How old is the Earth?

Billions of year old. The generally accepted age for the Earth and the rest of the solar system is about 4.55 billion years (plus or minus about 1%). This value is derived from several different lines of evidence. Unfortunately, the age cannot be computed directly from material that is solely from the Earth. There is evidence that energy from the Earth's accumulation caused the surface to be molten. Further, the processes of erosion and crustal recycling have apparently destroyed all of the earliest surface. The oldest rocks which have been found so far (on the Earth) date to about 3.8 to 3.9 billion years ago (by several radiometric dating methods). Some of these rocks are sedimentary, and include minerals which are themselves as old as 4.1 to 4.2 billion years. Rocks of this age are relatively rare, however rocks that are at least 3.5 billion years in age have been found on North America, Greenland, Australia, Africa, and Asia. While these values do not compute an age for the Earth, they do establish a lower limit (the Earth must be at least as old as any formation on it). This lower limit is at least concordant with the independently derived figure of 4.55 billion years for the Earth's actual age.

Modern geologists consider the age of the Earth to be around 4.567 billion years (4.567×10^9 years). This age represents a compromise between the interpretations of oldest-known terrestrial minerals – small crystals of zircon from the Jack Hills of Western Australia – and astronomers' and planetologists' determinations of the age of the solar system based in part on radiometric age dating of meteorite material and lunar samples.

<yawn> If I were you, I'd start practicing saying, "Would you like an order of fries with that?" Doug

There is no evidence of a global flood between 4000 and 5000 years ago. Beyond the lack of any geological evidence, there is the fact that civilizations such as the Egyptians, Mayans, Anasazi, ancient Chinese along the Yellow River, and Cambodians were all in existence at the time, and might have mentioned the fact that they were apparently wiped out completely by a giant flood and then repopulated by Noah's descendants (who also apparently took up the exact same cultural traits as the people they replaced). The oldest tree living tree is known as Old Methuselah, a Bristlecone pine that has been living for more than 4700 years. This would suggest that your date of 4000 years ago for a global flood is impossible. On top of that, there are the remains of other bristlecones pines that be corellated in age to match with growth rings in living bristlecone pines, and extend the continuous record of living trees well back past 10,000 years (older than the Earth, according to your 'evidence). Even if the Grand Canyon were cut in a few hours (there is plenty of evidence to show it wasn't, but we'll leave that for now). How do you explain the fact that the canyon sliced by that mighty river cuts through billions of years of accumulated sediments and deposits from previous times? There are other areas, such as lake varves in South Dakota, where there are sequences of literally millions of seasonally deposited layers. How are these explained by your global flood hypothesis?

It's based on several things: 1) dating meteorites. When we find a meteorite from this solar system that has a similar composition to earth, you get many young ages, but the oldest and most common date to 4.6 Ga (billion years). 2) isotope trends. When you look at certain radiogenic isotope ratios that change with time, like Rb/Sr or U/Pb, you find that many rocks with differnt ratios of many ages form a line, and the line traces back to an origin of 4.6 Ga as well. The oldest life is 3 1/2 Ga, the oldest rock is about 4 Ga, and the oldest date ever found is on the highly durable mineral Zircon from Australia, it's date is 4.2 Ga. So, there is no direct method, it is based on inferences. However, many different inferences lead to the same number 4.559 Ga (to be specific). You would have to throw out everything we know and love about Geology to accept a young earth view. When you look at the Grand Canyon, how can you say that only took 6000 years to form? Not only is the erosion a much longer process, but how do you explain the layers it cut through, chalked full of dated material millions of years old and fossils? By the way, there is NO evidence for a world-wide flood. There is evidence for local floods, but there is NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE of a world-wide flood happening at anytime in earth history.

It says a lot of things in the Bible, but the Bible is not a science book. You can believe anything you want to believe, but in the world of science you need evidence, and the Bible doesn't qualify as scientific evidence. In fact, if you take the Bible literally, it contradicts itself repeatedly. Sorry, but the Earth IS approximately 5 billion years old. Additions: "I won't bring up the Bible..." - You just did. There isn't enough water on the entire Earth to submerge Mount Everest - a worldwide flood is actually not even possible. However, when the Bible was written "the whole world" didn't include North and South America and Australia, and most of Asia and Africa - they didn't even know it existed. You can say all day long that the Grand Canyon was formed in hours and all day long you would be wrong. I could go on and on too, but I've made my point. The Bible isn't a geology textbook.

Old as heck.

With regard to the argument that the earth is 6000 years old, consider this: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Genesis 1:1 The Bible does not state that the creation of the actual planet was included in the 7 days of creation. God could very well have created the planet billions of year ago, and then decided to use it 6000 years ago. It's all theory of course, since there isn't any way to prove any for or origin theory.

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