If
you’ve ever read the classic Jules Verne science fiction story, Journey to the Center of the Earth, then
you probably remember the part when Dr. Lindenbrock, explorer extraordinaire,
reaches an unimaginably vast cavern. This underground world is lit by
electrically charged gas at the ceiling, and is filled with a deep subterranean
ocean, surrounded by a rocky coastline covered in petrified trees and giant
mushrooms. The travelers build a raft and set sail on what the Professor names
the Lidenbrock Sea.
Recently
geologists made a stunning discovery which confirmed that maybe Jules Verne
wasn’t that far off when he wrote about a vast underground hidden ocean. The Guardian newspaper reported, “After
decades of theorizing and searching, scientists are reporting that they’ve
finally found a massive reservoir of water in the Earth’s mantle—a reservoir so
vast that could fill the Earth’s oceans three times over. This discovery
suggests that Earth’s surface water actually came from within, as part of a
“whole-Earth water cycle,” rather than the prevailing theory of icy comets
striking Earth billions of years ago.”[1]
Geologists
say that this huge amount of water is actually locked up in a rare mineral
called ringwoodite, which acts like a sponge due to its crystal structure. Experiments
with ringwoodite show that under incredible pressure, like the tectonic forces
present in the Earth’s mantle, the mineral is able to attract hydrogen atoms and
trap water.
As
I pondered the significance of this new discovery I came to two conclusions.
First, it confirms what the book of Genesis records about the global flood that
Noah and his family survived. For years, skeptics have denied the possibility
of a global flood as the Bible reports because they say there isn’t enough
water on the planet to completely cover it and even if there were a global
flood where would all that water go?
In
Genesis 7:11-12 we are told that the flood was caused from a deluge of water
from above and below, “In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second
month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of
the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And
rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”
It
wasn’t until 370 days later that the flood waters subsided sufficiently that Noah
was permitted by the Lord to leave the Ark. This recent discovery helps us
understand that not only was there enough water locked up in the Earth’s mantle
so that when it was released by God that it covered the whole earth, but that
there was also a reservoir in place to store all the water when the flood began
to drain and dry land reemerge. As Warren Wiersbe commented, “A God powerful
enough to cover the earth with water is also wise enough to know how to dispose
if it when its work is done.”[2]
Secondly,
this discovery made me think of God’s design and wisdom in creation. For
hundreds of years, mankind was totally unaware what lay beneath his feet. Were
it not for God designing a way to store a volume of water three times greater
than our oceans I suspect our planet would look like another science fiction
story—Waterworld.
One
scientist working on this project noted the significance of the trapped water
by saying, “If the water wasn’t stored underground, then it would be on the
surface of the Earth, and mountaintops would be the only land poking out.” In
other words, this planet would be more like a continuous ocean and human life
as we know it wouldn’t be possible. Maybe the next time the skeptic wants to
rail against God for being unloving or aloof when an earthquake hits or a
tsunami strikes they should hold their tongue and remember that they may not be
here were it not for God’s silent blessing of keeping the water below our feet
and not over our heads. -DM
[1]
Melissa Davey, “Earth may have underground 'ocean' three times that on surface,”
The Guardian, 12 June 2014
<http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/jun/13/earth-may-have-underground-ocean-three-times-that-on-surface>
[2] Warren
Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary:
Old Testament (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 2007), 42.
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