Answering Questions Through The Holy Qur'an: Do Mountains prevent earthquakes?

Do Mountains prevent earthquakes?

16:15 And He has cast (wa-alqa) in the earth firm mountains, lest it should move / shake (tamida) with you, and rivers and roads, so that you may be guided,

(One interpretation of the Verse is that earth (plates) do not move “with you” (onward), but in the collision (when mountains are formed), they move upwards. (The earth goes up or taller, not “with” you / onward). Notice that “it” refers to “earth” because both are feminine singular, while “mountains” is feminine plural, so the earth (plates) move. Plate tectonics are the cause of earthquakes, not the mountains. Plates are pieces of Earth’s crust, which collide / smash against each other in a process called plate tectonics, and buckle up like the hood/bonnet of a car in a head-on collision)(In regard to the word “alqa” (has cast), its root “Lam-Qaf-Ya” means “to meet, find, receive, lean upon, endure, etc.”. The sentence translated or interpreted as “He has made meet in the earth firm mountains, lest it should shake with you” might imply that the mountains meet each other (mountain range); in that sense, and according to Prof. Milne “as far as they have at present gone, show in a remarkable manner how a large mountain range absorbs earthquake energy”)(Another study, according to Shuo Ma, Ralph J. Archuleta and Morgan T. Page, mountains can act as a natural seismic insulator. The topography of the mountains scatters the surface waves generated by the rupture on a fault. The effect of the mountains reduces the peak amplitude of ground velocity for some regions. These results suggest that, depending on the relative location of faulting and the nearby large-scale topography, the topography can shield some areas from ground shaking. The effects of topography on the propagation of surface waves are significant)(The root of “tamida” in Verse 16:15 is “Miim-Ya-Dal” and it means “to be shaken, moved, agitated, etc.”, so it might refer to when the mountains are formed, that is when the earth (plates) collide then they go upwards)(Source: article “Effects of large-scale surface topography on ground motions, as demonstrated by a study of the san Gabriel mountains, Los Angeles, California”, by Shuo Ma, Ralph J. Archuleta and Morgan T. Page)(Allah knows best)

31:10 He created the heavens without pillars that you see and has cast firm mountains in the earth lest it (might) shake (tamida) with you, and He dispersed therein from every creature. And We sent down water from the sky, then We caused to grow therein of every noble kind.

(Another interpretation is that Verses 16:15 and 31:10 do not speak about earthquakes, because that word is not explicitly mentioned, and the Qur’an does not say that earthquakes are prevented or do not occur, but instead mentions its occurrence (29:37, 99:1))(According to Dr. Maurice Bucaille, those Verses express the idea that the way the mountains are laid out ensures stability and is in complete agreement with geological data)(Allah knows best)

29:37 But they denied him, so the earthquake (l-rajfatu) seized them, and they became fallen prone in their home.

(The root of the word “l-rajfatu” is “Ra-Jiim-Fa” and it means “to quake / tremble, be in violent motion, shake violently, ramble, etc”, while the root of “tamida” in verse 16:15 is “Miim-Ya-Dal” and it means “to be shaken, moved, agitated, etc.”, so Verse 16:15 does not speak about an earthquake or preventing earthquakes, but about the formation of mountains, when earth (plates) move upwards, instead of onward (with you))(Allah knows best)

99:1 When the earth is shaken (zul’zilati) with its earthquake (zil’zalaha), 99:2 And the earth brings forth its burdens,

(The root of “zul’zilati” (shaken) and “zil’zalaha” (earthquake) is “Zay-Lam-Zay-Lam” and it means “to set in motion/commotion, agitation, convulsion, earthquake”, while “tamida”, in Verse 16:15, means “to be shaken, moved, agitated, etc.”)(Verse 99:1 uses a specific word, to speak about earthquakes, which suggests that Verse 16:15, using a different word, is not about earthquakes)(Allah knows best)

78:6 Have We not made the earth a resting place? 78:7 And the mountains as pegs,

(According to geologists the mountains have pegs/roots)(e.g. Cailleux said that the mountain-root serves to support the weight of the overlying mountain, thereby establishing equilibrium (isostasy))(Source: article “Isostasy” in wikipedia)(According to the article “Depth of Himalayan Mountain Roots Revealed” by Brett Israel, “the larger Asian plate forced the indian plate deep into the mantle – a process called subduction – sinking it at least 155 miles (250 kilometers) down under the surface, a new study in the May edition of the journal Geology suggests. This plunge is double the depth of previous estimates”)(Allah knows best)

42:32 And among His Signs are ships in the sea, like mountains.

(This Verse compares the ships with mountains)(Ships are like icebergs, it is seen the small part that floats above the water. In the article “mountains” in “geo(dot)cornell(dot)edu, the mountains are compared with icebergs “these relationships are part of the principle of isostasy, which governs how icebergs, mountains, and all other objects float”)(Allah knows best)

79:32 And the mountains, He made them firm,

See also: Is the Qur'an scientifically correct? (3) (Geology and Meteorology)

http://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2016/05/how-to-deal-with-senseless-questions-by.html

See also: Is the Qur'an scientifically correct? (0) (Index)

https://aqtthq.blogspot.com.es/2017/04/is-quran-scientifically-correct-2.html