Science Adventurers: Fossil Fuels

“Here’s a fun one you can do at home: Take a piece of bread and sprinkle it with bits of leaves or grass. Stack a book on top of it and leave it for a day or two. Check to see how the materials change. It’s a mini version of how pressure and time can change organic material. You can even make layers with different things like flour, sand, or crushed cereal to see how they settle!”

“So I can make a fossil fuel sandwich?” Chance asked.

“Only if you don’t eat it,” Drexel laughed. “Remember, the real ones took lots of pressure and heat!”

“So here’s how it works: A long time ago, plants and tiny sea creatures died and got buried under mud and sand. Then, over time, more layers piled up on top. With enough pressure and heat, those dead organisms changed into fossil fuels.”

Liam blinked. “So it’s like nature’s recycling system?”

“Exactly!” Drexel said. “Coal mostly came from plants in swamps. Oil and natural gas usually came from microscopic sea creatures.”

“Wow,” Liam said. “And now we use that stuff to power cars and cook food?”

“Right again!” Drexel nodded. “Fossil fuels are energy-packed because they come from things that were once alive and full of energy.”

Chance leaned back. “Okay, but I’ve heard people say it took millions of years for that to happen. Is that true?”

“That’s a good point,” Drexel said thoughtfully. “Some scientists believe that fossil fuels formed slowly over millions of years. But as Bible Adventurers, we explore the idea of a young Earth. From a young Earth perspective, events like Noah’s Flood could have quickly buried tons of plants and animals, creating the right conditions for fossil fuels to form faster.”

Liam’s eyes widened. “So the Flood wasn’t just water—it was like a big Earth-mixer?”

“Yep,” Drexel said. “Layers of mud and debris could’ve buried whole forests and sea beds in a short amount of time. The heat and pressure under all that could’ve helped form fossil fuels rapidly. So while people have different ideas about how long it took, we believe God designed Earth’s systems to work powerfully—and sometimes quickly!”

Chance added in, “Mom also says that, since we weren’t there at the beginning, we don’t really know, but God could have made an old or mature universe just like he made Adam and Eve as adults and trees and animals fully formed… not babies”

Drexel responded, “Yep, that’s another theory. It’s important that we stay humble and don’t assume that we have all the answers.

Liam piped up, “Right! But there’s one thing we do know for sure and that’s that God created the world and he did an awesome job!”