Answer: We don't know (yet). We may (or may not) find out. One thing certain, though, is that it did not happen 7,000 years ago and did not happen in the way described by Genesis.
I appreciate the candor.
I'm going to mention something that often gets lost in the debate over the Genesis record...
Quote
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. (Genesis 1:1-5 ESV)
God is before all things ... but notice that there was an unordered chaotic mass of darkness, earth and water that pre-existed before day 1 of creation which brought forth light. As Bible believers we have no idea how long this pre-existing era was before day 1 of creation began. There is no reason for us not to think that there would be geological evidence that pre-dates the literal 6 day creation event which in no case would contradict the subsequent event. Moving forward in the days of creation there is the separation of land and water to bring order from the pre-existing elements.
Again I am simply pointing this out because there is clear Genesis evidence that geology existed before the 6 day creation of order and the creation of biological life. I am not expecting you to accept the Genesis record as you have already made yourself clear on that point, but I am pointing out an often overlooked aspect of the Genesis record.
