美国国家公共电台 NPR--Seismic stations detected explosion at Ukrainian dam around the time it collapsed

Seismic¹ stations detected explosion at Ukrainian dam around the time it collapsed³

Transcript⁴

Seismic stations in Ukraine and Romania detected what appears to be an explosion at the Kakhovka Dam on the morning that it failed, Norwegian seismologists tell NPR.

The analysis was done by NORSAR, a Norwegian group that monitors seismic networks throughout Europe. According to their data, the explosion took place on June 6 at 2:54 AM local time in Ukraine. The detection is the first piece of independent evidence that the dam, which held back a reservoir roughly the size of Utah's Great Salt Lake, was blown up, rather than collapsing⁵ from strain and mismanagement.

At a press conference earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for an international investigation⁶ of what happened to the dam.

"The evidence should be carefully collected and presented," Zelenskyy said during an online press event about the dam collapse². "Without international investigation teams ... we won't be able to do that."

The Kakhovka Dam sat on the front lines of the war, with Russian forces on one side and Ukrainian troops on the other. In recent months it had endured bombardment at the hands of Ukrainian forces and at least one explosion, believed to be caused by retreating Russian troops who blew up a road over the dam.

The dam had been under even more stress in recent weeks. Spring rains had filled the Kakhovka Reservoir to capacity, and water had been spilling over the top of the dam, which did not have enough sluice⁷ gates open to manage the flow. Russia, which controls the dam, only had a few of its 28 gates open since November of last year.

The strain and previous damage to the dam led to speculation⁸ that it might have collapsed on its own. But according to NORSAR, which monitors for underground nuclear tests and other seismic events, there was an explosion detected around the time the dam is thought to have collapsed.

"We see a pulse of energy which is focused, which is typical of an explosion," Volker Oye, a seismologist at NORSAR who's analyzed⁹ the data, told NPR.

There is still uncertainty¹⁰. The seismic arrays can't locate the blast to closer than within 20-30 kilometers (12-19 miles) of the dam. But Oye says explosions in this particular part of Ukraine are rarely seen, and so a blast due to something else would be an unusual coincidence.

Nor can the the detection say what caused an explosion. Russians accuse Ukraine of attacking the dam, but Ukrainians claim Russians used demolition¹¹ charges to destroy it.

1 seismic   

a.地震的，地震强度的

参考例句：

• Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.地震产生两种地震波。
• The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.肯尼亚北部也感觉到了最近的地震活动。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

5 collapsing   

压扁[平]，毁坏，断裂

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The rocks were folded by collapsing into the center of the trough. 岩石由于坍陷进入凹槽的中心而发生褶皱。

6 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

7 sluice   

n.水闸

参考例句：

• We opened the sluice and the water poured in.我们打开闸门，水就涌了进来。
• They regulate the flow of water by the sluice gate.他们用水闸门控制水的流量。

8 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

9 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

11 demolition   

n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹

参考例句：

• The church has been threatened with demolition for years. 这座教堂多年来一直面临拆毀的威胁。
• The project required the total demolition of the old bridge. 该项目要求将老桥完全拆毁。