When we hear the phrase “plate tectonics” we think of earthquakes and catastrophic devastation. But would you believe plate tectonics are necessary for a planet to sustain life?

In their book ‘Rare Earth’, Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee state,

“It may be that plate tectonics is the central requirement for life on a planet.”

How so?

Plate tectonics, located in the earth’s lithosphere (the outer, rigid shell of our planet), are what create continents and mountains.

**Stay with me because this gets pretty cool when understood in light of Genesis 1.

Mountains and varied topography are critical. Without plate tectonics to “lift” land mass our planet would be too smooth (more like a marble) and the oceans would cover the planet – a water world. Without landmass/beaches to filter the ocean tides the salt content of the ocean would be prohibitively high and life-essential minerals would sink to the bottom.

**Stay with me. We’re almost there.

Any planet or moon needs oceans of water as a *prerequisite* to having plate tectonics. Why? The water lubricates and facilitates the movement of the plates – like oil is required for the lubrication of an internal combustion engine.

Certainly, we hear and read of major earthquakes. But, per current data, geologists record a yearly average of 20,000 earthquakes.

And without water preceding these quakes the earth would’ve cracked and split in half a long time ago – just like a car engine without oil.

Now, with fresh eyes, read the following from Genesis 1…

“The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

…Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. (When God separated terrestrial water with atmospheric water.)

…Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.” – Genesis 1:2, 6-7, 9-10

The Bible is not a science book per se. But what you just read, according to science, perfectly describes the creation of earth.

Interestingly, of all the planets and moons in our entire solar system, plate tectonics are found only on earth.

Hopefully, it now makes sense why water preceded land. 

nick

**Info on plate tectonics taken from Lee Strobel’s ‘The Case for a Creator’