Ocean Wonders
“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” [1.Corinthians 2:9,10]
In many ways the ocean represents the last frontier on Earth. Seventyfive percent of the world’s surface and ninety-seven percent of the water on the planet is found in the oceans. Less than one percent of the world’s water is fresh, and most of that is contained in glaciers and ice caps.
The average depth of the oceans is about 2.5 miles, the deepest point being in the Mariana Trench, 6.8 miles down. By way of comparison, Mount Everest is only 5.5 miles high. The pressure at the deepest part of the ocean is over eight tons per square inch.
Earth’s longest mountain range is the mid-ocean ridge system, which stretches over 40,000 miles around the globe, winding from the Arctic Ocean to the Atlantic, skirting Africa, Asia, and Australia, and crossing the Pacific to the west coast of North America. It is four times longer than the Andes, Rockies, and Himalayas combined.
Ninety percent of all volcanic activity occurs in the oceans. In 1993, scientists located the largest known concentration of active volcanoes on the sea floor in the South Pacific. This area, the size of New York State, hosts 1,133 volcanic cones and sea mounts. Two or three could erupt at any moment.
The highest tides in the world are at the Bay of Fundy, which separates New Brunswick from Nova Scotia. At some times of the year, the difference between high and low tide is 53 feet 6 inches, the equivalent of a three-story building.
The sea is also brimming with amazing life. Even though fishermen harvest over four million tons each year from bays and oceans, biologists estimate that approximately 2,500,000 marine species have yet to be discovered and described.
The Bible tells us there is another world soon to be discovered by those who love God that far exceeds anything we can imagine. “Nevertheless we… look for the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2.Peter 3:13). The same God who formed our marvelous ocean and its spectacular inhabitants will give to His children the beautiful earth made new!
