尼泊尔大地震后 喜马拉雅山矮了1米

 　　The height of a swathe of the Himalayas has dropped by around one metre as a result of the devastating¹ Nepal earthquake, scientists say.

　　科学家指出，在尼泊尔大地震后，喜马拉雅山脉下降了大约1米。

　　But they add that the drop will roughly be balanced by slow uplift due to tectonic activity.

　　但是他们补充道，下降的1米大致会由地质构造活动缓慢的抬升来粗略达到平衡。

　　And they have yet to analyse satellite images of the region in which the most famous Himalayan peak - Everest - is located.

　　不过他们尚未分析最著名的喜马拉雅山脉高峰这一地区的卫星图像。

　　However, there continues to be debate over exactly how tall Everest is.

　　然而，关于珠穆朗玛峰到底多高还是争论不休。

　　"The primary stretch that had its height dropped is a 80-100km stretch of the Langtang Himal (to the northwest of the capital, Kathmandu)," said Richard Briggs, a research geologist² with the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

　　美国地质勘探局（USGS）的研究地质学家理查德·布里格斯说道：“此次地震主要影响了绵延80-100公里的（加德满都首都西北面）蓝塘峰群，其高度有所下降。”

　　The Langtang range is the region where many locals and trekkers are still missing, presumed dead, after the avalanches³ and landslides⁴ that were triggered by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on 25 April.

　　4月25日发生的7.8级地震引发了雪崩和滑坡，蓝塘山脉所在地区有很多当地居民和越野者仍旧属于失踪状态，或据推测已死亡。

　　Scientists believe the height of a handful of other Himalayan peaks, including the Ganesh Himal to the west of the Langtang range, may also have dropped.

　　科学家认为，喜马拉雅山脉峰顶的一小部分高度，包括加内西西马尔到蓝塘山脉的西面，可能也下降了。

　　The satellite images they have analysed so far have focused on central Nepal, which was the hardest hit by the quake. Everest is to the east of this main shaking zone.

　　至今为止，他们分析的卫星图像都专注于尼泊尔中心——该地区在地震中遭受了最强烈的冲洗。珠穆朗玛峰位于主震区的东面。

　　Scientists say whether or not the world's highest peak saw a change in its height by few centimetres will have to be further confirmed by ground survey and GPS or an airborne mission.

　　科学家称，世界最高峰的高度是否下降了几厘米还需地面测量和GPS还有空中任务的进一步确认。

　　"But what we see in the data that we evaluated further away from the plate boundary, to the north of the capital Kathmandu, is a clearly identifiable region with subsidence of up to 1.5m," says Christian⁵ Minet, a geologist with the German Aerospace⁶ Centre (DLR), which processed the Nepal earthquake data sent by the Sentinel-1a satellite.

　　“不过我们通过进一步板块边缘估计的数据观察显示，加德满都首都向北，很显然可辨认的区域下沉了多达1.5米，”德国宇航局（DLR）的地质学家克里斯丁·米内特分析了由卫星Sentinel-1a发送过来的尼泊尔地震数据说道。

1 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

2 geologist   

n.地质学家

参考例句：

• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley.在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。
• He was a geologist,rated by his cronies as the best in the business.他是一位地质学家，被他的老朋友们看做是这门行当中最好的一位。

3 avalanches   

n.雪崩( avalanche的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• Avalanches poured down on the tracks and rails were spread. 雪崩压满了轨道，铁轨被弄得四分五裂。 来自辞典例句

4 landslides   

山崩( landslide的名词复数 )； （山坡、悬崖等的）崩塌； 滑坡； （竞选中）一方选票占压倒性多数

参考例句：

• Landslides have cut off many villages in remote areas. 滑坡使边远地区的许多村庄与外界隔绝。
• The storm caused landslides and flooding in Savona. 风暴致使萨沃纳发生塌方和洪灾。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。