VOA慢速英语2014 Scientists Predicting Strength of Future Earthquakes

 

Scientists Predicting Strength of Future Earthquakes

Scientists know where earthquakes are likely to take place. But it is difficult for them to predict how strong an earthquake will be. Now, American researchers have found that it may be possible to predict the strength of future quakes.

The Earth’s crust – the outermost¹ surface – is made up of large tectonic plates. As many as 20 tectonic plates cover the Earth. They move slowly, sometimes sliding under one another. Where that happens, earthquakes can take place.

Timothy H. Dixon is with the University of South Florida. He is a geologist² -- a scientist who studies rocks and soil to understand the Earth. He and other scientists are using global positioning system, or GPS, equipment to measure what he calls “slow-slip" events. By that, he means slow-moving earthquakes that cannot be measured by other instruments.

Timothy Dixon says that while such movements may not be felt, they can lead to large, sometimes deadly earthquakes.

“They’re the kind of earthquake that made the big Japan earthquake in 2011 and the Sumatra earthquake and tsunami³ in 2004. So they can be, they can be the real killers⁴. So what we think these slow-slip events are telling us is, they’re letting off steam, so to speak, in areas of the fault. And if they let off enough steam, that part of the fault won’t rupture⁵.” 

The more of the fault that ruptures⁶, or breaks, he says, the more powerful the earthquake is.

The scientists set up a number of GPS receivers 15 years ago in Costa Rica to measure the “slow-slip” events, which take place only every year or two. The last one was three months before an earthquake in 2012.

People always want to know when an earthquake is going to happen. This technology cannot predict that. But Timothy Dixon says knowing how strong the quake might be gives officials time to improve building codes and make other preparations.

“You know the earthquake is more-or-less inevitable⁷. Even if you don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, since you know it’s going to happen, and you know how big it’s going to be, you can prepare accordingly.”

Words in This Story

tectonic plates – n. massive, irregularly shaped slabs⁸ of solid rock in the Earth’s crust.

fault – n. a break in the Earth's crust

receiver – n. radio or television equipment that changes signals into sound and pictures

code – n. a series of laws or regulations

inevitable – adj. sure to happen

1 outermost   

adj.最外面的，远离中心的

参考例句：

• He fired and hit the outermost ring of the target.他开枪射中了靶子的最外一环。
• The outermost electron is shielded from the nucleus.原子核对最外层电子的作用受到屏蔽。

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 tsunami   

n.海啸

参考例句：

• Powerful quake sparks tsunami warning in Japan.大地震触发了日本的海啸预警。
• Coastlines all around the Indian Ocean inundated by a huge tsunami.大海啸把印度洋沿岸地区都淹没了。

4 killers   

凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事

参考例句：

• He remained steadfast in his determination to bring the killers to justice. 他要将杀人凶手绳之以法的决心一直没有动摇。
• They were professional killers who did in John. 杀死约翰的这些人是职业杀手。

5 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。

6 ruptures   

n.（体内组织等的）断裂( rupture的名词复数 )；爆裂；疝气v.（使）破裂( rupture的第三人称单数 )；（使体内组织等）断裂；使（友好关系）破裂；使绝交

参考例句：

• Fault ruptures may consist of a single narrow main break. 断层破裂可能只包括单独一条狭窄的主裂隙。 来自辞典例句
• The dry seed ruptures and the green leaf uncurls. 干瘪的种子裂开了，卷曲的绿叶伸展了。 来自辞典例句

7 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

8 slabs   

n.厚板，平板，厚片( slab的名词复数 )；厚胶片

参考例句：

• The patio was made of stone slabs. 这天井是用石板铺砌而成的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The slabs of standing stone point roughly toward the invisible notch. 这些矗立的石块，大致指向那个看不见的缺口。 来自辞典例句