Deep Under the Earth's Surface, Discovering Beauty and Science | Francesco Sauro | TED Talks

譯者: Marssi Draw 審譯者: Regina Chu

I would like to invite you

我想要邀請你們

to come along on a visit

一起去參觀

to a dark continent.

一個黑暗的大陸。

It is the continent hidden

它是一個隱藏在

under the surface of the earth.

地表之下的大陸。

It is largely unexplored,

它還未被探索、

poorly understood, and the stuff of legends.

未被理解， 充斥著許多傳說。

But it is made also of dramatic landscapes

但它有壯觀的地形，

like this huge underground chamber,

例如這個巨大的地下洞穴，

and it is rich with surprising biological and mineralogical worlds.

和豐富神奇的生物、礦物世界。

Thanks to the efforts of intrepid voyagers in the last three centuries --

感謝無畏的航行者 在過去三個世紀的努力，

actually, we know also thanks to satellite technology, of course --

當然，也要感謝衛星技術，

we know almost every single square meter of our planet's surface.

我們才能對地球表面瞭若指掌。

However, we know still very little about what is hidden inside the earth.

然而，我們仍對地球的 內部世界知之甚少，

Because a cave landscape, like this deep shaft in Italy, is hidden,

因為洞穴很隱密， 例如這座在義大利的深井，

the potential of cave exploration -- the geographical dimension --

我們對洞穴探險和地理屬性

is poorly understood and unappreciated.

知之甚少，經驗也不多，

Because we are creatures living on the surface,

因為我們是住在地球表面的生物，

our perception of the inner side of the planet

我們對地球內部的認知不確實。

is in some ways skewed,

as is that of the depth of the oceans

如同我們對海洋

or of the upper atmosphere.

或是大氣的理解，一樣不清楚。

However, since systematic cave exploration started about one century ago,

但是由於我們在一個世紀之前 就對洞穴開始了系統性探索，

we know actually that caves exist in every continent of the world.

所以我們知道其實 世界各大洲都有洞穴。

A single cave system, like Mammoth Cave, which is in Kentucky,

如美國肯塔基州的猛獁洞，

can be as long as more than 600 kilometers.

一個洞穴系統就可長達 超過 600 公里。

And an abyss like Krubera Voronya, which is in the Caucasus region,

至於世界上已知的最深洞穴，

actually the deepest cave explored in the world,

高加索地區的庫魯伯亞拉洞穴，

can go as far as more than 2,000 meters below the surface.

這個無底洞可深達 地面下超過 2,000 公尺，

That means a journey of weeks for a cave explorer.

這代表著洞穴探險家 需要花上數週進行探險。

Caves form in karstic regions.

洞穴會在喀斯特地區形成，

So karstic regions are areas of the world

喀斯特地區是指世上某些地方，

where the infiltrating water along cracks, fractures,

裂紋和破裂處的入滲水

can easily dissolve soluble lithologies,

可輕易溶解可溶性岩石，

forming a drainage system of tunnels, conduits --

並形成由地道組成的引流系統。

a three-dimensional network, actually.

其實這就是一個三維網絡。

Karstic regions cover almost 20 percent of the continents' surface,

喀斯特地區佔各大洲 接近百分之二十的面積。

and we know actually that speleologists in the last 50 years

我們也知道洞穴學者 事實上在過去的五十年間，

have explored roughly 30,000 kilometers of cave passages around the world,

曾在世界各地約三萬公里的 洞穴通道進行探險。

which is a big number.

這是一個很大的探險。

But geologists have estimated that what is still missing,

但地質學家曾估算

有待被發現及測繪的範圍

to be discovered and mapped,

is something around 10 million kilometers.

仍有約一千萬公里。

That means that for each meter of a cave that we already know,

這代表著我們已經知道的、

that we have explored,

已經探索的每一公尺洞穴，

there are still some tens of kilometers of undiscovered passages.

就有大約幾十公里的 通道尚未被發現。

That means that this is really an endless continent,

這代表著這是一個真正 無盡頭的領域，

and we will never be able to explore it completely.

我們永遠都不可能完成所有探險。

And this estimation is made without considering other types of caves,

這個估算沒有包含 其他類型的洞穴在內，

like, for example, inside glaciers or even volcanic caves,

例如冰川洞穴， 甚至是由熔岩流形成、

which are not karstic, but are formed by lava flows.

非喀斯特地貌的火山洞穴。

And if we have a look at other planets like, for example, Mars,

如果我們留意其他星球，例如火星，

you will see that this characteristic

你們會發現這個特徵

is not so specific of our home planet.

並非我們星球獨有。

However, I will show to you now that we do not need to go to Mars

現在我會讓你們看到 即使不到火星去，

to explore alien worlds.

我們也能夠探索外星世界。

I'm a speleologist, that means a cave explorer.

我是洞穴學者，也就是洞穴探險家。

And I started with this passion when I was really young

我從年輕時就熱愛

in the mountains not far from my hometown in North Italy,

探索離我家不遠、位於義大利北部

in the karstic regions of the Alps and the Dolomites.

阿爾卑斯山脈及多洛米蒂山脈的 喀斯特地區洞穴。

But soon, the quest for exploration brought me to the farthest corner

但過了不久， 持續的探索帶領我到

地球最遠的角落，

of the planet, searching for new potential entrances

找尋可能通往這尚未 被發現的領域入口。

of this undiscovered continent.

And in 2009, I had the opportunity to visit the tepui table mountains,

2009 年，我有機會到訪

位於奧利諾科及亞馬遜盆地的 平頂山地形山脈。

which are in the Orinoco and Amazon basins.

These massifs enchanted me from the first time I saw them.

從第一次見到這些平頂山地塊， 我就為之著迷。

They are surrounded by vertical, vertiginous rock walls

它們被垂直、 令人暈眩的岩壁所包圍，

with silvery waterfalls that are lost in the forest.

還有沒入森林的銀色瀑布。

They really inspired in me a sense of wilderness,

它們有著遠超於數百萬年的靈魂，

with a soul older than millions and millions of years.

那份荒蕪感啟發了我。

And this dramatic landscape inspired among other things

這戲劇性的地貌 同時也啟發了許多其他事物，

also Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" novel in 1912.

例如柯南・道爾在 1912 年 所著的小說《失落的世界》。

And they are, really, a lost world.

它們也的確是一個失落的世界。

Scientists consider those mountains as islands in time,

科學家認為以前這些山脈為島嶼，

being separated from the surrounding lowlands

在千百萬年前

since tens of millions of years ago.

從周邊低地中分離出來。

They are surrounded by up to 1,000-meter-high walls,

它們被可高達一千公尺的岩壁包圍，

resembling a fortress, impregnable by humans.

就像人類無法攻破的堡壘。

And, in fact, only a few of these mountains have been climbed

而事實上，人類只曾攀登

and explored on their top.

或探索少數的山頂。

These mountains contain also a scientific paradox:

這些山脈也有著一個科學悖論：

They are made by quartz,

它們由石英形成，

which is a very common mineral on the earth's crust,

石英是地殼很常見的礦物質。

and the rock made up by quartz is called quartzite,

而由石英形成的岩石被稱為石英岩，

and quartzite is one of the hardest and least soluble minerals on earth.

是地球上最堅硬、 最難溶解的礦物質之一，

So we do not expect at all to find a cave there.

所以我們從沒想過能在 那裡找到洞穴。

Despite this, in the last 10 years, speleologists from Italy,

然而，在過去的十年中，

來自義大利、斯洛伐克、捷克 以及委內瑞拉和巴西的洞穴學者，

Slovakia, Czech Republic, and, of course, Venezuela and Brazil,

have explored several caves in this area.

曾探索這個地區的數個洞穴。

So how can it be possible?

這怎麼可能呢？

To understand this contradiction, we have to consider the time factor,

為了理解這矛盾之處， 我們必須考慮時間因素。

because the history of the tepuis is extremely long,

由於平頂山的歷史相當久遠，

starting about 1.6 billion years ago with the formation of the rock,

約十六億年前岩石開始形成，

and then evolving with the uplift of the region 150 million years ago,

然後在一億五千年前， 這個地域繼盤古超大陸瓦解

after the disruption of the Pangaea supercontinent

形成大西洋後，

and the opening of the Atlantic Ocean.

開始上升，逐漸演變。

So you can imagine that the water had tens or even hundreds of millions of years

因此，你可以想像 流水有著億萬年的時間

to sculpt the strangest forms on the tepuis' surfaces,

在平頂山表面塑造出奇怪的形狀，

but also to open the fractures and form stone cities, rock cities,

也開啟了破裂處形成 石頭城市、岩石城市，

fields of towers which are characterized in the famous landscape of the tepuis.

即平頂山地貌特有的塔型岩柱。

But nobody could have imagined

但任誰也無法想像，

what was happening inside a mountain in so long a time frame.

在這麼長的時間， 一座山裡到底發生了什麼事。

And so I was focusing in 2010 on one of those massifs,

在 2010 年， 我專注於其中一座平頂山地塊，

the Auyán-tepui, which is very famous because it hosts Angel Falls,

奧揚特普伊山。 由於有著世界上最高、

which is the highest waterfall in the world --

垂直高達約 979 米的 安赫爾（天使）瀑布，

about 979 meters of vertical drop.

這座山因而非常有名。

And I was searching for hints of the existence of cave systems

而我則透過衛星圖像

through satellite images,

尋找洞穴存在的痕跡，

and finally we identified an area of collapses of the surface --

終於找到了一處下陷的地面，

so, big boulders, rock piles --

有碩大的礫石和巖堆，

and that means that there was a void below.

代表下方是空的。

It was a clear indication that there was something inside the mountain.

這明確指出，那山裡有些甚麼。

So we did several attempts to reach this area,

於是我們好幾次 嘗試以陸路搭配直升機

by land and with a helicopter,

接近此處，

but it was really difficult because -- you have to imagine

但這相當困難，因為你要知道，

that these mountains are covered by clouds most of the year, by fog.

這些山脈長年被雲霧所遮蓋。

There are strong winds,

強風以及每年接近 4,000 公釐的降雨量，

and there are almost 4,000 millimeters of rainfall per year,

so it's really, really difficult to find good conditions.

讓我們難以碰到好天氣接近山脈。

And only in 2013 we finally landed on the spot

只有到了 2013 年， 我們終於在一處著陸，

and we started the exploration of the cave.

並開始對洞穴進行探索。

The cave is huge.

那洞穴非常大。

It's a huge network under the surface of the tepui plateau,

那是平頂高原下的巨型網絡。

and in only ten days of expedition,

而在僅僅十天的考察，

we explored more than 20 kilometers of cave passages.

我們探索了超過 20 公里的洞穴通道。

And it's a huge network of underground rivers,

那是一個由地下河流、

channels, big rooms, extremely deep shafts.

渠道、大洞廳和極深的豎坑 組成的巨型網絡。

So it's really an incredible place.

那真的是一個不可思議的地方。

And we named it Imawarì Yeuta.

我們把它稱為 "Imawari Yeuta"。

That means, in the Pemón indigenous language, "The House of the Gods."

在佩蒙土著語中， 意思是「眾神之家」。

You have to imagine that indigenous people have never been there.

你必須知道， 這些土著從未到過這個地方。

It was impossible for them to reach this area.

他們不可能接近這個地方。

However, there were legends about the existence

但是，那裡流傳著

of a cave in the mountain.

關於山中洞穴的傳說。

So when we started the exploration,

所以當我們開始探索時，

we had to explore with a great respect,

我們需要心懷極大的尊重。

both because of the religious beliefs of the indigenous people,

這不單是因為土著的宗教信仰，

but also because it was really a sacred place,

更是因為這裡從無人類進入過，

because no human had entered there before.

是一個神聖的地方。

So we had to use special protocols

我們也因此需要根據特別的規則，

to not contaminate the environment with our presence,

嘗試不讓我們的存在污染環境。

and we tried also to share with the community,

我們亦嘗試與當地社群、

with the indigenous community, our discoveries.

土著社群分享我們的發現。

And the caves represent, really, a snapshot of the past.

事實上，這些洞穴就是過去的寫照。

The time needed for their formation

它們或許需要長達五千萬年，

could be as long as 50 or even 100 million years,

甚至億萬年的時間形成，

which makes them possibly the oldest caves that we can explore on earth.

讓它們成為地球上 可探索的洞穴中最古老的一個。

What you can find there is really evidence of a lost world.

你在這裡能找到的， 就是失落的世界存在的證據。

When you enter a quartzite cave,

當你進入一個石英岩洞，

you have to completely forget what you know about caves --

你必須忘掉一切關於洞穴的知識，

classic limestone caves or the touristic caves

例如你在某些地方可到訪的

that you can visit in several places in the world.

典型的石灰岩洞或觀光洞穴。

Because what seems a simple stalactite here

因為那裡看似普通的鐘乳石，

is not made by calcium carbonate, but is made by opal,

並非由碳酸鈣形成， 而是由蛋白石形成。

and one of those stalactites can require tens of millions of years to be formed.

而每個鐘乳石都需要千百萬年形成。

But you can find even stranger forms, like these mushrooms of silica

你還能找到更奇怪的形狀， 例如長在大石頭上的

growing on a boulder.

蘑菇狀矽石。

And you can imagine our talks when we were exploring the cave.

你也可以想像一下 我們在探索洞穴期間的談話。

We were the first entering and discovering those unknown things,

那是我們第一次進入 這個未知的地方，

發現未知的事物， 像是這些巨大的蛋。

things like those monster eggs.

And we were a bit scared because it was all a discovery,

我們有些害怕， 因為這不過是一場探險，

and we didn't want to find a dinosaur.

我們並不想找到恐龍。

We didn't find a dinosaur.

而我們的確也沒找到恐龍。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Anyway, actually, we know that this kind of formation,

其實，經過數次研究，

after several studies,

我們得知是生物

we know that these kinds of formations are living organisms.

形成了這些東西。

They are bacterial colonies using silica to build mineral structures

這是細菌菌落利用二氧化矽 做成形似疊層石的礦物結構，

resembling stromatolites.

Stromatolites are some of the oldest forms of life that we can find on earth.

疊層石是地球上最古老的生命之一。

And here in the tepuis,

而有趣的是，

the interesting thing is that these bacteria colonies have evolved

在平頂山，細菌菌落可以演化成

in complete isolation from the external surface,

與外界完全隔離，

and without being in contact with humans.

並與人類毫無接觸的情況。

They have never been in contact with humans.

他們從未接觸過人類。

So the implications for science are enormous,

這帶給科學界的暗示相當重大，

because here you could find, for example, microbes

因為你能找到，比如說，在醫學上

that could be useful to resolve diseases in medicine,

可用於治療疾病的微生物，

or you could find even a new kind of material with unknown properties.

或者是有著未知特質的新材料。

And, in fact, we discovered in the cave a new mineral structure for science,

事實上，我們在洞穴中為科學界 發現了一種新的礦物結構，

which is rossiantonite, a phosphate-sulfate.

是一種名為 rossiantonite 的 磷酸鹽—硫酸鹽類。

So whatever you find in the cave, even a small cricket,

不論你在洞穴裡找到什麼， 就算只是一隻蟋蟀，

has evolved in the dark in complete isolation.

也在黑暗和徹底的隔離下 進行了演化。

And, really, everything that you can feel in the cave are real connections

而你在洞穴裡感受到的一切，

皆是生物界以及礦物學界的 真實連接。

between the biological and the mineralogical world.

So as we explore this dark continent

當我們探索這黑暗的領域，

and discover its mineralogical and biological diversity and uniqueness,

並發現其礦物學與生物學的 多樣性和獨特之處，

we will find probably clues about the origin of life on our planet

我們或許就能得知 我們星球上生命的起源，

and on the relationship and evolution of life

和生命進化與

in relationship with the mineral world.

礦物之間的關係。

What seems only a dark, empty environment

它看起來只是一個黑暗空虛的環境，

could be in reality a chest of wonders

但事實上可能充斥著有用資訊的

full of useful information.

奇妙之處。

With a team of Italian, Venezuelan and Brazilian speleologists,

連同被稱為 「拉文塔食鳥蜘蛛」探險隊

which is called La Venta Teraphosa,

這一組來自義大利、委內瑞拉 和巴西的洞穴學者，

we will be back soon to Latin America,

我們不久將回到拉丁美洲，

because we want to explore other tepuis in the farthest areas of the Amazon.

因為我們希望探索在亞馬遜 最遠處的其他平頂山地貌。

There are still very unknown mountains,

世上仍有許多未知的山脈，

like Marahuaca, which is almost 3,000 meters high above sea level,

例如海拔高達 3,000 米的 馬拉瓦卡山脈，

or Aracà, which is in the upper region of Rio Negro in Brazil.

或是位於巴西內格羅河 上游的阿拉卡山。

And we suppose that we could find there even bigger cave systems,

我們預計能夠找到更大的洞穴系統，

and each one with its own undiscovered world.

而每個洞穴都有著 專屬於它未知的世界。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

Bruno Giussani: Thank you, Francesco. Give me that to start so we don't forget.

布鲁諾・吉桑尼：謝謝你，法蘭斯高。 先給我那個，以免我們忘記。

Francesco, you said we don't need to go to Mars to find alien life,

法蘭斯高，你說我們不需要到 火星便能找到外星生命。

and indeed, last time we spoke, you were in Sardinia

的確，上次我們談話時， 你正在撒丁島

and you were training European astronauts.

培訓歐洲的太空人。

So what do you, a speleologist, tell and teach to the astronauts?

那麼你身為洞穴學者， 你都向太空人說或教些甚麼呢？

Francesco Sauro: Yeah, we are -- it's a program of training

法蘭斯高・紹羅：是的， 我們......這是一個在洞穴裡

for not only European, but also NASA, Roskosmos, JAXA astronauts, in a cave.

培訓歐洲還有美國太空總署、 俄國及日本太空人的計劃 。

So they stay in a cave for about one week in isolation.

他們會在洞穴過一個星期 與世隔絕的生活。

They have to work together in a real, real dangerous environment,

他們必須在相當危險的環境中合作。

and it's a real alien environment for them because it's unusual.

這對他們來說的確是一個異世界， 因為它是那麼的不尋常。

It's always dark. They have to do science. They have a lot of tasks.

它總是黑暗。他們必須做科學研究。 他們有許多任務要完成。

And it's very similar to a journey to Mars

這與前往火星或國際太空站

or the International Space Station.

非常相似。

BG: In principle. FS: Yes.

布：原則上來說。 法：是的。

BG: I want to go back to one of the pictures

布：我想回到你投影片的

that was in your slide show,

其中一張照片。

and it's just representative of the other photos --

那是所有照片中最具代表性的一張。

Weren't those photos amazing? Yeah?

那些照片很不可思議，對吧？

Audience: Yeah!

觀眾：對！

(Applause)

（掌聲）

FS: I have to thank the photographers from the team La Venta,

法：我得感謝拉文塔團隊的攝影師，

because all of those photos are from the photographers.

因為這些照片都是出自那些攝影師。

BG: You bring, actually, photographers with you in the expedition.

布：你在探險期間， 真的帶著攝影師。

They're professionals, they're speleologists and photographers.

他們是專業人士， 他們是洞穴學者，也是攝影師。

But when I look at these pictures, I wonder: there is zero light down there,

但當我看著這些照片，我很納悶，

地表下沒有任何光線， 看起來卻曝光良好 。

and yet they look incredibly well-exposed.

How do you take these pictures?

你們怎麼拍下這些照片？

How do your colleagues, the photographers, take these pictures?

你的同事，這些攝影師， 怎麼拍下這些照片？

FS: Yeah. They are working in a darkroom, basically,

法：是的，他們基本上 是在黑暗的空間中工作。

so you can open the shutter of the camera

因此你能按下相機的快門，

and use the lights to paint the environment.

利用燈光掃描環境。

BG: So you're basically --

布：所以你基本上是.......

FS: Yes. You can even keep the shutter open for one minute

法：是的，你甚至可以設定 長達一分鐘的快門，

and then paint the environment.

然後掃描環境。

The final result is what you want to achieve.

最終的成果，就是你想得到的。

BG: You spray the environment with light and that's what you get.

布：你在環境中灑滿燈光， 而那正是你想要的。

Maybe we can try this at home someday, I don't know.

或許某一天我們能在家嘗試， 可以嗎？

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

BG: Francesco, grazie. FS: Grazie.

布：謝謝你，法蘭斯高。 法：謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）