Mountains as Earth Stabilizers
The Quran describes mountains as "pegs" with deep roots - confirmed by modern geology and isostasy.
أَلَمْ نَجْعَلِ الْأَرْضَ مِهَادًا وَالْجِبَالَ أَوْتَادًا
Alam naj'alil-arḍa mihādan wal-jibāla awtādā
“Did We not make the earth a resting place, and the mountains as pegs?”
Verify on Quran.com610-632 CE
The verse describing this phenomenon was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Time Gap
1,257+ years
Before scientific confirmation
1889 CE
Clarence Dutton confirmed: Isostasy and Mountain Root Systems
The Quran uses the Arabic word "awtad" (stakes/pegs) to describe mountains. This is scientifically accurate - mountains are not simply protrusions sitting on the Earth's surface, but have deep roots extending into the lithosphere, much like a peg or stake driven into the ground.
The principle of isostasy, discovered in 1889, confirms that mountains have roots proportional to their height above the surface. The Earth's crust is thickest under mountain ranges and thinnest under oceanic basins. These deep roots help balance and stabilize continental masses.
The Quran also mentions in multiple verses (16:15, 21:31, 31:10) that mountains help prevent the earth from shaking or shifting - a role that modern geology attributes to the stabilizing effect of deep mountain roots on tectonic plates.
Phenomenon
Isostasy and Mountain Root Systems
Discovered By
Clarence Dutton
Year Discovered
1889
Time Gap
1,257+ years
The concept of isostasy, established by Clarence Dutton in 1889, describes how Earth's crust floats on the denser, semi-fluid mantle below. Mountains have deep "roots" extending far below the surface - much like icebergs have most of their mass below water.
The Quran describes mountains as "awtad" (pegs/stakes), which accurately depicts mountains having deep roots that anchor them. Mount Everest, for example, has a root extending approximately 125 km into the mantle. These roots help stabilize the Earth's crust.
Additionally, Quran 16:15 states: "And He has cast into the earth firmly set mountains, lest it shift with you" - describing mountains' role in crustal stability.
Ancient Understanding
Ancient civilizations viewed mountains as simple protrusions on the Earth's surface, solid masses sitting atop flat ground. The Greeks believed mountains were formed by earthquakes pushing up rock. No one suspected mountains had deep roots extending below.
Medieval & Renaissance Period
Medieval natural philosophers continued to view mountains as surface features. Leonardo da Vinci (1500s) studied mountains but focused on their surface erosion. The idea that mountains extend deep into the earth was never proposed.
Scientific View Before Discovery
Before isostasy was discovered, mountains were thought to be dense rock masses simply resting on the Earth's surface. The concept of the Earth's crust "floating" on a denser layer below, with mountains having roots proportional to their height, was completely unknown.
Common Misconceptions (Before Modern Science)
- Mountains are just rock piled on top of flat ground
- Mountains have no structure below the visible surface
- The Earth's crust is uniformly thick everywhere
- Mountains are unstable protrusions that might topple
- Heavy mountains should sink into the earth (without understanding buoyancy)
The Paradigm Shift
George Airy (1855) and later Clarence Dutton (1889) established isostasy - the principle that Earth's crust floats on denser material below. Seismic studies revealed mountain "roots" extending deep into the mantle, exactly like pegs driven into the ground.
Sources & References
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