An Evening with Geologist Dr. Steve Austin

  Nate Loper – April 17, 2026

Having Steve here this last time, in the middle of that ongoing work, brought a unique perspective. Not because he handed us answers, but because he has spent decades asking the same kinds of questions in other places.

We had one of those evenings you wish you could bottle up and revisit later again and again.

Out here in northern Arizona, where the land itself invites questions, our team recently had the chance to gather with geologist Dr. Steve Austin and others who were in town working on a research project I’ve been part of for the past four years. The focus has been the Bidahochi Basin and the possibility of transgressive shoreline terraces tied to what has been called Hopi Lake. It is the kind of work that keeps pulling you back into the field, asking you to look again, to measure again, to sift through the data and follow the evidence where it leads.

But in this moment, it wasn’t just about the field. It was about sitting down at a table, sharing a meal, and listening. There is something grounding about stepping away from the dirt and into dialogue. The dust settles. The maps get folded. And what remains is the story behind the work.

As we sat together over dinner, Steve began to share his journey in geology. Not a polished lecture. Not a conference presentation. Just the story of how a young man with an interest in rocks seven decades ago found himself steadily, and sometimes unexpectedly, guided into a lifetime of studying God’s creation. He spoke about decisions that did not always make sense on paper. Doors that opened at just the right moment. Convictions that had to be held when they were not popular. And through it all, a quiet but steady theme emerged. The Lord was directing the path.

Steve Austin’s name is often connected to two major areas of work that have shaped much of the conversation in creation geology. The first is his research at Mount St. Helens following the 1980 eruption. That event provided a real-world laboratory. Catastrophic processes were not theoretical anymore. They were observable. Measurable. Repeatable in smaller analogs. Rapid canyon formation. Layered sediment deposition. Erosional features that looked strikingly similar to what we see in much larger landscapes. It forced a reconsideration of how quickly certain geologic features can form under the right conditions.

The second is his role in Grand Canyon research. Apart from mapping nautiloid fossils from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas and beyond, he has remained instrumental in developing and refining the Grand Canyon formation by lake spillover model. Rather than relying on slow, gradual carving over vast ages, or the thought that Noah’s Flood carved the canyon, this model proposes that large post-Flood lakes once occupied the region. As those lakes overtopped their natural dams, they released immense volumes of water in a relatively short period of time, rapidly carving the canyon system we see today. It is a model built not just on theory, but on field observation, elevation data, basin geometry, and drainage patterns. It asks a simple question. What would happen if a lot of water moved through this landscape very quickly?

Dr. Steve Austin examining the Bidahochi Formation

That same mindset is what has driven our work in the Bidahochi Basin. For years now, we have been examining features that appear to mark former shorelines. Terraces that wrap along the landscape. Elevation consistencies that hint at rising water levels of Hopi Lake. Tufa deposits that raise questions about how quickly the basin may have filled and drained. Are these transgressive shoreline terraces tied to a large body of water? If so, what does that say about the scale and timing of events in this region?

These are not questions you answer in a single trip. They require repeated visits. Careful documentation. That is why I’ve been blessed to have Steve Austin helping lead this research project. When I presented a number of creation geologists with the evidence of this potential discovery of shoreline terraces or strandlines, they all agreed it was very promising. Steve added to his response, “I’m buying a plane ticket.”  He and our seven-member team have since spent multiple weeks of work and field research over the past four years.

Having Steve here this last time, in the middle of that ongoing work, brought a unique perspective. Not because he handed us answers, but because he has spent decades asking the same kinds of questions in other places. There is a steadiness that comes from that kind of experience. What stood out most that evening was not a single data point or discovery. It was the reminder that this work is not just about rocks and landscapes. It is about calling.

Steve’s story made that clear. The path into geology was not simply academic or professional. It was personal. It was shaped by a desire to understand the world God has made and to communicate that understanding to others with clarity and conviction.

In many ways, that is the same heartbeat behind what we do at Canyon Ministries. We step into these places. We observe. We measure. We wrestle with the data. And then we turn around and share it, not just as information, but as part of a larger story about truth, Scripture, and the reliability of what God has revealed. There is work to be done. Questions still to pursue. Evidence still to examine.

And, as always, a story that is bigger than any one of us—one that we are simply invited to take part in for a little while.