新西蘭因火山而存在——周一的火山噴發(fā)不會是最后一次

新西蘭因火山而存在——周一的火山噴發(fā)不會是最后一次

For centuries — and long before Mount Doom drew Tolkien's heroes to Mordor — New Zealand's explosive geology has awed and terrified the island's residents.

幾個世紀以來——在末日火山把托爾金的英雄們吸引到魔多之前很久——新西蘭爆炸性的地質讓島上的居民又驚又怕。

Volcanoes, including the one immortalized in film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings, created the archipelago that is home to the Kiwi country. One day, they may wipe it out.

火山，包括在電影《指環(huán)王》中不朽的那座火山，造就了新西蘭的群島?？傆幸惶?，他們會把它消滅。

The Monday eruption of White Island, New Zealand's most consistently active volcano, killed at least six and injured more than two dozen people. It was a painful reminder of the danger behind the country's stunning, and sometimes surreal, landscapes: the ever-present possibility of another eruption.

新西蘭最具持續(xù)性的活火山懷特島(White Island)周一噴發(fā)，造成至少6人死亡，20多人受傷。這是一個令人痛苦的提醒，提醒我們這個國家驚人的、有時是超現(xiàn)實的風景背后的危險:永遠存在的另一次噴發(fā)的可能性。

It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when and where, said Janine Krippner, a volcanologist and New Zealand native who works with the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program. "Having a true respect for all the hazards we have and how they contribute to society is really important."

“這不是是否發(fā)生的問題，而是何時何地發(fā)生的問題，”在史密森尼學會(Smithsonian Institution)全球火山活動計劃(Global Volcanism Program)工作的新西蘭人、火山學家賈寧·克里普納(Janine Krippner)說。“真正尊重我們面臨的所有危險，以及它們對社會的貢獻，這一點非常重要。”

New Zealand has volcanoes aplenty, Krippner said, especially considering its size and geologic age. It lies along the volatile Ring of Fire, the belt of tectonic boundaries responsible for most of the world's earthquakes and eruptions, and experts consider it a very active corner of the planet. As with so many of nature's most powerful forces, it is both boon and burden.

克里普納說，新西蘭有很多火山，尤其是考慮到它的大小和地質年齡。新西蘭位于不穩(wěn)定的火山帶，這條構造邊界帶導致了世界上大部分的地震和火山爆發(fā)，專家認為它是地球上一個非?；钴S的角落。與自然界眾多最強大的力量一樣，它既是福祉，也是負擔。

New Zealand, especially its North Island, is just riddled with volcanoes, said volcanologist and science journalist Robin Andrews. "They've carved out one of the most naturally beautiful places on Earth, but at the same time, it's prone to devastating earthquakes and horrific volcanic eruptions. It's the price tag of that."

“新西蘭，尤其是它的北島，到處都是火山，”火山學家、科學記者羅賓·安德魯斯說。“他們創(chuàng)造了地球上最美麗的自然景觀之一，但同時，這里也容易發(fā)生毀滅性的地震和可怕的火山爆發(fā)。這是它的價簽。”