Where Did the Floodwaters Come From and Where Did They Go?

Jonathan asked:

"...I understand that the waters covered the mountain tops, including Mount Everest, which is 9 kilometers above today's sea level. That's an unimaginable amount of water. Where did all that water go once the flood ended? Thanks."

* * *

In the previous article, we touched upon the extensive evidence of a global flood, the mass extinction of animals worldwide, and marine fossils (-shells, corals, crabs, fish skeletons) found in arid deserts like the Sahara and the peaks of high mountains, such as the Rockies and Everest. The evidence speaks for itself. Now the question arises, where did such vast amounts of water come from to cover them?

We can find an explanation for the flood in the structure of the Earth:

The Earth's crust is made up of nine giant fractured plates that "float" atop a viscous mantle, sitting next to each other like close puzzle pieces. These are known as the "tectonic plates," forming the solid outer layer of both the oceans and the continents.

Since the plates float on fluid, they move slowly. Even minor friction between them causes earthquakes, leading to the creation of mountains and valleys. When there's a shift in the oceanic plates, the pressure between the fractures results in massive tsunamis that cover the land for extended periods, until the waters gradually return to the sea.

In December 2004, an earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused massive tsunamis. Its force equated to 10,000 atomic bombs like the one dropped on Hiroshima:

"The tsunamis were generated by the movement of two tectonic plates in the Earth's crust towards each other in a subduction zone. The Indo-European plate, having been pushed under the Eurasian plate for a long period, was under immense pressure, moved upward and released a great amount of energy as the pressure between them was discharged. This upward shift of the upper plate caused a powerful seismic wave in the water, which began moving in several directions" (Wikipedia, Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami).

(Photo: Shutterstock)

Therefore, we must be very intent in the blessing: "Blessed are You, Hashem our God, King of the universe, who solidifies the land upon the waters"! The land relies entirely on divine providence, since the solid continents under our feet are essentially boats floating and drifting on liquid magma.

How were the enormous canyons and many mountains formed? Through earthquakes - the movement of tectonic plates.

Geologically, it is a fact that the Earth's surface is "cracked." That is, across the continents, there is evidence of a global catastrophe that left scars in the form of gigantic canyons, valleys, and caves. For example, the renowned Grand Canyon in Colorado, USA, stretches 277 miles long and drops a maximum of 1,857 meters! Only an enormous catastrophe could create such gashes and valleys in the lands of the world, a powerful movement of tectonic plates in history.

This actually answers your second question. Apart from the substantial rainfall, the Torah explicitly describes the cleaving of the depths: "On this day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened" (Genesis 7:11). It appears that the cleaving of the depths refers to the movement of the Earth's mantle's tectonic plates, which would cause massive oceanic earthquakes and deadly tsunamis that rose over land and covered the mountain tops. The Torah uses the term "were broken up," indicating fissures opening in the Earth's crust, and also says "all the fountains," which may suggest that all nine tectonic plates moved and were impacted, not just one of them (as was seen in the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake when only two tectonic plates collided slightly).

During the flood, it is said: "And the waters prevailed and became greatly increased on the Earth" (Genesis 7:18). What does 'prevailed' mean? The straightforward interpretation indicates that tsunamis surged over the continents in a sudden and strong flood. The Malbim explains: "Subsequently, the waters prevailed in strength, being the strong flood due to the increased volume of water, and also increased on the Earth in quantity due to the additional water at all times."

The Malbim further elaborates that, besides the heavy rain, an earthquake caused the water to rise over the land (Genesis 7:11): "All the fountains of the great deep were broken up... or through the land, since due to the quaking of the Earth, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up; for even if clouds pour a deluge of rain over one part of the land, or due to an earthquake or the subsidence of its place the deeps would rise from the Earth's depth, such coincidental occurrences which are far apart from each other generally do not happen together at once, and at one time, as on this day, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up and the windows of heaven were opened."

What happens after massive tsunamis rise over the land, creating a flood that covers it? The answer: Once the land quiets, the waters gradually return to the sea naturally. This is how the Torah describes the end of the flood, with the waters returning to the oceans: "And the waters receded from the Earth continually, and after 150 days the waters decreased" (Genesis 8:3).

Simple logic suggests that the waters have nowhere else to go or return from unless they were initially waves that washed over the land, and upon calming, receded back into the sea.

These descriptions surprisingly match what we know about tectonic plate movement, tsunamis, and floods.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that technically, if all the glaciers in the North and South Poles melted and the mountains leveled, the sea would naturally cover all the continents. This is another way the flood could have covered the land: it's possible that Mount Everest and the Rockies did not exist before the flood, but rather formed during the flood through tectonic plate movement.

How do you think geologists explain the presence of seashells and fish fossils at the top of Everest and the Himalayas? The prevailing theory is that Everest was once under the sea—essentially part of the ocean floor— until tectonic layers "climbed" over the continents, turning into the mighty mountains we see today: the Himalayas, Everest, and the Rockies. The movement of tectonic plates during the flood can therefore explain the very formation of these mountains, as well as the marine fossils found on them.

* * *

What has been stated so far is the most familiar and simple scientific explanation for the flood, yet it doesn't rule out rarer explanations.

For instance, a surprising explanation for the flood could come from... outer space!

It is known that the tides in the oceans are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon on Earth's surface - its gravitational force draws the sea back and forth in cycles.

This means that the movement of celestial bodies outside our atmosphere, even the mere passage of a single asteroid close to Earth, could cause movements in the oceans, tides that cover all the continents for a long time. The most popular theory about the extinction of dinosaurs posits a giant asteroid hitting Earth, yet for a global flood, it would not require more than a slight proximity of celestial bodies.

Interestingly, the Talmud describes an astronomical intervention in the flood: "Hashem... took two stars from the Pleiades and brought a flood to the world; Rabbi Eliezer says it was on the seventeenth of Cheshvan, the day when the Pleiades arose and the fountains surged" (Rosh Hashana 11b).

A flood from space could also have arrived in the form of comets. In space, there are vast quantities of ice floating; when an icy comet enters Earth's atmosphere, it immediately melts and turns into rain. This is how the Talmud describes the "upper waters," as waters coming to Earth from outer space (Taanit 9b).

It seems that at least some of the comets in space were created from Earth's primordial waters when the firmament was made on the second day of the creation in Genesis (Genesis 1:6). According to plain interpretation, the firmament was made by a great evaporation of waters into outer space, where they turned into icy comets drifting in space: "Those above the firmament - behold the upper waters suspended at the command" (Genesis Rabba 1:2). The Malbim interprets the verse in Genesis this way.

Thus, icy comets entering the atmosphere could have easily come down as rains that raised sea levels. At the end of the flood, Hashem ensured their evaporation back into space. As we can see, there are many ways a global flood could occur.

It appears that the flood was caused by a number of factors working concurrently, as the Torah describes two different disasters causing the flood: "On this day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened" (Genesis 7:11). We can understand that the continents were covered by both tsunamis ("all the fountains of the great deep were broken up"), and by an astronomical disaster such as an asteroid or comets (which led to "the windows of heaven were opened").

For the previous article, click here.