But could local slides and floods account for the formation of all dinosaur fossils, as well as billions of other fossil creatures found over the entire planet, from the highest mountains to the lowest canyons?

Mr. Poling:

This question does not appear to say anything about whether dinosaur fossils prove evolution. Worse, the specific question ... could slides and floods account for the formation of all dinosaur fossils ... is never answered.

Addendum:

This appears to be another "Great Flood" reference. The idea here is that these millions of fossils are too many to be buried only by the sedimentary processes of local waters. These large numbers of fossils could only be the result of a massive worldwide flood.

Most fossils are preserved by the sedimentation process of water. However, others are preserved by desert sands. Most of the fossils found in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, including Protoceratops, Velociraptor, Oviraptor and Mononykus, were preserved when they were caught by sandstorms or collapsing sand dunes. A fossil preserved by desert sand obviously was not preserved by water sedimentary processes, including those caused by a supposed "Great Flood."

The other problem with the "Great Flood" theory is the lack of preserved upland animals. Just like the fossil record is biased towards large animals, it is also biased towards lowland animals. Fossils must be preserved by sedimentation, or otherwise buried quickly (perhaps in a sandstorm, as discussed above, or a volcanic eruption). Sedimentation typically occurs only in the ocean, lakes, rivers or lowland areas near rivers (called floodplains). Most dinosaurs are found in ancient river beds or floodplains. These dinosaurs represent mainly lowland species, those that lived near the river. Since sedimentation rarely occurs in upland areas, or in heavily forested areas, animals that live there are not preserved. If the "Great Flood" was actually responsible for the demise of the dinosaurs, upland habitants, with their indigenous animal life, would also have been preserved. The lack of these preserved upland habitats and animals further casts doubt on the "Great Flood" theory.

The discrete layering of fossil groups also argues strongly against the "Great Flood" theory. Presumably, a catastrophe such as the Flood would mix all the carcasses of drowned animals into a jumbled mess. Camel fossils, for example, would be found side by side with Dimetrodon fossils. This is not the case. Fossils are almost always found in discrete layers, with only certain kinds of fossils found in certain layers of rock. This layering is almost always repeated world wide, meaning that the same fossil groups found in outcrops of a certain age in, say, Montana, are found only in outcrops of the same age in, say, Europe. When fossils are found "mixed," there is almost always evidence of redeposition, where fossils have been eroded from the rock and then reburied.