Proposal
Sphagnum bogs such as Raheenmore and Clara bogs in Ireland have a maximum peat depth of 7-12 meters even above 15 meters in some locations. Given measured and extrapolated growth rates it ought to take 5.4 - 3.2 thousand years for this amount of peat accumulation. This is incompatible with a YEC model, because I am interpreting these bogs as post-Flood as they sit on top of glacial deposits. Not only is growth limited to after the Flood, but core logs display evidence of glaciation which often precedes bog development. Regardless of the timing of glaciation after the Flood, the necessity of these events to precede the bog further constrains the permissible time for their growth and development. When developing a new model for the existence of post Flood bogs of exceptional depth one must first establish that all the peat produced was in-situ and mostly sphagnum. Following this, the factors controlling the current and maximum possible growth rate must be established. Lastly it is vital to not only establish the conditions required to grow and preserve that much sphagnum but also to establish the feasibility of those conditions existing and being maintained long enough to allow that growth.
Multiple reports present data supporting that at least 90% of the sphagnum peat is in-situ organic matter. This was accomplished by core logs and associated palynology as well as comparisons with modern analogous environments and the 200 years of recorded observations at these sites. These reports also argue that the growth rate used to be much faster than it is in the present day. A plethora of studies exist illustrating how factors such as temperature, pH, nutrient levels, oxygen concentrations, and light availability impact growth rate, biomass density, and preservation of sphagnum. Water chemistry specifically has the largest recorded impact with 50-fold biomass yield in ideal conditions. If it had just ideal water chemistry the rate could potentially be increased to allow the bog to form in approximately 108 years so long as that chemistry was maintained the whole time. However, any of the other factors could still decrease the growth time to about 415 years. Furthermore, if these conditions were combined and sustained in their ideal the sphagnum could theoretically grow at even faster rates.
The likelihood of any one condition being ideal for the entire growth time is unlikely, though evidence suggests that there are multiple times over the history of the bogs where they had at least one or more of these conditions met, especially at the beginning of their growth. Therefore, it is reasonable for these exceptionally deep sphagnum bogs to have formed post flood and post glaciation as their measured historical growth rates were faster than present day rates and records of environmental factors suggests it grew even faster than historical rates.
Beggars B., 1997. Sedimentology of Late Glacial Clays in Lacustrine Basins Central Ireland. Quaternary Science Reviews 16:779-791
Weider, K.R., Novak, M., Schell, W.R., Rhodes, T. 1994 Rates of Peat Accumulation Over the Past 200 Years in Five Sphagnum Dominated Peatlands in the United States. Journal of Paleolimnology 12, (March): 35-47
Keywords
Sphagnum, Peat, Glaciation, Bog, Post-Flood
Submission Type
Poster
Copyright
© 2025 Kiril Ivanovich. All rights reserved.
Included in
Botany Commons, Bryology Commons, Geology Commons, Paleobiology Commons, Paleontology Commons, Sedimentology Commons, Systems Biology Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Reconciling Sphagnum Bogs of Exceptional Depth With a Young Earth Model
Sphagnum bogs such as Raheenmore and Clara bogs in Ireland have a maximum peat depth of 7-12 meters even above 15 meters in some locations. Given measured and extrapolated growth rates it ought to take 5.4 - 3.2 thousand years for this amount of peat accumulation. This is incompatible with a YEC model, because I am interpreting these bogs as post-Flood as they sit on top of glacial deposits. Not only is growth limited to after the Flood, but core logs display evidence of glaciation which often precedes bog development. Regardless of the timing of glaciation after the Flood, the necessity of these events to precede the bog further constrains the permissible time for their growth and development. When developing a new model for the existence of post Flood bogs of exceptional depth one must first establish that all the peat produced was in-situ and mostly sphagnum. Following this, the factors controlling the current and maximum possible growth rate must be established. Lastly it is vital to not only establish the conditions required to grow and preserve that much sphagnum but also to establish the feasibility of those conditions existing and being maintained long enough to allow that growth.
Multiple reports present data supporting that at least 90% of the sphagnum peat is in-situ organic matter. This was accomplished by core logs and associated palynology as well as comparisons with modern analogous environments and the 200 years of recorded observations at these sites. These reports also argue that the growth rate used to be much faster than it is in the present day. A plethora of studies exist illustrating how factors such as temperature, pH, nutrient levels, oxygen concentrations, and light availability impact growth rate, biomass density, and preservation of sphagnum. Water chemistry specifically has the largest recorded impact with 50-fold biomass yield in ideal conditions. If it had just ideal water chemistry the rate could potentially be increased to allow the bog to form in approximately 108 years so long as that chemistry was maintained the whole time. However, any of the other factors could still decrease the growth time to about 415 years. Furthermore, if these conditions were combined and sustained in their ideal the sphagnum could theoretically grow at even faster rates.
The likelihood of any one condition being ideal for the entire growth time is unlikely, though evidence suggests that there are multiple times over the history of the bogs where they had at least one or more of these conditions met, especially at the beginning of their growth. Therefore, it is reasonable for these exceptionally deep sphagnum bogs to have formed post flood and post glaciation as their measured historical growth rates were faster than present day rates and records of environmental factors suggests it grew even faster than historical rates.
Beggars B., 1997. Sedimentology of Late Glacial Clays in Lacustrine Basins Central Ireland. Quaternary Science Reviews 16:779-791
Weider, K.R., Novak, M., Schell, W.R., Rhodes, T. 1994 Rates of Peat Accumulation Over the Past 200 Years in Five Sphagnum Dominated Peatlands in the United States. Journal of Paleolimnology 12, (March): 35-47