One more HUGE nail in the coffin of Young Earth Creationism is the problem of heat from radioactive decay. [Spirituality & Religion]
[u]Short version:[/u]
If the Earth were really 6,000 - 10,000 years old, the heat energy generated by radioactive decay occurring at the speeds necessary to produce the results we observe today[b][i] would have boiled the oceans and scorched the earth into a radioactive wasteland. [/i][/b]
Sorry creationists, it just didn't happen that way🤷♀️
[u]Longer version:[/u]
As you know, the atoms of some elements spontaneously decay and form atoms of another element. This process is known as radioactive decay and it's the law of radioactive decay which allows us to date minerals.
Using known half lives (the time required for half the original substance to be gone) of certain elements are what allow us to do this reliably and these measures are corroborated by numerous independent means of relative dating.
This in itself precludes a young earth (sorry creationists) but that's not the problem we're discussing.
This process produces tiny amounts of energy and spread over 4.6 billion years are unnoticeable. Just as you can slowly rub your hands together to no effect but rubbing them quickly generates significant heat, the rapid radioactive decay which young earth creation would demand would release catastrophic levels of heat.
In order to achieve the decay levels that we observe today in just 6,000 year, the heat that would necessarily have been generated [b][i] would have boiled the oceans and scorched the earth into a radioactive wasteland. [/i][/b]
Sorry creationists, it just didn't happen that way🤷♀️
