在地质学中,“褶皱”这一现象是近来才被发现的事实。褶皱是山脉形成的原因。我们所居住的地壳就像一层坚硬的外壳,而更深的地层则是炽热的流体,因此不适宜任何形式的生命存在。人们还知道,山脉的稳定性与褶皱现象有关,因为正是这些褶皱为构成山脉的隆起地貌提供了基础。

In geology, the phenomenon of ‘folding’, is a recently discovered fact. Folding is responsible for the formation of mountain ranges. The earth’s crust, on which we live, is like a solid shell, while the deeper layers are hot and fluid, and thus inhospitable to any form of life. It is also known that the stability of the mountains is linked to the phenomenon of folding, for it was the folds that were to provide foundations for the reliefs that constitute the mountains.

地质学家告诉我们，地球的半径约为6,035公里，而我们所居住的地壳非常薄，厚度在2至35公里之间。正因为地壳很薄，它很有可能发生震动。

Geologists tell us that the radius of the Earth is about 6,035 km and the crust on which we live is very thin, ranging between 2 to 35 km. Since the crust is thin, it has a high possibility of shaking.

山脉就像桩子或帐篷的钉子，固定着地壳并使其保持稳定。《古兰经》中正有这样的描述：

Mountains act like stakes or tent pegs that hold the earth’s crust and give it stability. The Qur’an contains exactly such a description:

“难道我没有使大地成为广阔的床褥吗？使山岳成为钉橛吗？”[《古兰经》78:6-7] 词语“أَوْتَاد”（awtaad）意为木桩或钉橛（如用来固定帐篷的那种）；它们是地质褶皱深处的根基。

“Have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, and the mountains as pegs?” [Al-Qur’an 78:6-7] The word awtaad means stakes or pegs (like those used to anchor a tent); they are the deep foundations of geological folds.

《地球》一书被世界上许多大学视为地质学的基础参考教科书。该书的作者之一是弗兰克·普雷斯博士，他曾担任美国科学院院长长达12年，并担任前美国总统吉米·卡特的科学顾问。在这本书中，他将山脉描绘成楔形，并指出山体本身只是整体的一小部分，其根部深深扎入地下。1 据普雷斯博士所述，山脉在稳定地壳方面发挥着重要作用。

A book entitled ‘Earth’ is regarded as a basic reference textbook on geology in many universities around the world. One of the authors of this book is Dr. Frank Press, who was the President of the Academy of Sciences in the USA for 12 years and was the Science Advisor to former US President Jimmy Carter. In this book, he illustrates the mountain in a wedge-shape and the mountain itself as a small part of the whole, whose root is deeply entrenched in the ground.1 According to Dr. Press, the mountains play an important role in stabilizing the crust of the earth.

《古兰经》明确提到了山脉的作用：它们能防止大地震动。

The Qur’an clearly mentions the function of the mountains in preventing the earth from shaking:

“并且我在大地上设置了稳固的山岳，免得大地与他们一同震动。”[《古兰经》21:31]2

“And We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them.” [Al-Qur’an 21:31]2

《古兰经》的描述与现代地质学的数据完全吻合。

The Qur’anic descriptions are in perfect agreement with modern geological data.

地球表面被分裂成许多刚性板块，每块厚度约为100公里。这些板块漂浮在一个部分熔融的区域上，该区域称为软流圈。

The surface of the earth is broken into many rigid plates that are about 100 km in thickness. These plates float on a partially molten region called aesthenosphere.

山脉的形成发生在板块的边界处。地壳在海洋之下厚约5公里，在平坦的大陆表面之下厚约35公里，而在巨大山脉之下则厚达近80公里。这些正是山脉所依托的坚实根基。《古兰经》在以下经文中提及了山脉坚实的根基：

Mountain formations occur at the boundary of the plates. The earth’s crust is 5 km thick below oceans, about 35 km thick below flat continental surfaces and almost 80 km thick below great mountain ranges. These are the strong foundations on which mountains stand. The Qur’an refers to the strong mountain foundations in the following verse:

“并且，祂已将山岳牢牢固定。”[《古兰经》79:32]

“And the mountains hath He firmly fixed.” [Al-Qur’an 79:32]1

因此，《古兰经》中关于山脉本质的信息，与地质学的最新发现完全吻合。

Thus, the information contained in the Glorious Qur'an about the nature of mountains, is in perfect agreement with recent discoveries in geology.