万物简史 第254期:大地在移动(8)

 　　There was one other major problem with Earth theories that no one had resolved, or even come close to resolving. That was the question of where all the sediments¹ went. Every year Earth's rivers carried massive volumes of eroded² material—500 million tons of calcium³, for instance—to the seas. If you multiplied the rate of deposition⁴ by the number of years it had been going on, it produced a disturbing figure: there should be about twelve miles of sediments on the ocean bottoms—or, put another way, the ocean bottoms should by now be well above the ocean tops. Scientists dealt with this paradox⁵ in the handiest possible way. They ignored it. But eventually there came a point when they could ignore it no longer.

　　地球理论还有一个谁也没有解决过的，或接近于解决过的问题。那就是，这么多沉积物都上哪里去了？地球上的江河每年要把大量被侵蚀的材料──比如，5亿吨钙──带进大海。要是你把这一过程的年数乘以沉积速度，你就会得出一个惊人的数字：海底应该有一层大约20公里厚的沉积物──或者换一种说法，海底现在应该远远高出海面。科学家们以最简单的办法来对付这个不可思议的问题──不予理会。但是，终于到了一个时刻，不理会已经不行了。

　　大洋构造图

　　In the Second World War, a Princeton University mineralogist named Harry⁶ Hess was put in charge of an attack transport ship, the USS Cape⁷ Johnson. Aboard this vessel⁸ was a fancy new depth sounder called a fathometer, which was designed to facilitate inshore maneuvers⁹ during beach landings, but Hess realized that it could equally well be used for scientific purposes and never switched it off, even when far out at sea, even in the heat of battle. What he found was entirely¹⁰ unexpected. If the ocean floors were ancient, as everyone assumed, they should be thickly blanketed with sediments, like the mud on the bottom of a river or lake. But Hess's readings showed that the ocean floor offered anything but the gooey smoothness of ancient silts¹¹.

　　第二次世界大战期间，普林斯顿大学的矿物学家哈里·赫斯负责指挥一条攻击运输舰“约翰逊角”号。舰上配有一台高级的新型测深器，名叫回声测深仪，以便在海滩登陆过程中操作更加方便。但是，赫斯意识到，这台仪器也可以用于科学目的，因此即使到了远海，即使在战斗最激烈的时候，也从不关掉。他的发现完全出人意料。如果海底像大家认为的那样很古老，那么就该有一层厚厚的沉积物，就像河底或湖底的淤泥那样。但是，赫斯的测量结果表明，海底只有一层又黏糊又平滑的古代泥沙。

1 sediments   

沉淀物( sediment的名词复数 )； 沉积物

参考例句：

• When deposited, 70-80% of the volume of muddy sediments may be water. 泥质沉积物沉积后，体积的70-80％是水。
• Oligocene erosion had truncated the sediments draped over the dome. 覆盖于穹丘上的沉积岩为渐新世侵蚀所截削。

2 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

3 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

4 deposition   

n.免职，罢官；作证；沉淀；沉淀物

参考例句：

• It was this issue which led to the deposition of the king.正是这件事导致了国王被废黜。
• This leads to calcium deposition in the blood-vessels.这导致钙在血管中沉积。

5 paradox   

n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物)

参考例句：

• The story contains many levels of paradox.这个故事存在多重悖论。
• The paradox is that Japan does need serious education reform.矛盾的地方是日本确实需要教育改革。

6 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

7 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

8 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

9 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 silts   

v.（河流等）为淤泥淤塞( silt的第三人称单数 )；（使）淤塞

参考例句：

• Consolidation settlement occurs mainly in clays or silts. 压缩沉降主要出现在粘土或粉沙中。 来自辞典例句
• Today blowing sand dusts the town and silts its harbor. 如今的摩卡，狂沙肆虐，港口淤缩，一派荒芜。 来自互联网