纪录片《为何无法预测地震》 第25期:岩石碎裂产生电流

Today, however,

然而今天

NASA physicist¹ Friedemann Freund

美国宇航局的物理学家斐迪曼·弗罗因德

believes he may have found the answer.

相信他可能已经找到了答案

Gary, will you tell us when you make contact?

加里 闭合触点的时候请告诉我

Now, it starts.

开始了

In 2005, Freund made a peculiar² discovery

2005年 弗罗因德发现了一个奇怪的现象

that if you crush a rock to almost breaking point,

如果撞击一块石头接近达到其碎裂点时

it produces a tiny electrical current.

将产生一股微小的电流

Now, we are already driving

现在 我们让这块石头

something like four nanoamps through this rock,

产生了4纳安培的电流

the pressure increases more and more,

随着压力越来越大

the current increases,

电流增加

now the pressure has already reached

现在压力已经达到了最大值

its maximum value and the current will stay up there,

电流会保持在这里

and as long as the load stays on the rock,

而且只要石头仍有负荷

the current will continue to flow,

电流将会持续存在

and that is the simulation

我们相信这个实验

for what we believe to be happening in the Earth

模拟了地震发生前

prior to an earthquake,

岩石断裂前

before they rupture³.

地球所处的情况

If you can imagine

可以想象

that you have a cubic kilometre of rock being stressed or

如果一块1立方千米的岩石被加压

the currents translate into thousands, ten thousand,

电流会转化成上千上万

sometimes hundreds of thousands of amperes⁴

甚至数十万安培

that could flow out of a cubic kilometre of rock.

流出这1立方千米的岩石

1 physicist   

n.物理学家，研究物理学的人

参考例句：

• He is a physicist of the first rank.他是一流的物理学家。
• The successful physicist never puts on airs.这位卓有成就的物理学家从不摆架子。

2 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

3 rupture   

n.破裂；(关系的)决裂；v.(使)破裂

参考例句：

• I can rupture a rule for a friend.我可以为朋友破一次例。
• The rupture of a blood vessel usually cause the mark of a bruise.血管的突然破裂往往会造成外伤的痕迹。

4 amperes   

n.安培( ampere的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The current from these parallel generators will add up to make a total flow of 500 amperes. 这些并联的发电机所产生的电流累计在一起，总电流达到 500 安培。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Rectifier units with a capacity of 20 to 25 amperes for each charging circuit are acceptable. 每条充电线路可容纳容量为20―25安培的整流装置。 来自辞典例句