1.condense : verb. change from a gas into a liquid; to make a gas change into a liquid （由气体）冷凝；（使气体）凝结 E.g. The steam was condensed rapidly by injecting cold water into the cylinder . 由于汽缸中注入了冷水，蒸汽迅速凝结了
2. interstellar gas : 星际气体
interstellar : between the stars in the sky 星际的
3. stromatolites : 叠层（石）; 垫藻岩 : (/stroʊˈmætəlaɪts,strə-/) or stromatoliths(from Greek στρώμα,strōma, mattress, bed, stratum, and λίθος,lithos, rock) are layered bio-chemical accretionarystructuresformed in shallow water by the trapping, binding and cementation of sedimentary grains bybiofilms(microbial mats) ofmicroorganisms, especiallycyanobacteria.
4. mounds : a large pile of earth or stones; a small hill 土墩；小丘；小山岗
5. palaeontology : [ˌpeɪliɑ:nˈtɑ:l-|] the study of fossils (= the remains of animals or plants in rocks) as a guide to the history of life on earth 古生物学；化石学
6. debut : |ˈdeɪbju:; ˈdebju:; 美 deɪˈbju:| the first public appearance of a performer or sports player （演员、运动员）首次亮相；初次登台（或上场） E.g. He will make his debut for the first team this week 本周他将在第一支出场的队伍中首次亮相
7. push back : to make the time or date of a meeting, etc. later than originally planned 推迟；延迟 E.g.The start of the game was pushed back from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. 比赛从午后两点延迟到4点才开始
8. organism : a living thing, especially one that is extremely small 有机体；生物；（尤指）微生物 E.g. Not all chemicals normally present in living organisms are harmless 并不是所有常见于生物体中的化学物质都无害
Living organisms: 有生命的有机体
9. date back to : to have existed since a particular time in the past or for the length of time mentioned 追溯到；始于；自…至今 【synonyms】 date from E..g The custom dates back hundreds of years 这一习俗可以追溯到几百年前
10. intriguing: adj. very interesting because of being unusual or not having an obvious answer 非常有趣的；引人入胜的；神秘的 E.g.These discoveries raise intriguing questions. 这些发现带来了非常有趣的问题。
【派生词】intriguingly : adv
[延伸]intrigued: very interested in sth/sb and wanting to know more about it/them 着迷；很感兴趣；好奇 E.g. He was intrigued by her story. 他被她的故事迷住了
11. swathe:|sweɪð| noun. a large strip or area of sth 一长条；一长片 E.g. The mountains rose above a swathe of thick cloud. 群峰耸立在云海之上
【延伸】verb: ~ sb/sth (in sth) (formal) to wrap or cover sb/sth in sth 包；裹；覆盖 E.g.He was lying on the hospital bed, swathed in bandages 他裹着绷带，躺在医院的病床上
12. shore: |ʃɔ:(r)| the land along the edge of the sea or ocean, a lake or another large area of water （海洋、湖泊等大水域的）岸，滨 E.g. a rocky/sandy shore 岩 / 沙岸
13. It is mostly composed of pillow-shaped basalt, a type of rock formed when lava cools rapidly in seawater. 它主要由枕状玄武岩组成，是在海水中熔岩迅速冷却时形成的一种岩石。
pillow-shaped basalt : a type of dark rock that comes from volcanoes 玄武岩（火山岩，深色）
lava : |ˈlɑ:və| hot liquid rock that comes out of a volcano （火山喷出的）熔岩，岩浆
14. When Dr.Papineau visited the formation in 2008 he found unusual reddish-coloured outcrops of jasper, a type of quartz formed from compressed volcanic ash, that contained odd-looking veins and nodules.
reddish : fairly red in colour 微红的；略带红色的
outcrops: a large mass of rock that stands above the surface of the ground （岩石）露出地面的部分；露头 An outcrop is a large area of rock sticking out of the ground..
jasper: an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone 一种不透明的石英
quartz : a hard mineral, often in crystal form, that is used to make very accurate clocks and watches 石英 E.g. a quartz crystal 石英晶体
odd-looking: 相貌奇特的；外表怪异的;奇形怪状的 If you describe someone or something as odd-looking, you think that they look strange or unusual.
nodule: |ˈnɒdju:l; 美 ˈnɑ:dʒu:l| a small round lump or swelling, especially on a plant （尤指植物上的）节结，小瘤
15. micron: (old-fashioned) = micrometre
16. rosette-shaped: 莲座状的
17. They are thought to have been formed when micro-organisms decayed and were fossilised.
micro-organism : a very small living thing that you can only see under a microscope 微生物
decay: to be destroyed gradually by natural processes; to destroy sth in this way （使）腐烂，腐朽 [synonyms] rot
fossilise: convert to a fossil
18. contend : to say that sth is true, especially in an argument （尤指在争论中）声称，主张，认为 [synonyms] maintain E.g. I would contend that the minister's thinking is flawed on this point. 我倒认为部长的想法在这一点上有漏洞
resemblance: the fact of being or looking similar to sb/sth 相似；相像 [Synonyms] likeness E.g. The movie bears little resemblance to the original novel电影和原著相去甚远.
crenellated: (of a tower, castle, etc. 塔楼、城堡等) having battlements 有雉堞的
19. mineral-laden :富含矿物质的……
20. spurts : to burst or pour out suddenly; to produce sudden, powerful streams of liquid or flames 喷出；冒出
21. remnant: a part of sth that is left after the other parts have been used, removed, destroyed, etc. 残余部分；剩余部分 [synonyms] remain. E.g.The woods are remnants of a huge forest which once covered the whole area. 这片树林只是剩下的一部分，原来这一带是一大片森林
22. microbe : an extremely small living thing that you can only see under a microscope and that may cause disease 微生物
23. gradient: the rate at which temperature, pressure, etc. changes, or increases and decreases, between one region and another （温度、压力等的）变化率，梯度变化曲线
24. fierce scrutiny : 激烈的审查
25. paleontologist: a specialist in paleontology 古生物学家
26. crust : The earth's crust is its outer layer. 地壳