One of the ways a creation perspective differs from an evolutionary perspective may be seen in its explanation of humanity’s arrival time. Evolutionists say we humans showed up after 3.8 billion years of Earth history because natural processes required that amount of time to transform the first relatively simple life-forms into immensely complex human beings. As I read Psalm 104, I encounter a different story. It’s a message of God’s thoughtful provision of layer upon layer upon layer of life, all to benefit human existence and, specifically, our development of civilization, even advanced technology.
To those who claim biodeposits are in short supply, geoscientists would say, “Look again.”
While it is obvious we humans have depleted a large fraction of traditional fossil fuel resources (coal, oil, and natural gas),1 which once stood somewhere between 9 and 13 trillion tons,2 these easily accessible fossil fuel resources comprise just a small fraction of the usable residue from once-living matter. The major components are these: (1) kerogen—remains of diatoms, spores, plankton, bacteria, and pollens embedded in sedimentary rock; (2) clathrate—the crystalline combination of natural gas and water formed under either below freezing temperatures or high pressure conditions (thus, under oceans and in permafrost); and (3) limestone—largely composed of calcium carbonate from skeletal fragments of coral, mollusks, ooids, peloids, intraclasts, extraclasts, and foraminifera (marine life), plus silica from diatoms, sponge spicules, and radiolarians.
Geochemists estimate the total quantity of kerogen in Earth’s crust at somewhere between 100 and 10,000 times the total quantity of traditional fossil fuel resources. (Note: These estimates do not account for the enormous quantities of kerogen consumed by bacteria throughout the past 3.8 billion years.3) As for the quantity of natural gas trapped in clathrate, estimates range from 742 quadrillion cubit feet to perhaps 360 times that amount.4, 5 Marine organism skeletal fragments comprise 80–90 percent of all Earth’s limestone and marble.6 Limestone and marble make up at least 6 percent of the total volume of Earth’s sedimentary rock,7 which, in turn, makes up 7.9 percent of the total volume of Earth’s crust.8 Given the continental crust averages 40 kilometers in thickness and oceanic crust, 7 kilometers,9 biological material in Earth’s limestone adds up to at least 75 quadrillion tons.10
The minimum quantity of Earth’s biological material—not counting topsoil, phosphates, or sulfate-reduced metal ores—equals at least 76 quadrillion tons. The maximum quantity stands at 217 quadrillion tons.
For comparison’s sake, this amount of biological material exceeds Earth’s current living biomass11 by 122,000–348,000 times. The fossil fuel component exceeds per annum solar energy capture by photosynthetic organisms by 12,000–1,255,000 times.12 What a wealth of usable material! God packed Earth with as much life as possible for as long as possible, and then He commanded humanity, through Adam and Eve, to manage it wisely for the benefit of all—the biggest benefit, of course, being the spread of the Gospel and fulfillment of the Great Commission.13 It seems the greatest shortage facing humanity is not a shortage of resources, but rather a shortage of wisdom and goodness in the ways we use them, riches available in Christ alone.