Geological Formation of Columnar Basalt in the Canary Islands
The columnar basalt formations found throughout the Canary Islands, Spain (an oceanic, volcanic archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa), represent a spectacular example of igneous geology. These distinctive, often hexagonal columns are a direct result of the cooling and contraction of thick basaltic lava flows. 
The columns form when a large, homogenous mass of lava known as a lava flow or dike cools slowly. Heat is lost from the surfaces (top, bottom, and sides), causing the molten rock to solidify and contract. This contraction creates a network of stress points, which typically relieve tension most efficiently by forming an array of hexagonal cracks (known as columnar joints) that propagate toward the center of the flow. The slow and uniform cooling process, crucial for forming the regular, thick columns (known as a "colonnade"), is a gradual process that occurs over months or years, requiring a stable, undisturbed environment.
The Canary Islands' basaltic history is divided into major cycles separated by long periods of quiescence and erosion, a process consistent with an ancient age. For example, in Lanzarote, layers of basaltic flows (some reaching thicknesses of 200 meters) are interleaved with pyroclastic material, marine deposits, and aeolian sands, often containing fossils that indicate long periods of inactivity and subaerial exposure. These complex, layered structures and the processes of their formation definitively require millions of years, supporting the mainstream geological consensus for an Old Earth model.
Why a Global Flood Cannot Cause Columnar Basalt
The formation of columnar basalt is fundamentally incompatible with the dynamics of a global flood as proposed by Young Earth Creationism (YEC). The process requires the slow, uninterrupted cooling and contraction of thick lava flows over an extended period, a process measured in months to years to produce the characteristic, geometrically precise columns. A catastrophic, global flood event would introduce enormous, rapidly moving volumes of water, leading to ultra-rapid, turbulent, and irregular cooling of any lava, which would prevent the formation of highly regular, thick columnar joints. Such conditions would instead create fragmented, irregular, or pillow lavas, not the pristine columns observed globally. Furthermore, the massive layers of interbedded sedimentary and erosional features in the Canary Islands, which evidence long periods of volcanic dormancy and weathering, would be utterly erased and homogenized by a single, global hydraulic catastrophe.
The YEC use of Genesis 7:11, citing the "springs of the great deep burst forth" as a mechanism for volcanic activity and catastrophic geology, is an act of eisegesis, reading a modern pseudoscientific concept (catastrophic plate tectonics) into the ancient biblical text. The text itself simply (and literally) describes the start of the flood and contains no geological instruction on the complex, slow-cooling physics required for columnar basalt formation.
Old Earth Creationism (OEC) and Long Genesis Days
Old Earth Creationism (OEC) accommodates the vast timescale required for geological formations like columnar basalt by interpreting the six "days" (yom) of creation in Genesis 1 as long, indefinite periods or ages (the Day-Age view), rather than six consecutive 24-hour periods. This view allows for Earth's scientific age (billions of years).
"Seven days by our reckoning, after the model of the days of creation, make up a week. By the passage of such weeks time rolls on, and in these weeks one day is constituted by the course of the sun from its rising to its setting; but we must bear in mind that these days indeed recall the days of creation, but without in any way being really similar to them"- St Augustine
Psalms 90:4 "For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night." Old-Earth creationists interpret Psalm 90:4 as support for their view that the days of creation in Genesis 1 were not literal 24-hour periods, but rather long ages. They highlight the verse's comparison of a thousand years to a day in God's sight, suggesting that God's perception of time is vastly different from humanity's. Scholars believe Moses wrote Ps 90 before Genesis. Most early church fathers equate Genesis days with a thousand years for each day.
Old Earth Creationism interprets Job 9:5-6 “It is God who removes the mountains, they know not how, When He overturns them in His anger Who shakes the earth out of its place, And its pillars tremble” as a description of God's immense power and sovereignty over natural forces rather than a literal 24 hour depiction of specific, recent geological events. OEC acknowledges that mountains and geological features are formed through long, natural processes, but attributes the ultimate cause to God's design and ongoing control. "Removing mountains" and "shaking the earth" are seen as descriptions of God's ability to orchestrate and influence the Earth's systems, including tectonic shifts and geological upheavals, over vast periods. This verse highlights God's role as the sustainer and director of the physical world, aligning with OEC's view of God working through established natural laws and deep time.
OEC's Relationship to God's Glory
OEC holds that God's glory is magnified by acknowledging the vastness and antiquity of His creation, as revealed through scientific study. The complex, orderly, and immense scale of the cosmos, the long history of the Earth, and the intricate geological record are seen as a deeper, more detailed testimony to God's power, wisdom, and patience than a recent, instant creation, fulfilling passages like Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God."
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