Foundations of Creation: Volume 10

Radiometric dating is presented in textbooks as settled, objective science — but in this eye-opening volume of Foundations of Creation, young readers discover that it rests on three assumptions that cannot be verified, and that when those assumptions are tested, the results are deeply troubling. Using the vivid illustration of a sand clock, readers learn that to calculate how long a process has been running, you must know the starting conditions, whether anything was added or removed, and whether the rate has always been constant — and for rocks formed millions of years before any human observer, none of those things can be known. The evidence becomes even more striking when lava from Mount St. Helens, formed in 1980, was dated by standard methods as millions of years old. The landmark RATE Project — a multi-year research effort by creation scientists — found helium still trapped in tiny zircon crystals that should have escaped long ago, and detected carbon-14 in coal, diamonds, and dinosaur bones, even though carbon-14 should have completely decayed after roughly 100,000 years. Ice cores, tree rings, and varves are also examined, with the assumptions behind each one brought into the light. The clock is not as reliable as they told you.

What is Foundations of Creation Volume 10 about?

Volume 10 argues that radiometric dating, presented in textbooks as objective science, rests on three assumptions that cannot be verified. Using a sand clock analogy, it explains that knowing how long a process has run requires its starting conditions, knowledge of whether anything was added or removed, and confirmation that the rate stayed constant, none of which can be known for rocks formed before anyone observed them. It points to lava formed at Mount St. Helens in 1980 that standard methods dated at millions of years old. It cites the RATE Project’s reports of helium trapped in zircon crystals and carbon-14 detected in coal, diamonds, and dinosaur bones, material that should have decayed completely within about 100,000 years. Ice cores, tree rings, and varves are examined in turn, with their underlying assumptions exposed. The tagline is that the clock is not as reliable as they told you.

Who wrote Foundations of Creation Volume 10?

It was written by Alfred Basta, a professor, author, and musician.

What genre is Foundations of Creation Volume 10?

It is Christian apologetics written as a technical reference on dating methods, which means it explains how each method works before examining the assumptions behind it.

Who is Foundations of Creation Volume 10 for?

It is written for young readers who want to understand how rocks are dated and why the book questions the results.

Is Foundations of Creation Volume 10 part of a series?

Yes. It is Volume 10 of Foundations of Creation: An Encyclopedia Examining the Scientific Case for Biblical Accuracy, a 25-volume series. See the series on Amazon.

Where can I buy Foundations of Creation Volume 10?

Foundations of Creation Volume 10 is available in hardcover and Kindle editions. The hardcover ISBN-13 is 979-8197295347 (262 pages, published May 17, 2026).

Amazon (hardcover) | Amazon (Kindle) | Indigo (author page)

About the author: Alfred Basta is a professor, author of Ward No. 8 and The Malgrave Letters, and musician as The Bastas Project.

Last updated: October 12, 2026