Blood-red waters flowing into the sea after a violent storm have drawn worldwide attention to Hormuz Island, a small Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, after heavy rainfall caused its coastline to turn a striking crimson.
According to The Sun, intense storms sent rain cascading down the island’s cliffs, pulling mineral-rich soil into the ocean and creating the eerie red appearance. Images of the phenomenon spread rapidly online, with some observers likening the sight to biblical imagery , particularly the account in the Book of Exodus when the waters of the Nile were turned to blood.
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Despite the dramatic visuals, experts emphasize that the event is a natural geological occurrence rather than a supernatural sign.
The Sun reported that the island’s unusual coloring comes from its iron-oxide-rich soil, locally known as “golak,” which “runs red as soon as it comes into contact with nearby water.” Hormuz Island is sometimes called “Rainbow Island” because of its wide variety of mineral soils, which produce vivid colors across its landscape.
Hematite, a common iron-oxide mineral found in abundance on the island, plays a key role in the phenomenon. As explained in coverage of the event, hematite “naturally appears red in its powdered form as it absorbs shorter wavelengths of green and blue light and reflects longer red wavelengths.” When heavy rain carries this soil into surrounding waters, the sea itself takes on a blood-red tint.
The island’s striking appearance has formed over millions of years. According to researchers from NASA’s Earth Observatory, “The island is a salt dome, a teardrop-shaped mound of rock salt, gypsum, anhydrite and other evaporites that has risen upward through overlying layers of rock.” NASA further explains that “rock salt or halite is weak and buoyant, so it loses its brittleness and flows more like a liquid when under high pressure,” allowing the island’s mineral layers to surface.
While some social media users expressed fear or interpreted the event as a warning or omen, Church teaching urges caution against superstition. Natural events, even those that resemble biblical imagery, are not in themselves signs of divine judgment. Scripture affirms that creation reflects God’s power and order, and the Church consistently teaches that faith and reason must work together.
The Sun noted that Hormuz Island is not the only location to experience so-called “blood rain” or red waters. In past cases elsewhere, similar events were later attributed to algae blooms or mineral reactions rather than supernatural causes. In those instances, authorities reported no health risks associated with the discoloration.
For Catholics, such phenomena can serve as reminders of the awe-inspiring complexity of creation rather than causes for fear. While the crimson waters of Hormuz Island may echo imagery found in Scripture, experts confirm the cause lies in geology and chemistry — part of the natural world God created and sustains.
In moments like these, the faithful are encouraged to reflect not on alarm, but on wonder, gratitude, and trust in the Creator who governs both the laws of nature and the course of human history.
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