Sideling Hill

Sideling Hill—

Monument to Noah’s Flood OR Millions of Years?

by Patricia Auxt

Sideling Hill is located in Western Maryland, between Hancock and Cumberland. Up until 1985 travelers had to take an old mountain road (now called Route 144) over the mountain, which added several miles to the trip. Because of the steep and treacherous terrain, there were many accidents, and deaths. When a safer and quicker Interstate 68 was cut through the mountain, an impressive geological phenomenon was uncovered.

People were so impressed by the unusual folding of the strata at Sideling Hill that they built a visitor center just off the interstate to serve as a rest stop and “To help provide the public with a better understanding of the geology of the cut. . .” (DNR's Sideling hill page accessed 12/8/08).

This cut through the mountain at Sideling Hill took over a year to complete. Contractors blasted away a section of mountain that is over 4 miles long, 200 feet wide and 380 feet deep. This cut reveals a perfect syncline, where the strata no longer lays flat but has been folded up into a mirror image of the mountain. This unusual fold prompted questions on how this happened without breaking the rocks. There are only two possible theories:

1. Evolution says that each layer was laid down over millions of years. Then the continents of North America and Africa collided, buckling the strata to form two large rugged mountains, and then erosion shaped Sideling Hill to the condition we see it in today.

2. Creation says that all the layers were laid down in about a year during Noah’s Flood, folded before the sedimentary layers completely solidified, and Sideling Hill was shaped as the waters receded.

Obviously, this mountain was only formed once. Either it was laid down over millions of years or it was laid down very quickly. Both theories of the formation of Sideling Hill are mutually exclusive of the other. Based on what we see today, is there a way to determine which theory is more feasible?

The following pages will present the data and positively determine which theory is correct. As you read and analyze the following data, ponder what the evidence suggests. Does this evidence suggest:

1. One grain at a time over millions of years or

2. A rapid catastrophic event?

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