>Can you provide a reference for the polystrate tree through several strata of
> coal?
This is what would cause a problem. Polystrate fossils in the sense of going
from one layer into another are not uncommon nor are they to be unexpected. In
1993 the Mississippi River flooded covering parts of Missouri/Iowa/Illinois
with several feet of sand or shale. The trees covered by this flood will in
the future be polystrate fossils. They will be rooted in one horizon and top
out in the 1993 flood horizon. This is a different situation than having a
tree extend through many horizons of coal.
I looked up John Morris's The Young Earth. Morris p. 100 talks about circular
features in the tops of coal mines being the roots of trees. I have no doubt
about this being the case. But these could be formed exactly as the future
polystrates in Missouri were formed. I can even envision a case where a tree
in Missouri growing in an oxbow lake (which is rich in organic material) being
covered by sediments from a local riverine flood and having a new coal form on
top of it. The bottom of the tree would be in one coal and the top be in the
other. This is as follows:
-----------------------
-------------------coal
-----------------------
..............ITI......
..............IRI.shale
..............IEI......
..............IEI......
--------------I_I------
-------------------coal
-----------------------
John Morris gives a photo of such a tree "spanning two narrow coal seams and
the intervening shale." This can be explained as could happen with the
Mississippi floods of 1993 where a tree growing in a peat rich swamp was
buried by shale or sand and then the swamp continues above all this. This is
not a case of a polystrate tree going through several seams of coal. His
example does not damage the conventional view of geology. What is needed to
make a problem is for one tree to go through at least 3 coals. I would find
it difficult to explain this situation. Maybe Art Chadwick can think of a
situation where a tree could go through three or more coal seams. I can't.
By the way Morris does not tell us where this fossil is.
Kofahl does not say that they span through more than 2 coal seams. He also
does not say where these are, but they obviously point to Rupke's article. I
would say that Rupke no longer is a young-earth creationist.
I have read but do not own Ackerman's book. I wish I did. I have ordered
Rupke's articles. I thought I had his CRSQ article but have lost it.
glenn
Foundation,Fall and Flood
http://members.gnn.com/GRMorton/dmd.htm