The Catskill Mountains, claimed by Great Lakes theorists such as Phyllis Carol Olive, Jonathon Neville and others, as the mountains spoken of in the Book of Mormon, are far from matching the mountains described by Mormon. They certainly do not match the description of Samuel the Lamanite when he says they will become mountains “whose height is great” (Helaman 14:23).
The Catskills are in southeastern New York, just west of the Massachusetts and Connecticut borders, northwest of Kington and 90 miles from New York city. They are part of the low ranges that separate the eastern seaboard and the interior of the eastern lands.
Geologically, the Catskills are a mature dissected plateau, a once-flat region subsequently uplifted and eroded into sharp relief by watercourses. The Catskills form the northeastern end of, and highest-elevation portion of the Allegheny Plateau (also known as the Appalachian Plateau). Although the Catskills are sometimes compared with the Adirondack Mountains further north, the two mountain ranges are not geologically related, as the Adirondacks are a continuation of the Canadian Shield.
The highest peak in the Catskill Mountains is Slide Mountain at 4,180-feet; however, between the mountain’s base and its peak is only 2736’, because the base is at 1444’, which when speaking of mountains, is not much higher than a hill. As an example, the Rockies top out at 14,440-feet, more than four times higher than the Catskills. In addition, these mountains are not even in the Nephite lands of the Heartland or Great Lakes maps, starting just west of the Hudson River and moving toward southwestern Albany.
Mt. Marcy along the Richelieu River in the Adirondacks, which form a massif in northeastern New York state, between that and Vermont, lies along the coast of Lake Champlain, north of Albany, and so far north it nearly reaches the St. Lawrence River. This peak reaches 5,344 feet, making it the tallest mountain in New York. Again, however, when looking at the level of the surrounding elevation of the land at 1,950 feet, Mt. Marcy, base to peak, is only 3,394 feet high.
Speaking of this falling of mountains at the time of the crucifixion, Nephi wrote: “And it came to pass that I saw a mist of darkness on the face of the land of promise; and I saw lightnings, and I heard thunderings, and earthquakes, and all manner of tumultuous noises; and I saw the earth and the rocks, that they rent; and I saw mountains tumbling into pieces; and I saw the plains of the earth, that they were broken up; and I saw many cities that they were sunk; and I saw many that they were burned with fire; and I saw many that did tumble to the earth, because of the quaking thereof” (1 Nephi 12:4, emphasis added).
Now “tumble” is defined as “To fall; to come down suddenly and violently,” thus we see that the calamities that befell the Land of Promise at the time of Christ’s death were swift and violent!
Similarly, the Shawangunk Ridge, which forms the southeastern edge of the Catskills, is part of the geologically distinct Ridge-and-Valley province, and is a continuation of the same ridge known as Kittatinny Mountain in New Jersey and Blue Mountain in Pennsylvania. The term mature dissected plateau means they are very old and eroded. How did they get eroded if they came up at the time of Christ? They didn't because they came up much earlier. So these mountains do not fit the description given in the Book of Mormon.
“And behold, there shall be great tempests, and there shall be many mountains laid low, like unto a valley, and there shall be many places which are now called valleys which shall become Mountains whose height is great (Helaman 14:23). Speaking of this, Nephi stated that he saw in his vision, that “For thus spake the prophet: The Lord God surely shall visit all the house of Israel at that day, some with his voice, because of their righteousness, unto their great joy and salvation, and others with the thunderings and the lightnings of his power, by tempest, by fire, and by smoke, and vapor of darkness, and by the opening of the earth, and by mountains which shall be carried up” (1 Nephi 19:11)
Now how does this fit the Catskills? Or any of the mountains where you say they lived? I don't see any. We have to exclude the Rocky Mountains because the Nephites were not living there at the time. The only place where mountains came up recently is in South America. Even Charles Darwin said this in his writings aboard the Beagle on his voyage around South America.
To the south of these ranges and part of the Appalachian Mountains are the Smokies in eastern Tennessee and North Carolina. Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Smokies. At 6,644 feet, the mountain is in North Carolina, across the border from Knoxville. The elevation at the base of the mountain is 1,752 feet, making the mountain base to peak 4,892 feet.
East of Knoxville, Tennessee, are the Blue Ridge Mountains which stretch as far south as Georgia, with Mount Mitchell the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland eastern North America. It is located near Burnsville in Yancey County, North Carolina, in the Black Mountain subrange of the Appalachians. It is about 19 miles northeast of Asheville. The elevation of the mountain base is 4,718 feet, providing a mountain from base to peak of only 1,966 feet.
Nothing of this fits the Heartland model.
Compare this to Mount Heyburn at 10,299 feet in the Sawtooth Mountains of central Idaho northeast of Boise; or Thompson Peak at 10,751 feet also in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho, a little southeast of Mount Heyburn; or King’s Peak at 13,534 in the Uinta Mountain Range in Utah, 79 miles east of Salt Lake City. All three of these mountains, not the highest in the Rockies, show vertical mountains, not the rounded tops of the mountains in the east—The Sawatch Range is a high and extensive mountain range in central Colorado which includes eight of the twenty highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains, including Mount Elbert, at 14,440 feet elevation.
On the other hand, in South America there are truly mountains whose height is great, with the highest mountains in the Western Hemisphere. The Andes have 230 peaks higher than 18,000 feet, 71 peaks higher than 20,000 and 8 peaks higher than 22,000. The Andes are truly mountains “whose height is great.”
It should be noted that nowhere within the bounds of the mapped areas of the Book of Mormon in either the Heartland or Great Lakes theories do we find mountains “whose height is great.”
Excellent observations. The key phrase relating to the rocks are broken fragments, seams and cracks. You dont see this geologic features in the east. You only see this in the rocky mountains and South America. Again Heartland model is not a match.
ReplyDeleteThe newest theory I have heard lately was Louisiana was where the mountain range was that fed the Mississippi. Of course the river had to flow north into the great lakes. The theory hinges upon Zarahemla being west of Nauvoo because the Prophet Joseph called that Zarahemla. My answer to that was how many Bountifuls in BOM history? We also have a Manti , a modern Bountiful, a Lehi, a Moab etc. They cannot seem to fit Sidon flowing north into their theory. I still believe the 200 year period from the resurrection of our Savior Jesus was the greatest civilization to ever exist except perhaps Enoch's city. Both the heartland theory and the Mesoamerican theory are there to marginalize the Book of Mormon. I simply do not believe they know the trouble they cause. Or maybe some of them do! I had rather be condemned for believing too much rather than believing too little.
ReplyDeleteThe prophecies of Samuel the Lamanite are frequently marginalized by theorists who teach models which don't match his words. To them, "mountains whose height is great" is relative to where you live. If you've lived in the plains your entire life, then a small mountain might seem "great" to you, not knowing anything else. But Samuel was delivering prophecies as directed by the Lord, and He would certainly know what mountains would qualify as having great height.
ReplyDeleteAs for mountains falling, rising, and becoming taller than they were, one recent study described mountain growth through tectonic plate interaction in simple terms. Put your hands under a tablecloth and look at the landscape in the wrinkles. Then slide your hands forward even a little. You won't only create a new wrinkle of mountains at your fingertips, but the previous wrinkles will rise over your hands as some wrinkles flatten. Simple, yet surprisingly accurate as far as landscape changes go, but imagine it happening on a very large scale in 3 hours.
I wonder if Lake Titicaca is evidence of the rising of the earth during the great destruction 2000 years ago. I do not have enough knowledge to know much about it. Never been there ,now I am too old for much hiking around.
ReplyDeleteCharles: Aren't we all.
ReplyDeleteCharles: Driskill Mountain is the highest point in Louisiana at 535' with Lake Itasca at 1475'in Minnesota. Rivers simply do not flow uphill.
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