No map was present, but the H38 Virus was able to do damage conceptually by replacing the Sea South with the Sea North:
#29. The land where the majority of the Nephites and Lamanites spent most of their time was nearly surrounded by water.
Alma 22 contains what is probably the best description of the geography of the land of the Nephites and Lamanites in the Book of Mormon, however this chapter is complemented by other references that further reinforce and clarify the description given by Mormon. The book of Helaman indicates that there was not only a sea east and a sea west, but there were seas on the north and the south as well.
8 And it came to pass that they did multiply and spread, and did go forth from the land southward to the land northward, and did spread insomuch that they began to cover the face of the whole earth, from the sea south to the sea north, from the sea west to the sea east. (Helaman 3:8)
The sea on the north was described as a divide between the lands. The land above this sea was where the Jaredites lived and called the Land Desolation by the Nephites and Mulekites. The land south was where the Nephites lived until they were driven northward into the Land Desolation.
Pearson failed to adhere to the principles he espoused on his web page and has ignored the text. The Sea North was “NORTH” of the Jaredite Land Northward. Where the virus moved the Sea South to is not mentioned. Pearson at least connected the fact that the Sea that Divides the Land is the same as one of the other seas – the Sea South however.
These are the other errors:
#3. The land of Nephi must be south of Zarahemla and Zarahemla south of Bountiful. There must also be a dividing line of some kind between the lands of Nephi and Zarahemla. (Alma 50:7, Alma 22:29, Alma 22, 27.) [6]
Wrong, Alma 50:7 makes it clear the Lamanites were driven “south” of the “Land of Zarahemla” into “THEIR OWN LANDS.” The uninspired verse division at verses 7 and 8 throws most modelers off.
#21. The only river mentioned in the Book of Mormon is the Sidon. Analysis of the extensive textual references to it and its relation to the land of Zarahemla shows that the land essentially constituted a major portion of the drainage basin of the river.
Because we are told there were hills on either side of the City of Zarahemla, the conclusion it was a “major drainage basin” is not supported. Obviously there were other rivers/streams on the other side of those hills.
#24. Nothing is said directly in the Book of Mormon about the houses of the Nephites, but a few inferences shed some light. That the city of Zarahemla “did take fire” (3 Nephi 8:8) from lightning (see 3 Nephi 8:7) confirms their perishable nature… [1] [p. 61]
This is hardly worthy of a concern, but signifies how Pearson fails to adhere to what he believes everyone else should. It does not say that lightning caused the fire, only that Zarahemla did take fire. The “quaking” in verse 6 could have been the cause of the fire as their candles and torches fell over.
Pearson goes on to repeat the mistakes of others as he misinterprets the current United States as the fulfillment of prophecy, rather than colonial America, which excluded Missouri. In other words, Missouri was not Book of Mormon lands and the New Jerusalem Joseph attempted was not the one prophesied of, that would be set up on Book of Mormon lands prior to the Book of Mormon coming forth. (3 Nephi 21:21-26)
Likewise does Pearson confuse the Line Bountiful that was a 1.5 days wide, with a 1 day wide line that was fortified. The key is one was located at the north side of Bountiful and bordered on Desolation and the other was on the south side of Bountiful. (Alma 22:32, 3 Nephi 3:23 ). [https://bookofmormongeography.org/book-of-mormon-geography-line-bountiful]
#32. The Jaredites landed on the shore of the land Desolation which implies that it was accessible, at least at that time, by ocean travel.
30 And it bordered upon the land which they called Desolation, it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bones we have spoken, which was discovered by the people of Zarahemla, it being the place of their first landing. (Alma 22:30)
The Land Northward, in its entirety was called “Desolation,” which was surrounded by FOUR seas and was always “accessible.”
#33. Note that Jacob considers their location to be upon an “isle of the sea.” This being the case, any location in the Americas could be considered an “isle of the sea.”
Wrong! Their “isle of the sea” was unique, being surrounded by four seas on the north and three on the south, and their lands were only 1.5 days wide. It is infeasible how someone could willy-nilly apply specific Book of Mormon land promises to “any” location in the “Americas,” no doubt his attempt to pander to the Mesotheorists, etc.
#36. Book of Mormon geography may have changed since the times of the Nephites and Jaredites. Theories claiming a limited geography in proximity of the Great Lakes region rely on this consideration. There is good reason to believe that the geography in that region has changed.
This argument should go away and never return. The boundaries, i.e. the seas, DID NOT MOVE, NEITHER DID THE NARROW PASSAGE CHANGE! (Mormon 2:29).
#41. There was considerable discussion among the early Brethren of the Church about the location of Book of Mormon Lands. Joseph F. Smith, John A. Widtsoe, B. H. Roberts, and others indicated that the location of the Book of Mormon lands as yet had not been made known and therefore no authoritative reference could be traced to revelation.
As we establish under the “Cumorah” menu link, Widtsoe, Smith and many others confirmed that the Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, New York is “the” Hill Cumorah. From there, the rest may be traced backwards.