Mystery of how Bibles Garden of Eden river was formed unlocked in major geological discovery
Researchers have finally discovered the “Genesis” of the legendary Middle Eastern river that was described in one of the Bible’s most important stories, per an eye-opening study in the journal Nature Geoscience.The Euphrates River is featured in Genesis as one of a quartet of waterways that originated in the Garden of Eden, the lush oasis where the so-called first humans, Adam and Eve, were said to have resided.In fact, this mighty river is cited over 50 times throughout the ancient text from Genesis through Revelation, where it is described as drying up in preparation for the Battle of Armageddon.Coincidentally, the real-life water body, which stretches 1,740 miles through Turkey, Syria and Iraq, played an equally important role in shaping the earliest human civilizations: Along with its sister river, the Tigris, it helped provide the vital water supply that helped Mesopotamia — also known as the cradle of civilization and the Fertile Crescent — flourish some 6,000 years ago, National Geographic reported.However, contrary to the depiction in the Bible, the origins of the Euphrates have remained a mystery — until now.According to the study, conducted by this iconic river was formed from the convergence of two rivers flowing from Türkiye to the then-arid Mediterranean Basin between 3.6 million and 1.6 million years ago.
The groundbreaking discovery occurred somewhat serendipitously in 2014, when Chevron geologist Andrew Madof, was searching for natural gas off the coast of Lebanon.While scanning the area via seismic imaging, the scientist happened upon evidence of river sediment atop large underwater salt deposits in the region.These had formed more than five million years ago during an epoch known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis, when Mediterranean Sea had either partially or completely dried out.Hoping to understand the provenance of these mysterious waterways, he and his team analyzed the region using maps, satellite observation and other methods.
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