Cherninia: A Triassic Mastodonsaurid Temnospondyl

Cherninia is a genus of extinct mastodonsaurid temnospondyl that existed during the Middle Triassic period, approximately 247 to 242 million years ago. Fossils have been unearthed from the Denwa Formation in India and the Ntawere Formation in Zambia, locations that were part of the supercontinent Pangaea during its existence.

As a large, semi-aquatic amphibian, Cherninia was a dominant predator in its freshwater environments, such as rivers, lakes, and swamps. Its estimated total body length ranged from about 3 to 4 meters. The most striking feature of Cherninia was its massive, elongated skull, which could measure up to 1.4 meters long in the type species, C. denwai. The skull was broad with a long, wide snout and tiny orbits (eye sockets) set well back. Cherninia possessed a full set of large, sharp, labyrinthodont teeth, indicating it was an efficient hunter. It is generally thought to have been a passive, benthic suction-feeder, lying in wait to ambush fish and other prey.

Global Flood and Fossil Formation

The fossilization of Cherninia and other temnospondyls presents challenges to the Young Earth Creationism (YEC) model of a single, global flood causing the entire fossil record about 4,350 years ago. A worldwide, catastrophic flood would produce massive, indiscriminately mixed layers of sediment and fossils with little evidence of sequential ecological burial, and certainly not the highly organized, globally consistent geological column observed.

Specifically, the Cherninia fossils are found in heterolithic deposits of sandstone and mudstone that are interpreted by geologists as having formed in river and swamp environments over long periods of time. Flood geology fails to account for the consistent preservation of delicate, semi-aquatic amphibian skeletons in their specific, Middle Triassic rock layers, separated by millions of years from earlier and later life forms. The YEC interpretation of Genesis 7:11's "springs of the great deep burst forth" as a mechanism to cause global geological change and fossilization is considered eisegesis (reading one's own ideas into the text) because the Hebrew context refers to the source of the floodwaters, not the creation of the geological column. Furthermore, a single event cannot explain the multiple cycles of erosion and deposition evident across the vast geologic record.

Long Genesis Days in Old Earth Creationism (OEC)

Old Earth Creationists (OEC) accommodate the scientific age of the Earth and the fossil record, including the 247–242 Ma age of Cherninia, by interpreting the "days" (yom in Hebrew) of the Genesis creation account as long, indefinite periods of time or ages, rather than six consecutive 24-hour periods. This view, known as Day-Age Creationism, allows them to accept the geologic timescale and fossil sequences as a record of God's creative work over billions of years, aligning the biblical narrative with mainstream science regarding the Earth's antiquity.

Genesis 2:10-11 Genesis Day 6 describes a river flowing from Eden that divides into four rivers, including the Pishon, which encircles the land of Havilah, known for its gold. From an old Earth creationist perspective, this passage can be interpreted as a description of geological processes that occurred over vast periods. The formation of rivers are not events that transpire within a 24-hour timeframe. Furthermore no supernatural speed of this event is mentioned in the text. To suggest otherwise would be a case of eisegesis, reading into the text a preconceived idea versus exegesis drawing out of the text its literal meaning. Therefore natural river formation is inferred. This reflects the gradual shaping of the Earth's landscape over millennia through erosion, tectonic activity, and other natural forces.

Old earth creationism sees animal fossils and paleontology as evidence of creatures that lived and died over long periods, predating the creation of humanity. Genesis does not specifically address them as it's not a comprehensive science textbook. 

They hold that the fossil record displays the order in which God created life, with simpler forms appearing before more complex ones, which can align with scientific observation.

Old Earth creationists harmonize scientific findings with scripture, believing that both are valid sources of truth. They emphasize that the Bible's primary purpose is to convey spiritual truths, not to provide a detailed scientific account of Earth's history. In essence, Old Earth creationists seek to reconcile the geological timescale and the fossil record with their belief in God's creation.

OEC and God's Glory

For Old Earth Creationism, the vastness of geologic time and the complexity revealed by an ancient Earth and universe are seen to magnify God's glory. A universe that took billions of years to unfold, exhibiting intricate, consistent natural laws, speaks to God's immense power, patience, wisdom, and creative artistry over epochs. This long and orderly history, including the existence of creatures like Cherninia from the deep past, is viewed as a greater testament to the Creator's eternal nature and divine power than a creation accomplished in only six literal days a few thousand years ago.