Dr Emil Silvestru

Emil earned his Ph.D in geology at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj, Romania, (where he has worked as an associate professor) in karst sedimentology. An authority on the geology of caves, he has written one book (The Cave Book), published over 48 peer-reviews scientific articles, and co-authored three books: Terra - Catastrophe Naturale (Terra - Natural Catastrophes), The Geologic Column: Perspectives within Diluvial Geology and Rock Solid Answers.

Before moving into full-time creation ministry in 1997 Emil was the head scientist at the worlds first Speleological Institute (speleology = the study of caves) in Cluj. His areas of expertise include: karstology, sedimentology, geology and hydrogeology of limestone terranes, cave glaciology, show cave assessment & design, exploration and geology of metamorphic ore deposits.He has over 30 years experience in climbing and spelunking, educating many young spelunkers and mountain climbing devotees as well as participating in mountain and cave rescue operations.

After becoming a Christian in 1994, Emil began to re-think previously held views on the age of the earth.

In particular he became interested in studying the geological processes that resulted from the world-wide flood recorded in Genesis. He became convinced that the flood provided exceptional conditions that greatly accelerated the geological processes commonly thought to take millions of years. In January 2002 he immigrated to Canada from Romania with his family. Emil now works full-time for Creation Ministries International-Canada as a researcher, writer and speaker.

In 2012 Emil suffered a stroke and subsequently has not been able to return to work for CMI.

Interview

• See an interview with Dr Silvestru from CMI’s Creation magazine.

Dr Silvestru’s papers published in secular science journals

• Viehmann Iosif, SILVESTRU Emil, Fabian Calin (1979) La Grotte d'Iza, Monts de Rodna, Roumanie. Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti, t.XVIII:201–207.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil, Viehmann Iosif (1982) Etude de microtectonique comparée dans le karst des Monts de Rodna (Roumanie). Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti, t.XXI:63–67.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1984) The Relationship Between Tectonics and Karstification in the Cave from Izvorul Tausoarelor (Rodna Mountains). Theoretical and Applied Karstology, Bucureşti, 1:35–42.
  
  

• Soritau Dan, Nicoara Dorel, SILVESTRU Emil, Demeter Janos, Popa Cristian, Viehmann Iosif (1984) Avenul din Stanul Foncii. Bull."Pestera", Cluj–Napoca, 1:79–88.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1985) Aspects of Karstification in the Crystalline Limestones on the Southern Slope of Rodnei Mountains. Theoretical and Applied Karstology, Bucureşti, 2:87–95.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1988) New Ideas on the Cretaceous/Tertiary Extinctions. Evolution and Adaptation, Cluj–Napoca, III:89–97.
  
  

• Mârza Ioan, SILVESTRU Emil (1988)First Mention of the Hydrothermal Karst Phenomenon Associated to Neogene Metasomatic Suplhide Ore deposits from Rodna Veche. Studia Universitatis “Babes-Bolyai”, Geologica-Geographica, Cluj-Napoca, XXXIII:77–81.
  
  

• Cocean Pompei, SILVESTRU Emil (1988)The Role of Magmatism in the Genesis of Isolated Massifs Karst Relief of the Trascau–Metaliferi Mountains. Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti, t.XXVII:89–93.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1989) Several Considerations on the Tectonics of the Underground Fossil Glacier in the Cave Ghetarul de la Scarisoara (Romania). Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti, t.XXVIII:77–86.
  
  

• Cociuba Ioan, SILVESTRU Emil (1989) Hypothesis on a genetical Relation Between the Actual Karst and the Bauxite-Bearing paleokarst at the Jurassic/Creatceous Boundary in the Piatra Craiului Mountains (Romania). Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti,t.XXVIII, p.87–90.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1990)Propositions pour une classification litho–génétiquedes formes karstiques et apparentées. Karstologia, La Rivoire, France. Nr.15:55–57.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1990) On the Genesis and Evolution of Mirabilite in the Cave Izvorul Tausoarelor (Romania). Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti, t.XXIX:79–84.
  
  

• Racovita Gheorghe, Boghean Viorel, SILVESTRU Emil, Petrescu Mircea (1991) Etude thermométrique des substratums de la grotte de Scarisoara. Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti, t.XXX:159–184.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil, Boghean Viorel (1992) Ultrasonic Investigations on the Underground Fossil Glacier in the Cave Ghetarul de la Scarisoara (Romania). Travaux de l'Institut de Spéologie “Emil Racovitza”, Bucureşti, t.XXXI:151–154.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1993) Karst and Global Climate (a Gaian Approach). Proceedings of the European Conference on Speleology, Helecine, Belgium, 2:125–127.
  
  

• SILVESTRU, Emil (1993) Apusul gigantilor — o poveste cu dinozauri. In Petrescu Iustinian (coordinator) Terra — catastrofe naturale. Editura Dacia Cluj-Napoca, 259p.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1994) Karst and Environment — a Romanian Approach. Geological and Landscape Conservation (O'Halloran, D., Greene, C., Harley, M., Knill, J., editors) London, Geological Society, p.221–225.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil, Ghergari Lucretia (1994) On the Paleokarst in the Cave Ghetarul de la Scarisoara (Bihor Mountains, Romania). Theoretical and Applied Karstology, Bucureşti, 7:155–161.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1995)Can One Define Poljes? Acta Carsologica, Ljubljana, Slovenia, XXIV:501–508.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil, Tamas Tudor, Fratila Gheorghe (1995) Preliminary Data on the Hydrogeology of Karst Terrains Around the Springs of Somesul Cald River (Bihor-Vladeasa Mountains, Romania). Theoretical and Applied Karstology, Bucureşti, 8:81–89.
  
  

• Pourchet Michel, Mélieres Marie Antoinette, SILVESTRU Emil, Rajka Géza, Candaudap Froncois, Carbonnel Jean-Pièrre (1996) Radionuclides in a Cave Lake Sediment Core from Ghetarul de Sub Zgurasti (Romania). Theoretical and Applied Karstology, Bucureşti, 9:23–28.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil, Mátyási Sándor and Bucur I. Ioan (1996) Proposal for a series of formal lithostratigraphic units from the Lower Triassic to the Upper Jurassic in the Central Bihor Mountains (Apuseni Mountains, Romania). Studia Universitatis “Babes-Bolyai”, Geologia, XLI(2):131–136, Cluj.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1997) Stratigrafia si sedimentologia depozitelor clastice din exo– si endocarstul zonei Padis-Cetatile Ponorului. Teza de doctorat (PhD thesis) Universitatea “Babes-Bolyai” Cluj-Napoca, 240 pp.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1997) Dolines in the Padis Plateau (Bihor Mountains, Romania) — One Peculiar Case, Many Questions. Theoretical and Applied Karstology, Bucureşti, 10:127–132.
  
  

• SILVESTRU Emil (1998) Lithostratigraphic control of karstification: a Romanian example. Études de Géographie Physique, Supplément au nº XXVII:31–34, Arras, France.
  
  

• SILVESTRU, Emil (1999) Perennial ice in caves in temperate climate and its significance. Theoretical and Applied Karstology, Bucureşti, 11–12:83–94.

Articles in the Journal of Creation

• The standing stones of creation

• Thermal isostasy—a new look at its potential to advance diluvial geology

• Neutrinos—the not-so-neutral particles

• Human and dinosaur fossil footprints in the Upper Cretaceous of North America?

• The Permian extinction: National Geographic comes close to the truth

• Bubbles of surprise

• Paleokarst—a riddle inside confusion

• The age of the Jenolan Caves, Australia

• North Sea Megaflood

• Mineral evolution: What’s next? Geobiology or biogeology?

• Eolian erosion exposé

Articles in the Creation Magazine

• Caves and Age

• Caves for all seasons

• Denied the prize

• The riddle of paleokarst solved

• Marvellous moth motif

• A river like no other

• Pollen Paradox

Articles on this website

• Geology, the Sphinx, and the Bible

• Human fossils from the Flood and ancient climate patterns

• Of barons, bones, birds and dinosaurs

• The not-so-dark side of the Moon

• Rapid canyon formation and fossils

• ‘Rocking’ wrong geology

• Dinosaurs, day care and diluvium

• Flying dinosaurs, flightless dinosaurs and other evolutionary fantasies

• For whom the (alarm) bells toll?

• Water inside fire

• Communism and Capitalism both fear Creationism

• From weird to worthy: Bananas, clowns, gophers, bunnies…and creation

• Wild, wild floods!

• Rejecting Creation: A business decision

• The Canadian Oil Sands: a different story

• Rock layers and cave formations

Book

• The Cave Book

DVDs

• Rocks & Ages Do They Hide Millions of Years?

• Geology & Cave Formation: A Post-Flood Story

• Rocks Around The Clock