During two Book of Mormon battles, as we have noted, the bodies of the slain were cast by the Nephites into the “waters of Sidon.” And “their bones are in the depths of the sea, and they are many” (Alma 3:3). The record implies the bones, not the bodies, are in the sea and this movement of bones to the sea could have happened later, not immediately (Alma 2:34; 3:3; 44:21–22). These Book of Mormon references provide helpful information on the flow rate of the river Sidon. Forensic studies confirm that dead bodies in rivers, as a rule, do not travel far from the place of entry. Chemical changes and increasing gas levels in dead bodies cause them to float within a short time, often lodging along the banks. We suggest only rivers with a powerful and naturally occurring flushing action could carry bodies or bones a distance to the sea, especially if the watercourse is normally shallow.

The Rio San Ignacio in Baja California periodically floods and overflows its banks, as is common with rivers in semiarid regions, and sweeps away the debris in its 30-mile-long river valley. In historic times these flash floods have carried even live cattle and people out to the Pacific Ocean. The lofty banks flanking this river show the scars of high-level water erosion. In dryer climates, such as the region of the Rio San Ignacio, the volume of water in rivers during flash floods can rapidly increase a hundredfold or more. Rivers in more humid areas do not experience these extreme flow fluctuations. In dryer climates, the greatest loss of human life from natural disasters often results from drowning in suddenly rising water. Our past research has shown the number one environmental challenge of early Mormon settlements in the dryer areas of Arizona and southern Utah was not lack of water, but recurring flash floods that wiped out irrigation works, crops and homes.