NOAH'S FLOOD ON KANGAROO ISLAND
(Investigator 197, 2021 March)
(Investigator 197, 2021 March)
Malcolm Boxall, 76, of Kangaroo Island (KI), South Australia, has a unique way of promoting his belief in creationism and Noah's Flood.
He built ten statues of Australian animals which he believes died in Noah's Flood, and displays the statues in the front yard of his home in Kingscote, the main town of KI.
The statues represent fossil bones discovered at Black Creek Swamp in Flinders Chase National Park at the south-west end of KI. Wells et al (2006) in the journal Alcheringa write: "The fauna includes 29 species; one third of the species are extinct."
Another source names 33 species.
About five years ago Mr Boxall began making real-size, concrete, replicas of the largest animals in his back yard, beginning with steel frames and encasing these in concrete.
The statues were then transferred with a crane to his front yard. The biggest statue, the Diprotodon or giant wombat the size of a hippopotamus, weighs about four tons.
According to Wikipedia: "Diprotodon existed from about 1.6 million years ago until extinction some 44,000 years ago." Mr Boxall, however, rejects such long time periods — his intention is to present "the biblical worldview" of fossil deposits as opposed to the predominant "evolutionary worldview interpretation".
The ten statues, from left to right in his front yard, but not all visible in my photos, are the giant kangaroo; an emu; Diprotodon; behind the Diprotodon a Tasmanian tiger and a goat; a koala (on the post in front of the door); on the right side a pouch lion (Thylacoleo) which was a 130kg carnivorous marsupial; another giant kangaroo and a small kangaroo (not visible in the photo) behind it; and finally a Zygomaturus a 700kg wombat-like animal.
Twenty-three other fossil species discovered at Black Creek Swamp are small and to make concrete replicas "would be too difficult" said Mr Boxall.
He has published a pamphlet titled A Biblical Worldview of Origins which summarizes the biblical story:
Then it rained for 40
days and 40 nights, and all the fountains of the deep (Volcanoes) broke
forth and the whole world was flooded to a depth of 7 metres. This was
not a gentle submerging flood, but very violent and turbulent. All air
breathing animals, birds and people that were not on the boat died.
The vegetation was torn from the ground, buried and some became our coal and oil. To accommodate all the flood water God rose up the mountains and deepened the ocean valleys. Most of the sedimentary rocks, with embedded fossil bones, were formed through Noah's flood.
The vegetation was torn from the ground, buried and some became our coal and oil. To accommodate all the flood water God rose up the mountains and deepened the ocean valleys. Most of the sedimentary rocks, with embedded fossil bones, were formed through Noah's flood.
Palaeontologists who worked at Black Creek Swamp do not contemplate a single, worldwide, 40-day downpour of water.
Their analyses, published in scientific journals, do not mention Noah's Flood but refer to events that cover thousands of years.
Quaternary Geochronology reports three distinct bone layers at Black Creek Swamp and says:
...a complex
geochemical history can be reconstructed, implying that organic matter
and large amounts of uranium were injected into the megafauna-bearing
layers around the Last Glacial Maximum.
Forbes et al (2009) write that radiocarbon age determinations imply, "separate episodes of death, deposition and burial."
Mr Boxall attends at the Kingscote Uniting Church where, he says, most members agree that the fossils at Black Creek Swamp, and most of the fossils worldwide, were laid down during Noah's Flood.
He is a long-time reader of Creation magazine (formerly named Ex Nihilo) published by Creation Ministries International based in Queensland. This organization's teachings include:
• The Earth and Universe were created approximately 6000 years ago;
• Evolution is a false theory;
• Noah's Flood was worldwide and laid down most of the world's fossil deposits;
• Climate change is a myth because God controls Earth's climate.
• Evolution is a false theory;
• Noah's Flood was worldwide and laid down most of the world's fossil deposits;
• Climate change is a myth because God controls Earth's climate.
Mr Boxall is retired. His occupations used to be farming (he owned his own farm) and building sheds, and he was with the Kingscote Council for 19 years. Google Search brings up pages that show him involved in Kangaroo Island's public events and social life.
The Island is known for its many tourist attractions, and these now apparently include Mr Boxall's statues.
(BS)
References:
Boxall, M. n.d. A Biblical Worldview of Origins
Forbes, M.S. et al. BOREAS An International journal of Quaternary research, Volume 38 Issue 4, November 2009, 705-717
Quaternary Geochronology 1(2):142-150, May 2006,
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248578275_A_cautionary_tale_from_down_under_Dating_the_BlackCreek_Swamp_megafauna_site_on_
Kangaroo_Island_South_Australia
Walshe, K. 17th November 2013, Australian Archaeology, No. 60, June, 2005, 61-64
http://australianarchaeology.com/journal/indigenous-archaeological-sites-and-the-black-swamp-fossil-bed-rocky-river-precinct-flinders-chase-national-park-kangaroo-island-south-australia/
Wells, R.T. et al. Late Pleistocene megafauna site at Black Creek Swamp, Flinders Chase National Park, Kangaroo Island, South Australia, Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, Volume 30, 2006, Issue sup1.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03115510609506873
Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diprotodon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thylacoleo