Again, this is Professor El Naggar’s opinion and a confusion of cause and effect. I await an Islamist to provide the scientific evidence derived by Professor El Naggar or anyone else to prove Mountains actually stabilize the lithospheric plates.
Actually, the scientific evidence is that the continental plates are stabilized by craton keels. These are deep (60-300km) extensions of cratons into the mantle (far deeper than mountain roots). The formation of these craton roots or keels are unrelated to mountain formation. (Jordan, T. H., Nature, 1978, 274, 544–548; Elasser, W. M., in The Application of Modern Physics to Earth and Planetary Interiors (ed. Runcorn, S. K.), Interscience, New York, 1969, pp. 223– 240; Morgan, W. J., J. Geophys. Res., 1968, 73, 1959–1970). In fact, cratons are stable regions of the earth's crust that are no longer subject to
mountain building processes.
http://www.rexmining.com/rdmc/Linksandinfo/glossary.htm
These craton roots or keels were formed by depletion of basaltic elements into the asthenosphere, leading to less dense material that sinks deeper into the mantle due to the lower buoyancy (i.e. isostacy {of the crust, not mountains} at work). [Taken from Sankaran, A.V., CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 81, NO. 9, 10 NOVEMBER 2001 pp. 1158-1160]
E. Islamist’s claim: Mountains prevent earthquakes. Rebuttal:
As early as the 1920s, scientists noted that earthquakes are concentrated in very specific narrow zones (Wadati-Benioff zones). In 1954, French seismologist J.P. Rothé published
this map showing the concentration of earthquakes along the zones indicated by dots and cross-hatched areas. Note how the earthquakes originate mainly from the edges of
tectonic plates, including collisional mountain ranges and ocean trenches and ridges, thus suggesting that mountains do not stabilize the crust or the earth.
Further evidence is provided by a detailed look at the Himalayan mountain range which shows that it is closely associated with earthquakes, thus proving mountains do not prevent earthquakes.
Why do earthquakes happen here?
The Indian subcontinent lies upon the Indian Plate. This plate is moving northward at about 5 centimetres per year and in doing so, collides with the Eurasian Plate. Upon the Eurasian Plate lie the Tibet plateau & central Asia. Due to this mammoth collision, the Himalayas are thrust higher and very many earthquakes are generated in the process. This is the cause of earthquakes from the Himalayas to the Arakan Yoma. The same process, though involving the Indian Plate and the Burmese Micro-plate results in earthquakes in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Sometimes earthquakes of different magnitudes occur within the Indian Plate, in the peninsula and in adjoining parts of the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal. These arise due to localized systems of forces in the crust sometimes associated with ancient geological structures such as in the Rann of Kachchh. http://asc-india.org/menu/seismi.htm
Therefore it seems the collision of tectonic plates causes mountains to form and this collision also causes earthquakes.
Strong and damaging earthquakes have been felt in all parts of the Indian Sub-continent. The most seismically active areas are those in the Himalayan regions of the sub-continent and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands due to the peculiar tectonic nature of these regions. http://asc-india.org/menu/gquakes.htm
Scientists have also proven that other mountain ranges to be earthquake zones, including the Andes and the African mountains.
Does the Islamist claim that mountains prevent earthquakes stand up to scientific
evidence? The answer is a resounding “NO”. In fact, the largest earthquakes, particularly the largest 2, ever recorded are associated with mountainous regions. http://asc-
india.org/gq/world10.htm
No. 1: The great Chilean earthquake occurring 140 kms SSW of Concepción (Biobio), Chile, registered 9.5Mw – the largest earthquake ever recorded. The Andes mountain range did nothing to prevent or stabilize this earthquake.
No. 2: The Prince William Sound earthquake occurring 33.2 kms SE of Mt. Goode (Alaska), U.S.A., registered 9.2Mw - the second biggest earthquake recorded in the 20th century. Mt Goode didn't stabilize this earthquake.
No. 6: The Ecuador earthquake occurring 138 kms W of Tortuga (Esmeraldas Province), Ecuador, registered 8.8Mw. The nearby Andes mountain range did not prevent or stabilize this earthquake.
No. 8: The Arunachal Pradesh occurring 20.7 kilometers NW of Tajobum (Arunachal Pradesh), India registering 8.6Mw. This is in the Assam hills and 'caused landslides in the mountains.
Let’s examine the case of the largest earthquake ever recorded. Chilean Earthquake of 1960:
Chile
1960 May 22 19:11:14 UTC Magnitude 9.5
The Largest Earthquake in the World
More than 2,000 killed, 3,000
injured, 2,000,000 homeless, and $550 million damage in southern Chile; tsunami caused 61 deaths, $75 million damage in Hawaii; 138 deaths and $50 million damage in Japan; 32 dead and missing in the Philippines; and $500,000 damage to the west coast of the United States.
The Andes Mountains didn't seem to prevent or stabilize this earthquake. In fact, it is the collision between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates that causes these
earthquakes and raises the Andes mountains.
This is a convergent plate boundary, the plates move towards each other. The amount of crust on the surface of the earth remains relatively
constant.
Therefore, when plates diverge (separate) and
form new crust in one area, the plates must converge (come together) in another area and be destroyed. An example of this is the Nazca plate being subducted under the South American plate to form the Andes Mountain Chain.
Hence the Islamist proposition that mountains prevent earthquakes is patently false.
E. Islamist’s claim:Mountains stabilize the earth through isostacy.