:14:46.25\00:14:48.28
floating on the
water, which is what we
00:14:48.38\00:14:50.75
would expect during the Flood.
00:14:50.85\00:14:53.15
After much of the
peat was deposited,
00:14:53.25\00:14:55.16
the subsequent
flood waters would
00:14:55.26\00:14:56.73
have laid
sediments on top of it,
00:14:56.83\00:14:58.43
applying pressure
to the peat and making
00:14:58.53\00:15:00.66
coal in very short order.
00:15:00.76\00:15:02.93
The type of coal we
find in the giant coal
00:15:03.03\00:15:05.43
beds is very smooth and
glassy, and, by natural means,
00:15:05.53\00:15:09.60
can really only be
formed by rapidly laying down
00:15:09.70\00:15:12.47
tree bark under water.
00:15:12.57\00:15:14.54
If the giant coal beds
were laid down from swamp action
00:15:14.64\00:15:17.85
over millions of
years, the coal should
00:15:17.95\00:15:19.91
have been full of roots from
the trees and plants growing
00:15:20.02\00:15:22.72
above the covered swamp.
00:15:22.82\00:15:24.39
But the roots just aren't there.
00:15:24.49\00:15:26.79
Does coal take
long ages to form?
00:15:26.89\00:15:29.06
No, it doesn't.
00:15:29.16\00:15:30.49
Labs today are making
coal in just a few weeks.
00:15:30.59\00:15:33.76
So it doesn't take long
ages, like secular scientists
00:15:33.86\00:15:36.46
propose.
00:15:36.56\00:15:37.67
All you need is the
right catastrophic conditions.
00:15:37.77\00:15:40.67
Using Mount St. Helens
as our miniature laboratory,
00:15:40.77\00:15:44.14
"The Bible" as our history
book and ultimate authority,
00:15:44.24\00:15:47.54
and the Flood as a
catastrophic process,
00:15:47.64\00:15:50.45
the giant coal beds
can be easily explained
00:15:50.55\00:15:53.08
using this
floating log mat model.
00:15:53.18\00:15:55.42
And God's word is the
key to unlocking the mystery.
00:15:55.52\00:15:58.09
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We hope you enjoy our great
00:16:43.90\00:16:48.10
content. After the
May 18th, 1980 eruption,
00:16:53.41\00:16:56.21
the blast zone north of
the mountain was a wasteland.
00:16:56.31\00:16:59.51
In one minute, the virgin
forests and pristine lakes
00:16:59.61\00:17:02.68
were transformed into a
great desolate landscape.
00:17:02.78\00:17:06.69
The landslide deposit
covered the valley floor up
00:17:06.79\00:17:09.59
to 600 feet.
00:17:09.69\00:17:10.96
Then it was buried in thick
layers of ash, pumice, and mud
00:17:11.06\00:17:14.60
flow.
00:17:14.73\00:17:15.60
It was a new
landscape and scientists
00:17:15.70\00:17:17.13
were very
interested to see how long it
00:17:17.23\00:17:19.13
would take for life to return.
00:17:19.23\00:17:21.94
In the surrounding mountains,
trees were knocked down
00:17:22.04\00:17:24.71
and all small
vegetation was obliterated.
00:17:24.81\00:17:28.54
Any wildlife in
the area was vaporized
00:17:28.64\00:17:30.88
in the steam explosion.
00:17:30.98\00:17:32.78
It is estimated that
1,500 elk were killed,
00:17:32.88\00:17:36.08
11 million fish,
one million birds,
00:17:36.18\00:17:39.12
5,000 deer, and 200 black bears.
00:17:39.22\00:17:44.06
Much of Spirit
Lake was considered
00:17:44.16\00:17:45.93
a toxic brew of volcanic gases
seeping up from the lake bed.
00:17:46.03\00:17:50.53
Because of all the organic
material now in the lake,
00:17:50.63\00:17:53.77
it became a hydrogen
bubble stinking of methane.
00:17:53.87\00:17:58.47
Almost all of the oxygen
in the water was depleted.
00:17:58.57\00:18:03.55
The temperature of the water
had risen 20 degrees Celsius.
00:18:03.65\00:18:07.22
Legionella, which
causes Legionnaires' disease,
00:18:07.32\00:18:10.29
was also found in the lake.
00:18:10.39\00:18:13.22
Very little could live
there except for bacteria
00:18:13.32\00:18:16.16
and a little bit of plankton.
00:18:16.26\00:18:17.96
It was quite a mess.
00:18:18.06\00:18:20.16
At first glance, every
living thing had been destroyed.
00:18:20.26\00:18:23.73
Many scientists thought it would
take hundreds of years for life
00:18:23.83\00:18:26.97
to return.
00:18:27.07\00:18:28.14
But because of God's
amazing design and nature,
00:18:28.24\00:18:31.24
life returned much
sooner than they expected.
00:18:31.34\00:18:34.48
The lumber companies decided to
replant their sections of land
00:18:34.58\00:18:38.11
with new trees.
00:18:38.21\00:18:40.18
But the Forest Service decided
to let their land grow back
00:18:40.28\00:18:43.95
on its own.
00:18:44.05\00:18:45.82
It became a living laboratory
on biological recovery
00:18:45.92\00:18:49.32
after a natural disaster.
00:18:49.42\00:18:51.76
Because it was spring
when the mountain had erupted,
00:18:51.86\00:18:54.10
there was still
snow on the ground.
00:18:54.20\00:18:56.10
Many animals were
still in hibernation
00:18:56.20\00:18:58.40
and baby trees were
hiding under the snow.
00:18:58.50\00:19:02.00
As spring turned into summer.
00:19:02.10\00:19:03.67
The pocket gophers came
to life breaking up the soil
00:19:03.77\00:19:06.81
and spreading seeds
into the blast zone.
00:19:06.91\00:19:10.35
Elk would eat plants
outside the blast zone,
00:19:10.45\00:19:12.98
come in, and leave
their scat on the ground.
00:19:13.08\00:19:16.12
The seeds in the scat
would start growing as plants.
00:19:16.22\00:19:19.49
In the same way,
birds also carried seeds in.
00:19:19.59\00:19:23.19
But much of the soil was heavy
in nitrogen because of the ash.
00:19:23.29\00:19:27.60
Most plants don't grow
well in nitrogen rich soils,
00:19:27.66\00:19:30.63
but some plants do.
00:19:30.73\00:19:32.63
Lupine began growing like
crazy across the landscape.
00:19:32.73\00:19:36.24
Lupine is able to
eat up the nitrogen
00:19:36.34\00:19:38.37
and develop the soil into a
more friendly place for larger
00:19:38.47\00:19:41.41
plants.
00:19:41.51\00:19:43.08
Eventually alders and
conifers begin to grow.
00:19:43.18\00:19:46.35
Since 1980, a young forest
has grown lip of the blast zone.
00:19:46.45\00:19:51.25
In Spirit Lake,
the bacteria went
00:19:51.35\00:19:53.42
to work eating up all
those toxic chemicals.
00:19:53.52\00:19:56.36
The algae put
oxygen back in the water.
00:19:56.46\00:19:58.86
Within five
years, the lake was back
00:19:58.96\00:20:01.53
to its original
pristine condition.
00:20:01.63\00:20:04.17
Fish were found
in the lake again.
00:20:04.27\00:20:06.37
Some could have
stayed in side streams,
00:20:06.47\00:20:08.27
but a majority
of the comeback was
00:20:08.37\00:20:09.87
due to fisherman reintroducing
trout into the lake.
00:20:09.97\00:20:13.17
Within a few years
after the introduction,
00:20:13.27\00:20:15.48
it was known that some fish were
reaching lengths of 25 inches
00:20:15.58\00:20:19.28
much due to the
good nutrients provided
00:20:19.38\00:20:21.32
by the ash and
sediments from the eruption.
00:20:21.42\00:20:24.95
The wildlife has returned, too.
00:20:25.05\00:20:28.12
There are now
between 2,000 and 3,000 elk
00:20:28.22\00:20:31.26
living in the
blast zone, almost double
00:20:31.36\00:20:34.00
of what there was before.
00:20:34.10\00:20:36.50
Birds and small
animals have also
00:20:36.60\00:20:38.50
come back in great numbers.
00:20:38.60\00:20:41.10
The spider
population has also flourished.
00:20:41.20\00:20:44.17
With a large
open area, they have
00:20:44.27\00:20:45.87
been able to float in
air currents unhindered.
00:20:45.97\00:20:49.08
It's estimate that
two million spiders land
00:20:49.18\00:20:51.98
on one square mile of land
in the blast zone every day.
00:20:52.08\00:20:56.38
Why is this fast recovery
so important to those of us
00:20:56.48\00:20:59.89
who believe that "The
Bible" is God's history book?
00:21:00.06\00:21:03.02
First of all, God
has designed our earth
00:21:03.12\00:21:05.26
to recover from
catastrophe much quicker
00:21:05.36\00:21:07.40
than secular
scientists used to believe.
00:21:07.50\00:21:09.73
But we know this
fact because God is good
00:21:09.83\00:21:12.20
and a good
designer of our planet.
00:21:12.30\00:21:15.04
He may use His finger
and make the mountain smoke,
00:21:15.14\00:21:17.97
but He also desires that there
be a quick restoration of what
00:21:18.07\00:21:20.91
has been destroyed.
00:21:21.01\00:21:23.31
We see the goodness of God, even
in this sin-cursed and broken
00:21:23.41\00:21:27.08
world.
00:21:27.18\00:21:28.95
The recovery at
Mount St. Helens gives us
00:21:29.05\00:21:30.95
a glimpse into the
quick recovery of our planet
00:21:31.05\00:21:33.46
after the global Flood.
00:21:33.56\00:21:35.42
The global Flood was designed
to destroy most everything.
00:21:35.52\00:21:39.43
Some sea life still survived,
but much of it died as well.
00:21:39.53\00:21:43.23
Because it was God's
judgment for man's rebellion,
00:21:43.33\00:21:46.13
only those aboard the
ark, Noah and his family,
00:21:46.23\00:21:48.77
and all the land dwelling air
breathing animals were saved.
00:21:48.87\00:21:53.54
Just like Mount St.
Helens, the destruction
00:21:53.64\00:21:56.24
of the landscapes during the
Flood was complete and quick.
00:21:56.34\00:22:00.12
"The Bible" tells
us that by day 150,
00:22:00.22\00:22:02.68
the Flood had covered the
highest elevation on the earth
00:22:02.78\00:22:05.85
and then began to recede.
00:22:05.95\00:22:08.66
Just over a year after boarding
the ark, Noah and the animals
00:22:08.76\00:22:12.09
walked on to dry land.
00:22:12.19\00:22:14.36
It was important that
there be enough vegetation
00:22:14.46\00:22:16.77
and food for the
animals to survive
00:22:16.87\00:22:18.83
on the Earth's new surface.
00:22:18.93\00:22:20.77
We know that
Noah sent out a dove.
00:22:20.87\00:22:22.87
And that dove came
back with an olive leaf,
00:22:22.97\00:22:25.27
showing that
vegetation was already
00:22:25.37\00:22:27.38
recovering on the planet.
00:22:27.48\00:22:29.61
We can see at Mount St.
Helens a miniature laboratory
00:22:29.71\00:22:32.75
for quick recovery
from a catastrophe.
00:22:32.85\00:22:35.08
And we can apply
what we've learned here
00:22:35.18\00:22:37.32
to see that a quick recovery
after the Flood is possible.
00:22:37.42\00:22:41.56
The recovery of an
ecosystem is very complicated.
00:22:41.66\00:22:44.93
Here at Mount St. Helens, we
see God's design and intellect
00:22:45.03\00:22:48.43
in how He created soils,
plants, and animals to reclaim
00:22:48.53\00:22:51.97
the landscape quickly.
00:22:52.07\00:22:54.17
If given simply go chance
processes without God's design
00:22:54.27\00:22:57.67
in, nature the recovery
would have been impossible.
00:22:57.77\00:23:01.28
There was definite order
to this biological recovery
00:23:01.38\00:23:04.25
at Mount St. Helens.
00:23:04.35\00:23:05.65
And it should draw us to praise
God for His incredible design.
00:23:05.75\00:23:09.22
Mount St. Helens
teaches us many things
00:23:13.52\00:23:15.82
about catastrophic
processes, recovery, and even
00:23:15.92\00:23:18.76
a bit about God's character.
00:23:18.86\00:23:21.20
We know that 57
people died in the eruption.
00:23:21.30\00:23:24.30
Yet every one of them was
warned about the coming danger.
00:23:24.40\00:23:28.74
In this same
way, the word of God
00:23:28.84\00:23:30.67
says that there is another
coming world wide destruction.
00:23:30.77\00:23:34.24
This time by fire.
00:23:34.34\00:23:36.04
All of us have been
warned to get out of harm's way
00:23:36.14\00:23:38.68
by repenting of
our sins and coming
00:23:38.78\00:23:41.28
into salvation through
God's Son, Jesus Christ.
00:23:41.38\00:23:45.62
We have also learned that
geological processes, thought
00:23:45.72\00:23:48.52
by secular scientists
to take millions of years,
00:23:48.62\00:23:51.19
can have been much quicker
given the right conditions.
00:23:51.29\00:23:54.36
The global Flood, as
recorded in "The Bible,"
00:23:54.46\00:23:56.70
provides many of
the right conditions
00:23:56.80\00:23:58.63
for geologic
processes around the world
00:23:58.73\00:24:01.24
to produce these features
in very short periods of time.
00:24:01.34\00:24:04.91
It doesn't take
millions of years
00:24:05.01\00:24:07.01
to form canyons, stratified
layers, and petrified forests,
00:24:07.11\00:24:11.18
only days, weeks, and months.
00:24:11.28\00:24:14.32
Secular scientists
have their own ideas
00:24:14.42\00:24:16.75
about how the earth was
formed over billions of years.
00:24:16.85\00:24:20.12
But they leave out
God's supernatural touch
00:24:20.22\00:24:22.49
and judgement.
00:24:22.59\00:24:23.89
Many of the evidences they use
to support evolutionary ideas,
00:24:23.99\00:24:27.56
are better
interpreted when looking at them
00:24:27.66\00:24:29.56
through the truth of scripture.
00:24:29.66\00:24:31.43
Mount St. Helens
was truly God's gift
00:24:31.53\00:24:34.10
to creationists by showing
us catastrophic processes that
00:24:34.20\00:24:37.44
occurred during and after
the Flood 4,300 years ago.
00:24:37.54\00:24:42.14
Science, it's awesome.
00:24:42.24\00:24:44.15
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video series produced by
00:24:45.01\00:24:47.98
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00:25:01.33\00:25:02.56
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00:25:17.85\00:25:22.25
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00:25:22.25\00:25:25.82
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00:25:25.82\00:25:29.19
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