Young earth creationists assert that the earth is 6,000 - 10,000 years old.
The scientific community generally accepts that the age of the earth is 4.54 billion years (+/- 1%). This value is supported by several lines of empirical evidence that establish a minimum age of the earth:
- Radiometric dating of formations on earth, lunar samples, and meteorite samples (using a variety of radiometric methods).
- The presence of radioactive isotopes with long half-lives and absence of those with short half-lives (excepting those that have natural sources of replenishment).
- Varves (annual sediment layers) in freshwater lakes.
- Analysis of helium concentrations in the sun via solar seismology.
Rather than repeating said empirical evidence here, I'll reference the following pages (which contain their own references):
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CH/CH210.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-age-of-earth.html
http://home.entouch.net/dmd/age.htm
These sources also address common young-earth creationist claims regarding the age of the earth.
YEC proponents are welcomed to attempt to refute this evidence, and non-YEC proponents are encouraged to add other sources of evidence for an old earth.
This thread is intended for empirical evidentiary claims. This is not the place for biblical claims.
The scientific community generally accepts that the age of the earth is 4.54 billion years (+/- 1%). This value is supported by several lines of empirical evidence that establish a minimum age of the earth:
- Radiometric dating of formations on earth, lunar samples, and meteorite samples (using a variety of radiometric methods).
- The presence of radioactive isotopes with long half-lives and absence of those with short half-lives (excepting those that have natural sources of replenishment).
- Varves (annual sediment layers) in freshwater lakes.
- Analysis of helium concentrations in the sun via solar seismology.
Rather than repeating said empirical evidence here, I'll reference the following pages (which contain their own references):
http://www.talkorigins.org/indexcc/CH/CH210.html
http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-age-of-earth.html
http://home.entouch.net/dmd/age.htm
These sources also address common young-earth creationist claims regarding the age of the earth.
YEC proponents are welcomed to attempt to refute this evidence, and non-YEC proponents are encouraged to add other sources of evidence for an old earth.
This thread is intended for empirical evidentiary claims. This is not the place for biblical claims.
