Hydrothermal & Steam Explosions

📖Quran 81:6
When the seas are set on fire

• On the Day of Judgment, oceans may appear to burn, and one possible contributing factor could be Hydrothermal Vents. These vents release superheated water, gases, and minerals from deep within the Earth’s crust. During cataclysmic events, the combination of oil, natural gas, and other flammable substances released into the seas, along with extreme heat from Hydrothermal Vents, could ignite parts of the ocean, Hydrothermal Vents act like natural furnaces under the sea, heating water to extreme temperatures and releasing volatile chemicals. When combined with surface-level destruction and combustible materials, this could create the appearance of oceans set ablaze, as described in the Quran.

Example analogy:
Even today, hydrothermal vents can produce water hotter than 400°C (752°F) under extreme pressure. If massive tectonic or volcanic activity releases more heat and flammable gases on a global scale, fire appearing on the seas becomes scientifically conceivable.

Reference: Wikipedia, Hydrothermal Vent, 2018

📖Quran 82:3
And when the seas burst forth.

• Simultaneously, violent geological events could make the seas explode or surge, producing phenomena like littoral steam explosions. This occurs when molten lava or extremely hot material enters the ocean, instantly turning water into superheated steam that bursts outward with enormous force.

Real-world evidence:
Near Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano, a basketball-sized chunk of molten rock fell into the sea, injuring 23 people and hospitalizing four. This was caused by a littoral explosion, where molten lava enters the ocean and violently ejects boiling water, steam, and debris. Such events demonstrate how seas can literally burst forth in localized but extremely powerful ways.

Reference: Wikipedia, Steam Explosions, 2018

Reference: Gizmodo, Nearly Two Dozen People Injured After Lava Bomb Hits Hawaii Tour Boat, 2018

Combined Visualization – Day of Judgment Seas:

• Burning seas: Flammable materials in water ignite under extreme heat.
• Bursting seas: Lava and molten rock produce explosive steam eruptions, sending water and debris violently outward.

Even though these events are extreme, they provide a scientific analogy to the Quranic description, showing that the verses describe real physical phenomena. It doesn’t require imagining the entire world’s oceans, but local yet overwhelming cataclysmic power, enough to match the divine narrative of the Day of Judgment.

• Allah already placed these forces (hydrothermal vents, volcanic eruptions, tectonic activity) in the Earth, and on the Day of Judgment, He can unleash them in ways far beyond today’s scale. The verses don’t give scientific terms, but the descriptions fit perfectly with natural forces we now understand.

Additional Information

The Quranic verses do not explicitly mention the scientific terms Hydrothermal Vents or Steam Explosions. However, the descriptions, “when the seas are set on fire” (Quran 81:6) and “when the seas burst forth” (Quran 82:3), can be understood as referring to extreme natural phenomena that resemble what these terms describe. Hydrothermal vents can release superheated water and gases, creating conditions where parts of the sea could ignite when combined with flammable substances. Littoral or steam explosions occur when molten lava meets water, producing violent eruptions of steam and debris, In this way, the verses poetically convey the immense power and chaos of the seas on the Day of Judgment, which modern science can help illustrate. While the Quran does not name these phenomena, the imagery aligns with real physical processes that produce fire-like and explosive effects in oceans, supporting the idea that the text reflects observations of nature in a dramatic and divine context.