Did the Frozen Mammoths Die in the Flood or in the Ice Age? | The Institute for Creation Research

 
Did the Frozen Mammoths Die in the Flood or in the Ice Age?

We've all heard the stories of how "millions of frozen mammoths are found preserved in Siberia, frozen so quickly their flesh could still be eaten today, complete with sub-tropical vegetation in their mouths." Temperatures two hundred degrees below zero are needed to quick-freeze an animal of such large bulk, it is claimed, requiring extraordinary catastrophism, the likes of which creationists feel could only be associated with Noah's Flood. The specific scenario proposed might be a temperature drop due to the precipitation of the pre-Flood canopy or a cometary ice dump. What is the truth, what is the solution?

To answer these questions, we must first establish the facts, checking the original sources. And when we do, we find that no more than several dozen mammoths have been found frozen or partially frozen. It is true that tens of thousands of mammoth bones are found, and mammoth ivory has been mined commercially in some places, but those were not quick-frozen. These bones are found in the frozen tundra (or frozen soil below the surface), and are not found in the thick sequences (ten thousand feet thick in places) of sedimentary rock lying stratigraphically below the frozen soil. The frozen parts, are, with few exceptions, found in the frozen banks of modern rivers, usually in small lenses within the larger tundra layer. Some specimens seem to have drowned after breaking through ice covering a river.

Furthermore, the stomach contents and unswallowed food (actually caught between the teeth) are that of a mountain meadow, not unlike that of alpine regions today. The frozen meat itself, while wolves and sled dogs have been known to sample it on occasion, is usually somewhat rancid, not quick frozen and ready to be sold.

Putting all the pieces of the puzzle together, it seems to me that the best interpretation is that these mammoth herds descended from those representatives of the "elephant kind" (including also elephants and mastodons) that survived the Flood on Noah's Ark. If the Flood deposited sedimentary rock (as a rule) then the soil layer in which the mammoths are found must be a later deposit. The soil and the carcasses couldn't have floated around for months while other sediments were deposited, especially in a quick-frozen condition. These are post-Flood features, as further confirmed by the numerous worldwide discoveries of Ice Age human fossils or artifacts in association with mammoth bones.

These creatures seem to have been well suited to an Ice Age climate, but not well adapted to an ideal pre-Flood world. In the early years after the Flood, there would have been few predators of large animals, and enough vegetation to support large herds.

An interesting comparison could be drawn with the elk population on Mount St. Helens following that catastrophic destruction in 1980. Since then, a higher incidence of multiple births per cow has been noted, allowing the herd to grow rapidly.

I think we can reasonably say that the "elephant kind," in obedience to God’s command given in Genesis 8:17, were filling the recently devastated earth, adapting to various areas as they went. They flourished initially, but some varieties were eventually overwhelmed in major storms during the Ice Age, others hunted to extinction by humans, while still others survived to the present day.

* Dr. John Morris is the President of the Institute for Creation Research.

Cite this article: Morris, J. D. 1993. Did the Frozen Mammoths Die in the Flood or in the Ice Age? Acts & Facts. 22 (11).

The Latest
NEWS
Marine Mammals: Designed for Deep Diving
While you’re reading this, hold your breath. What is now happening is your blood is delivering the last of oxygenated blood cells to your tissues...

CREATION PODCAST
Humanity's Demise at the Hands of Genetic Entropy | The Creation...
Welcome to the fourth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
''Inside-Out'' Fossil is Amazingly Preserved
It is widely known that vast numbers of fossils—vertebrate and invertebrate—have been discovered incredibly well-preserved.1,2...

NEWS
The Resurrection and the Origin of Life
At Easter time we focus on the cardinal Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection, Christianity is a sham. The truth that Jesus...

NEWS
Is an Ancient Extinct Tree-Dweller Our Relative?
Human evolution has always been hazy with seemingly as many attempted explanations for how we evolved from animals as there are paleoanthropologists. Evolutionists...

NEWS
The Return of the Dire Wolf?
There’s been much recent excitement about the birth of three dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) puppies by a Dallas-based biotech company: Colossal Bioscience....

CREATION PODCAST
Cracks in the Layers: Lake Suigetsu and the Old Earth Illusion...
Welcome to the third episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
Fish Fossil Vomit
A rather unsavory news story recently appeared regarding fossilized vomit. Although it’s hardly dinner table conversation, it nonetheless supports...

NEWS
Dino Footprints Down Under
Dinosaur trackways1 are once again making the news. Australia is the setting of a remarkable series of dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithischian...

NEWS
April 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things...