The colossal consequences of supervolcanoes - Alex Gendler

超级火山喷发的后果 - Alex Gendler

翻译人员: nancy liu 校对人员: Qiwen Lu

The year was 1816.

那是1816年

Europe and North America had just been through

欧洲和北美洲

a devastating series of wars,

刚刚经历过一场毁灭性的战争

and a slow recovery seemed to be underway,

一场复苏仿佛在慢慢进行

but nature had other plans.

但是自然另有安排

After two years of poor harvests,

在两年的歉收之后

the spring brought heavy rains and cold,

来年的春天带来了大雨和寒冷

flooding the rivers and causing crop failures

from the British Isles to Switzerland.

河面上涨引发洪水导致颗粒无收

从大不列颠到瑞士都发生了这样的灾难

While odd-colored snow fell in Italy and Hungary,

然而，意大利和匈牙利降下了颜色古怪的雪

famine, food riots and disease epidemics ensued.

饥荒，食品暴乱，瘟疫接连爆发

Meanwhile, New England was blanketed

与此同时

by a strange fog

新英格兰被奇怪的雾笼罩

that would not disperse

久久不得消散

as the ground remained frozen

因此大地保持被冻住的状态

well into June.

直到六月

In what came to be known as "the Year Without a Summer,"

在这被称为“无夏之年”中

some thought the apocalypse had begun.

人们认为大灾难要开始了

A mood captured in Lord Byron's poem "Darkness":

这种心情被拜伦写进了他的诗“黑暗”中

"I had a dream which was not all a dream.

“我曾有个似梦非梦的梦境

The bright sun was extinguish'd,

明亮的太阳熄灭

and the stars did wander darkling in the eternal space,

而星星在暗淡的永恒虚空中失所流离

rayless, and pathless,

无光，无路

and the icy Earth swung blind and blackening

那冰封的地球球体盲目转动

in the moonless air;

在无月的天空下笼罩幽冥

morn came and went -- and came, and brought no day."

早晨来而复去——白昼却不曾降临“

They had no way of knowing

他们无法了解

that the real source of their misfortunes

这不幸的根源

had occurred a year ago thousands of miles away.

在一年前的千里之外已被埋下

The 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora

1815年在印尼的松巴哇岛上

on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa

一座名为坦博拉的火山爆发了

was what is known as a supervolcano,

坦博拉火山是一座超级火山

characterized by a volume of erupted material,

它喷出喷出物的速度

many times greater than that of ordinary volcanoes.

比普通火山快上好多倍

And while the popular image of volcanic destruction

然而，提及火山爆发，我们最先想到的画面是

is molten rock engulfing the surrounding land,

岩浆环绕并吞没了小岛

far greater devastation is caused

但是，更加深远的影响是

by what remains in the air.

空气中残留下来的物质

Volcanic ash, dispersed by wind,

火山灰，被风带到了世界各地

can blanket the sky for days,

可以空气中弥留数日

while toxic gases, such as sulfur dioxide,

然而有毒气体，例如二氧化硫

react in the stratosphere,

在平流层中发生化学反应

blocking out solar radiation

阻挡了太阳的辐射

and drastically cooling the atmosphere below.

导致大气层之下的温度骤降

The resulting volcanic winter,

他带来了火山冬天

along with other effects such as acid rain,

还有其他的后果比如酸雨

can effect multiple continents,

这些后果可以影响多个大陆

disrupting natural cycles

扰乱了自然界的循环

and annihilating the plant life on which other organisms,

杀死了植物和其他生物

including humans, depend.

也伤害了人类

Releasing nearly 160 cubic kilometers

喷出了将近160立方千米的

of rock, ash and gas,

熔岩，灰烬和气体

the Mount Tambora eruption

坦博拉火山的爆发

was the largest in recorded history,

据记载是规模最大的一次

causing as many as 90,000 deaths.

导致了约90，000人的死亡

But previous eruptions have been even more deadly.

但是之前一次的火山爆发更加有毁灭性

The 1600 eruption of Peru's Huaynaputina

1600年秘鲁火山Huaynaputina的爆发

is likely to have triggered the Russian famine,

很大程度上导致了俄国的饥荒

that killed nearly two million,

使将近两百万人失去生命

while more ancient eruptions have been blamed for major world events,

然而，再古老的火山爆发则被人们认为是世界上的大事件导致的

such as the fall of the Chinese Xia Dynasty,

比如中国夏朝代的覆灭

the disappearance of the Minoan civilization,

弥诺斯文明的消失

and even a genetic bottleneck in human evolution

这些70，000年前消失的人类甚至导致了

that may have resulted from all but a few thousand human beings

人类进化的基因瓶颈

being wiped out 70,000 years ago.

人类进化的基因瓶颈

One of the most dangerous types of supervolcano

超级火山中最危险的一种

is an explosive caldera,

是爆发性的巨火山口

formed when a volcanic mountain collapses

一场规模巨大的火山爆发

after an eruption so large

导致岩浆房变空

that the now-empty magma chamber

因此岩浆房无法再支撑自身的重量

can no longer support its weight.

火山坍塌，便形成了巨火山口

But though the above-ground volcano is gone,

虽然地上的火山已经消失

the underground volcanic activity continues.

地下的火山活动却在依然继续

With no method of release,

没有办法进行释放

magma and volcanic gases continue

岩浆和火山气体

to accumulate and expand underground,

不断的在地下积累、膨胀

building up pressure until a massive and violent explosion

压力不断上升，最终导致了火山突然剧烈的喷发

becomes inevitable.

成为不可避免的情况

And one of the largest active volcanic calderas

世界上最大的巨火山口之一

lies right under Yellowstone National Park.

坐落于美国黄石公园之中

The last time it erupted, 650,000 years ago,

它上一次的喷发，是在650,000年前

it covered much of North America

喷出物例如岩浆和火山灰覆盖了大部分的北美洲

in nearly two meters of ash and rock.

使大陆的地面上升了大约两米

Scientists are currently monitoring

科学家们如今在监测

the world's active volcanoes,

世界上的活火山

and procedures for predicting eruptions,

也在进行火山喷发的预测

conducting evacuations and diverting lava flows

人员疏散和改变岩浆流向的计算

have improved over the years.

在过去这些年中这些都有了很大的提升

But the massive scale and global reach

然而，一次规模巨大并且可以触及全球的

of a supervolcano

超级火山喷发

means that for many people there would be nowhere to run.

意味着许多人将无处可逃

Fortunately, the current data shows no evidence

幸运的是，目前的数据表明

of such an eruption occurring in the next few thousand years.

在接下来的几千年中不会有这样的爆发发生

But the idea of a sudden and unavoidable

一次剧烈而不可避免的火山爆发会导致世界上的文明被摧毁

civilization-destroying apocalypse

而这座火山，可能与你相隔半球之遥

caused by events half a globe away

每当想起这件事

will remain a powerful and terrifying vision.

人们会感觉到无力与恐惧

Less fictional than we would like to believe.

比我们想象的还要真实

"The winds were withered in the stagnant air,

“凝滞的气流里风也断绝

and the clouds perish'd;

烟消云逸

darkness had no need of aid from them --

他们留存无益

she was the universe." - Lord Byron

因为黑暗——便是宇宙自己“