John Whitmore

Dr. John Whitmore

Dr. John H. Whitmore is a biblical young-earth geologist and paleontologist and a professor of geology at Cedarville University. He is a leading researcher in Flood geology, sedimentology, and Grand Canyon stratigraphy, and is widely known for his work on the Coconino Sandstone, fossil taphonomy, soft-sediment deformation, and post-Flood tectonics. Dr. Whitmore is a featured geologist with Answers in Genesis, a principal scientific contributor to the documentary Is Genesis History: Mountains After the Flood, and a featured river-trip geologist and instructor with Canyon Ministries.

Education

Dr. Whitmore earned a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Kent State University (1985), a Master of Science in Geology from the Institute for Creation Research (1991), and a PhD in Biology (paleontology emphasis) from Loma Linda University (2003).

Academic Career

Dr. Whitmore is Professor of Geology at Cedarville University, where he founded and directs the geology program and trains students in sedimentology, paleontology, stratigraphy, and Flood geology. He regularly leads student field courses across the Colorado Plateau and the Grand Canyon, emphasizing large-scale stratigraphic continuity, catastrophic sedimentation, and rapid tectonic deformation.

Grand Canyon & Coconino Sandstone Research

Dr. Whitmore is one of the principal researchers in biblical Flood geology of the Coconino Sandstone of the Grand Canyon, a unit traditionally interpreted as an ancient aeolian desert deposit but reinterpreted within a biblical framework as a rapidly emplaced subaqueous sand body formed during the global Genesis Flood. Through detailed petrography, analysis of cross-bedding hydraulics, mica preservation, sand injectite structures, and widespread soft-sediment deformation, Dr. Whitmore has demonstrated that the Coconino’s internal architecture is consistent with high-energy underwater sand waves rather than wind-blown dunes.

His research documents extensive evidence of liquefaction, recumbent folds, and fluid-escape structures at the base of the formation, indicating that the sand was still water-saturated and unconsolidated when deformation occurred. These observations support rapid burial and tectonic disturbance during the Flood and are incompatible with prolonged exposure in an arid desert environment. Dr. Whitmore’s work has become foundational to biblical reinterpretations of so-called “desert sandstones” throughout the Paleozoic sequence of the Colorado Plateau.

Folded Rock Project with Dr. Andrew Snelling

John Whitmore Examining the Coconino Sandstone at Grand Canyon river mile five.

Dr. Whitmore is a co-investigator with Dr. Andrew A. Snelling on the Grand Canyon folded-rock research program featured in Is Genesis History: Mountains After the Flood. This project examines large-scale monocline structures such as the Kaibab Monocline, as well as regional anticlines and synclines within Cambrian–Permian strata including the Tapeats Sandstone and Bright Angel Shale.

Field observations show that many folds display characteristics of plastic deformation rather than brittle fracturing, indicating that the sedimentary layers were still soft and water-rich when bent. The continuity of lamination through fold hinges, lack of pervasive jointing, and absence of metamorphic recrystallization support rapid deformation of Flood-deposited sediments during late-Flood and early post-Flood orogeny rather than slow bending of fully lithified rock over long ages. This work supports catastrophic crustal deformation associated with the final stages of the Flood and the initial breakup of Pangaea in biblical plate-tectonic models.

Green River Formation & Fossil Taphonomy

Dr. Whitmore has published extensively on fossil preservation and depositional processes in the Green River Formation, applying the science of taphonomy to distinguish between catastrophic burial and uniformitarian models. His work documents mass mortality horizons, articulated skeletons, minimal scavenging, and vertically repeated fossil assemblages that indicate rapid burial under low-oxygen conditions rather than slow accumulation in long-lived, tranquil lakes.

By analyzing decay stages, skeletal articulation, sedimentary context, and vertical distribution of fossil fish, Dr. Whitmore has shown that these organisms were buried quickly by fine sediment during high-energy water disturbances. These conditions are consistent with residual Flood processes and early post-Flood basin sedimentation rather than seasonal die-offs. His taphonomic criteria have also contributed to defining the Flood/Post-Flood boundary and to developing biblical models for the transition from Flood strata to post-Flood continental deposits.

International Conference on Creationism

Dr. Whitmore serves on the board of the Creation Geology Society and was editor of the Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism, helping shape modern Flood geology research and mentor the next generation of biblical creation scientists.

Canyon Ministries

Dr. John Whitmore and Nate Loper at the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon on a Canyon Ministries river trip

Dr. Whitmore is a featured Grand Canyon river-trip geologist with Canyon Ministries, where he teaches in-depth Flood geology, stratigraphy, and tectonics on multi-day Colorado River expeditions and field programs. He also assists in guide training and scientific curriculum development.

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Academic Papers

• Whitmore, J. H., Strom, R., Cheung, S., and Garner, P. A. 2014. “The petrology of the Coconino Sandstone (Permian), Arizona, USA.” Answers Research Journal 7:499–532. Full text
• Whitmore, J. H., Forsythe, G., and Garner, P. A. 2015. “Intraformational parabolic recumbent folds in the Coconino Sandstone (Permian) and two other formations in Sedona, Arizona (USA).” Answers Research Journal 8:21–40.
• Whitmore, J. H., Anderson, C. J., and Struble, A. 2017. “Abrasion resistance of muscovite in aeolian and subaqueous transport experiments.” Aeolian Research 24:33–37. Full text

International Conference on Creationism Proceedings

• Whitmore, J. H., and Garner, P. A. 2018. “The Coconino Sandstone (Permian, Arizona, USA): Implications for the origin of ancient cross-bedded sandstones.” In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism, pp. 581–627. Full paper
• Whitmore, J. H. 2023. “Can sandstone cross-bed dip inclinations determine ancient transport directions?” In Proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Creationism. Full paper

Geological Society of America Abstracts

• Whitmore, J. H. 2003. “A novel method to determine relative lake depth using vertical and lateral trends in fish taphonomy (Green River Formation, Fossil Butte Member, Wyoming).” Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 35(6). Abstract
• Whitmore, J. H. 2005. “Sandstone clast breccias and substratal liquefaction in the basal Coconino Sandstone, Grand Canyon, Arizona.” Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs 37(7). Abstract
• Whitmore, J. H. 2019. “Unexpected discoveries in the Coconino Sandstone (Permian) and its equivalents.” Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Abstract

Books and Book Chapters

• Ross, M., Whitmore, J. H., Gollmer, S., and Faulkner, D. 2018. The Heavens and the Earth: A Biblical Introduction to Cosmology, Geology, and Biology. Master Books. Publisher page
• Davis, B. A., Liston, M. A., and Whitmore, J. H. 1998. The Great Alaskan Dinosaur Adventure. Master Books. Cedarville DigitalCommons

Articles and Outreach

• Whitmore, J. H. 2015. “Coconino Sandstone—The most powerful argument against the Flood?” Answers Magazine. [1]
• Whitmore, J. H. 2019. “Mica, mica in the sand, tell us something really Grand!” Answers Magazine. [2]
• Whitmore, J. H. 2022. “We can only imagine what happened after the Flood!” Answers Magazine. [3]
• Whitmore, J. H. 2023. “The Coconino Sandstone: Water, not wind.” Acts & Facts. [4]

Conference Presentations

• Whitmore, J. H. 2019. “The Coconino Sandstone Story.” Logos Research Associates Conference, St. George, Utah. Abstract
• Whitmore, J. H. 2021. “Soft-sediment deformation and sand injectites in the Coconino Sandstone.” Creation Geology Society Field Conference. [5]

Media & Outreach

Dr. Whitmore appears in Is Genesis History, Answers in Genesis video series, and international biblical creation conferences, presenting Grand Canyon geology, Flood sedimentology, and post-Flood tectonics.