Abstract
The standard evolutionary/uniformitarian explanation for the origin of the earth's atmosphere is by outgassing of volatile compounds from the solid earth, and its modification by escape of gases and biological processes. Supposedly, these processes occurred over a period of 4.5 billion years. Many problems have been encountered, however, when attempting to reconcile the composition and processes in today's atmosphere with basic tenets of this model. For example, the composition of no single planetary atmosphere in the solar system matches the assumed primordial material which supposedly made up the original nebula, even after complex heating, recombination, outgassing, and escape scenarios are considered. The controversy continues as to whether the earth originally had a reducing or oxidizing atmosphere. It is not certain how carbon dioxide maintains its equilibrium or why it has been increasing in recent years, nor is it clear why methane is so plentiful on the earth.