CC341: Out-of-place pollen

Claim CC341:

Pollen has been found in Cambrian and Precambrian rocks, particular the Hakatai Shales of the Grand Canyon. By standard evolutionary models, these rocks pre-date the evolution of pollen-bearing plants.

Source:

Burdick, C. L. 1966. Microflora of the Grand Canyon. Creation Research Society Quarterly 3(1): 38-50.
Burdick, C. L. 1972. Progress report on Grand Canyon palynology. Creation Research Society Quarterly 9(1): 25-30.
AIG, 1990. Fossil pollen in Grand Canyon overturns plant evolution. Creation Ex Nihilo 12(1): 38-39. http://www.answersingenesis.org/home/area/Magazines/docs/v12n1_pollen.asp

Response:

Most of the palynology work was done by Clifford Burdick, who had very little knowledge of geological techniques. Creationists themselves admit that his results come from contamination of old rocks by recent pollen [Flank 1995; Chadwick 1973; 1981].
Intrusion of pollen in older rocks is very common. Pollen is ubiquitous, and its small size allows it to be carried into even small cracks by water seepage. To verify that pollen is fossil pollen rather than a contamination, one must look at several factors:
- What color is the pollen? Pollen darkens as it ages. If it is yellow or clear, it is recent.
- Have the rocks been cooked? Vulcanism around the rocks would burn up the pollen.
- Are the pollen grains flattened? Fossil pollens would be flattened as they are buried and compressed.
There is no indication that the out-of-place pollen passes any of these tests. In particular, the Hakatai Shales have lava intrusions, so we would expect any fossil pollen in them to have burned up.

Links:

Morton, Glenn, 1997. Precambrian pollen. http://www.asa3.org/archive/asa/199709/0101.html

References:

Chadwick, A. V., 1973. Grand Canyon palynology -- a reply. Creation Research Society Quarterly 9: 238.
Chadwick, A. V., 1981. Precambrian pollen in the Grand Canyon - a re-examination. Origins 8(1): 7-12. http://www.grisda.org/origins/08007.htm
Flank, Lenny, 1995. Does science discriminate against creationists? http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/2437/discrim.htm

Previous Claim: CC340 | List of Claims | Next Claim: CC351

created 2003-6-27