John Baumgardner’s recent video said it’s highly unlikely that the Moon or similar body caused the Great Flood. He claims the best theory is that catastrophic plate tectonics caused it, but that’s ridiculous. Continental drift didn’t occur until late in the Flood, but the strata were deposited by the Flood. So now I’m trying to determine if the Moon on an elliptical orbit could have caused the Flood and the sequences within each megasequence. If each megasequence was caused by one close approach of the Moon once a month for only a few hours each time, it seems that that would only produce one sequence of strata deposition. But maybe the tsunami would keep going all the way around the Earth several times.
CALCULATIONS
For a highly elliptical orbit with perigee at 40,000 miles (64,374 km) and apogee at 400,000 miles (643,738 km), the Moon would spend only a few hours near its closest approach.
Estimate:
The Moon’s speed at perigee in such an extreme orbit would be extremely high.
For a rough estimate:
The Moon’s orbital velocity at perigee vpvp can be calculated by conservation of angular momentum and energy, but in such an orbit, it would likely be tens of kilometers per second.
The Moon would be within, say, ±10% of perigee distance for only a small fraction of its orbit—typically 2–4 hours.
How Fast Would the Tidal Wave Move Across the Continent?
The speed of a tidal wave (shallow-water wave) is v=ghv=gh, where hh is water depth.
For water 100 meters deep: v≈31v≈31 m/s ( 70 70 mph).
For deeper water, say 300 meters: v≈54v≈54 m/s ( 120 120 mph).
Tsunami and tidal bores can reach 100 mph or more in deep water and slow as they approach shallower regions.9
How Long Would It Take for the Wave to Circle the Earth?
Earth’s circumference: ~40,075 km (24,901 miles).
At 100 mph (161 km/h):
40,075 km/161 km/h≈24940,075 km/161 km/h≈249 hours ( 10.4 10.4 days).At 200 mph (322 km/h):
40,075/322≈12440,075/322≈124 hours ( 5.2 5.2 days).At 500 mph (805 km/h):
40,075/805≈49.840,075/805≈49.8 hours ( 2 2 days).
If the tidal wave maintained 100 mph, it would take about 10 days to circle the Earth once. If it moved at 500 mph (very deep water), it could circle the globe in about 2 days.
What Happens After Perigee?
Once the Moon moves away from perigee, the tidal force drops rapidly.
The initial tidal bulge (wave) would continue to propagate around the globe as a free wave, gradually losing energy to friction and turbulence, but—absent mountains—could keep circling for days at high speed.
FORMATIONS PER MEGASEQUENCE
You said there are 10 or more formations per megasequence. Does anyone explain how each formation formed in light of Berthault and the tsunami model?
Creationist literature does attempt to reinterpret the formation of individual formations within megasequences using Berthault’s findings and the tsunami (successive tidal wave) model, but detailed, formation-by-formation explanations are rare.
General Approach in Creationist Writings
Creationist geologists, such as those at Answers in Genesis and the Institute for Creation Research, argue that the many formations within a megasequence (often 10 or more) could have formed rapidly during successive, high-energy flood events, not over millions of years7.
Berthault’s experiments demonstrated that multiple strata can form simultaneously or in rapid succession under changing flow conditions, challenging the assumption that each stratum or formation represents a long, separate episode1,2,3.
In his own commentary and videos (such as Drama in the Rocks), Berthault suggests that successive tidal waves—potentially analogous to tsunamis during the Flood—could account for the rapid, large-scale deposition of different sediment types, forming the observed stacked formations within megasequences3.
Mechanism Proposed
The mechanism is that each major pulse or surge of floodwaters (a tsunami or tidal wave) could deposit a distinct package of sediment, corresponding to a formation. Changes in water velocity, sediment load, and flow direction would result in different sediment characteristics (grain size, sorting, composition), producing the observed variety of formations3.
Berthault’s flume experiments, as well as observations of modern catastrophic events (like the 1965 Bijou Creek flood or the Mt. St. Helens eruption), are cited as analogs for how rapid, high-energy flows can produce multiple, sharply bounded sedimentary layers or formations in a short time2,3,7.
Specificity and Limitations
While the general model is promoted, creationist publications usually do not provide a detailed, formation-by-formation breakdown for each megasequence. Instead, they argue that the principles demonstrated by Berthault—rapid, simultaneous, or successive deposition under variable flow—apply to the entire stack of formations7.
Berthault himself acknowledges that his experiments provide a mechanism for rapid stratification and that, with sequence stratigraphy, one could attempt to reconstruct the sequence of transgressive and regressive events (i.e., successive flood surges) that produced the formations3. However, he stops short of assigning a specific event or mechanism to each named formation.
TIDAL WAVES & MEGASEQUENCES
If the Great Flood was driven by the moon in a highly elliptical orbit—perigee at about 30,000 miles and apogee at about 400,000 miles—then each close approach (perigee) would have produced extreme tidal forces on Earth. This scenario, combined with Berthault's findings and the tsunami model, would provide a mechanism for forming the major sedimentary formations within each megasequence.
Mechanism Overview
Extreme Tidal Forces at Perigee: As the moon passed its closest point to Earth, the gravitational pull would have generated massive tidal bulges and catastrophic water movements, far beyond modern tides5.
Tsunami-like Surges: Each perigee event would trigger global or continental-scale tsunamis, rapidly moving vast amounts of water and sediment across the continents10.
Rapid Deposition: According to Berthault’s experiments, such high-energy flows can sort and deposit multiple sediment layers quickly, forming distinct strata in a matter of hours to days rather than millennia.
Formation of Megasequences: Each major perigee event would deposit a new megasequence, with internal formations representing the changing flow regimes and sediment loads during that event.
GLOBAL STRATA
No single named formation is found on all continents, but several major types of sedimentary rock layers and specific stratigraphic units have global or near-global distribution, often under different local names. Here are the most notable examples:
Widespread Formations and Rock Types
Cretaceous Chalk Beds:
The famous white chalk cliffs of southern England are part of a Cretaceous chalk layer that can be traced across Europe (France, Germany, Poland, Scandinavia, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Kazakhstan) and even appears in the Midwest USA and Western Australia. These beds contain the same fossils and have similar characteristics globally1.Carboniferous Limestone:
Lower Carboniferous (Mississippian) limestones, such as the Redwall Limestone in the Grand Canyon, are found across North America and can be correlated to similar beds in England and Europe, based on fossil content and stratigraphic position1.Coal Beds:
Upper Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) coal beds stretch from the USA through Britain and Europe to the Donetz Basin in the former USSR. In the Southern Hemisphere, Permian coal beds are found in Australia, Antarctica, India, South Africa, and South America, sharing similar plant fossils1.Banded Iron Formations (BIFs):
These ancient iron-rich layers are found on every continent, including the Hamersley Range (Australia), Carajás (Brazil), Kuruman and Penge (South Africa), Mulaingiri (India), and the Canadian Shield7. They are among the most globally extensive sedimentary units.