Why We Haven’t Found Pre-Flood Humans in the Fossil Record

If fossils are really the result of the global flood, why haven’t we found pre-flood humans in the fossil record?

If there really were a global flood as described in Genesis, we would see billions of dead things buried in rock layers. These layers would be laid down by water all over the earth. And that is exactly what we do see.

Among these rock layers, human fossils are rare. All known specimens come from post-flood rock layers. Where are all the fossils of pre-flood humans (as well as birds and mammals)?

To answer this question, we must first understand the nature of the flood. The flood of Noah’s day was much more destructive than any 40-day rainstorm ever could be.

Scripture says that the “fountains of the great deep” broke open (Genesis 7:11). In other terms, earthquakes, volcanoes, and geysers of molten lava erupted forcefully. Scalding water was expelled violently from the earth’s crust.

The fountains continued until 150 days into the flood. As a result, the earth’s surface churned under the waters for about five months! The duration of the flood was extensive, and Noah and his family were aboard the ark for about a year.

Relatively recent local floods, volcanoes, and earthquakes are clearly devastating to life and land. However, they are tiny in comparison to the worldwide catastrophe that destroyed “the world that then existed.”

This violent catastrophe would have buried billions of creatures. Due to the marine nature of the judgment, we would expect marine fossils to dominate most of the fossil record. And that is precisely what we see. In the fossil record:

• Approximately 95% of all fossils are shallow marine organisms, such as corals and shellfish.

• 95% of the remaining 5% are algae, plants, and invertebrates, including insects.

• The remaining 0.25% are vertebrates, mostly fish.

• 99% of those 0.25% vertebrate fossil specimens consist of only one bone.

• Most mammal fossils are likely from after the flood.

Thus, the number of vertebrate fossils is actually relatively small compared to other types of creatures. As mentioned earlier, the flood was a marine catastrophe. Therefore, we expect marine fossils to dominate the fossil record. That is the case.

While this geologic activity occurred, humans and land animals were swept away. They eventually drowned or died.

Humans were likely not quickly buried and fossilized. Most of the mammals and birds that died during the flood faced the same fate.

The drowned carcasses may have then “bloated and floated.” They were either eaten by sea creatures or washed ashore later and consumed as carrion. Alternatively, they decomposed and composted naturally.

Amphibians and reptiles typically live closer to water. They are slower moving and are less perceptive of their environments than mammals and birds. This lack of mobility and a marine or freshwater lifestyle makes them more susceptible to burial by mudslides. They may also be washed into trenches and buried by sediment.

Humans, mammals, and birds tend to flee rising water instinctively. They seek shelter on higher ground, in trees, or on top of structures. This behavior reduces their chances of getting caught in landslides or mudslides. Any animal not buried quickly either drowned or was killed by the destructive power of the water itself.

Keep in mind that Genesis 8:3 and 8:5 mention several months of water continually receding off the earth.

Buried objects or individuals in shallow, surficial deposits faced harsh conditions. Sediment-laden water battered them. These receding waters washed them back out to sea.

With all of these factors, finding pre-flood human, mammal, and bird fossils is much less likely. However, it is not altogether implausible that pre-flood human fossils could be found one day.

However, to date, there has been no concrete evidence in reputable literature. There are no fossils of pre-flood artifacts or humans.

Furthermore, we need to remember that God specifically said in Genesis 6:7 and 17 that he would “blot out” man and destroy all air-breathing flesh:

So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7 ESV)

And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. (Genesis 6:17 NKJV)

In summary, the most likely answer to the scarcity of pre-flood human fossils is twofold. First, humans were swept away and their bodies destroyed during the flood before they could be buried.

Second, the mechanisms of fossil preservation favor preserving hard-shelled organisms over soft-bodied ones.