Science in the Glorious Quran: Mountains

Mountains as Pegs

“وَأَلْقَىٰ فِي الْأَرْضِ رَوَاسِيَ أَن تَمِيدَ بِكُمْ وَأَنْهَارًا وَسُبُلًا لَّعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ” (النحل:15).

“And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shifts with you, and [made] rivers and roads, that you may be guided” (Qur’an, 16:15).

“أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا” (النبإ 6-7).

“Have We not made the earth as a bed, and the mountains as pegs?” (Quran, 78:6-7).

Modern Earth Science has proved that mountains have deep roots beneath the surface of the earth and their roots can reach several times their elevation above the surface of the earth. Therefore, schematic sections of the mountains resemble pegs.

Likewise, the modern theory of plate tectonics holds that the convergent boundaries of plates move towards one another (The figure below). Although, earthquakes are common at this type of boundary, however, the shaking during the earthquakes would have been worse without the deep roots of the mountains.  The roots are usually several times the elevation of the mountains and they cause thickening of the crust. Both the deep root and the thickened crust hinder the movements of the plate and therefore, lessen the violence of the earthquakes (See the figure below).

At a convergent boundary, the presence of mountains with their roots that thickens the crust of the Earth would hinder severe shaking of the earth during earthquakes