地球上7处最危险的地方

原作者：
来源7 Most Dangerous Places on Earth
译者3yan2yu

7 Most Dangerous Places on Earth

地球上7处最危险的地方

Jul 18, 2011 12:16 PM ET

2011年07月18日美国东部时间下午12:16

By Stephanie Pappas, OurAmazing Planet Contributor  

作者：斯蒂芬妮·帕帕斯（Stephanie Pappas），OurAmazingPlanet网站的投稿者

Intro  

导论

From its churning, sometimes stormy atmosphere to its shifting tectonic plates, Earth can be a dangerous place. Earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters killed more than 780,000 people between 2009 and 2009, according to the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat. Millions more were injured or displaced.  No one knows how the next decade will shape out, but some areas have more reason to worry than others.

从地球内部的搅动着的岩浆、经常发生暴风雨的大气层到正在移动着的地质构造板块，地球可以说是一个危象丛生的险境。根据联合国的国际减灾战略秘书处的统计，2009年至2009年间所发生的地震、洪水和其他自然灾害造成了超过78万人的死亡，数百万的人受伤或流离失所。没有人知道未来十年将会发生些什么，但地球上有些地方却要比别处更加使人们担心。

Lake Nyos, Cameroon

喀麦隆的尼奥斯湖（Lake Nyos, Cameroon）

A silent killer lurks beneath the surface of this West African lake. A pocket of magma deep below the lake bed leaks carbon dioxide into the lake above. Under the pressure of 650 feet (200 meters) of water, this carbon dioxide stays dissolved, much like the carbonation in a bottle of soda.

在这个西非洲湖泊的表面下潜藏着一个无声的杀手。 深深地埋在湖床下面的一大包的岩浆正在不断地把二氧化碳泄漏到上面的湖水中。 在湖水650英尺（200米）的压力作用下，这些二氧化碳继续不断溶解于水，这种情况同一瓶苏打水的碳酸化作用相类似。

But on the night of August 21, 1986, the water in the lake abruptly turned over, and the now-depressurized carbon dioxide exploded upward like a shaken soft drink. The resulting carbon dioxide cloud rushed downhill, asphyxiating 1,700 people and thousands more animals. In the 15 miles (24 kilometers) of valleys below the lake, almost nothing survived.

然而就在那1986年8月21日的夜里，湖水突然翻腾咆哮，当时减压的二氧化碳如同摇摆的汽水一样向上爆炸。所产生的二氧化碳的云层冲向下坡，使1,700多人和数千只的动物窒息而死。在湖下山谷的15英里（24公里）范围内，几乎没有什么动物存活了下来。

Today, pipes are used to siphon carbon dioxide-rich water from the bottom of Lake Nyos. The pipes prevent carbon dioxide buildup, but that doesn't make Lake Nyos entirely safe, said George Kling, a University of Michigan geochemist who was on the team that originally investigated the 1986 disaster.

今天，用管道从尼奥斯湖底抽取含有丰富二氧化碳的湖水。原先调查1986年这场灾难的密歇根大学地球化学家乔治·克林(George Kling)说，管道防止了二氧化碳的积聚，但并不能使尼奥斯湖完全安全。

"We're keeping ahead of the game, but we're not drawing the gas down very quickly," Kling said. "That means that it still is a very dangerous lake."

克林说：“我们保持了领先，但我们不可能把气体抽得非常快”。 “这意味着，尼奥斯湖仍然是个非常危险的湖泊。”

Naples, Italy

意大利的那不勒斯（Naples, Italy）

In 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius blew its top, burying the ancient cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. More than 50 subsequent eruptions and the eerie human-shaped cavities left behind in the volcano's ash haven't dissuaded people from populating the slopes of this volcano by the sea. The city of Naples lies at its base, and up to 650,000 people may live on its slopes, according to Guido Bertolaso, the head of Italy's civil protection agency. An impending eruption could force the evacuation of more than a million people.

公元前79年，维苏威火山在它的顶部的爆发，掩埋了古老城市庞贝（Pompeii）和赫库兰尼姆(Herculaneum)。后来又爆发了50多次，在火山灰里留下的阴森恐怖的人类形状的空洞未能阻止人们仍然居住在海边的火山斜坡上。根据意大利民事保护机构的负责人贝尔·多拉索（Guido Bertolaso），那不勒斯市就建立在这样的基础上，有多达650,000人可能住在这样的山坡上。即将发生的火山爆发可能要强制疏散100多万居民。

Vesuvius isn't the only active volcano threatening this densely-populated area. The Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Italy is littered with volcanoes. The most worrisome, according to Bertolaso, is the resort island of Ischia. An eruption there would affect Naples and "could be worse than a hypothetical Vesuvius eruption," Bertolaso said.

维苏威火山并不是威胁这个人口稠密地区的唯一活火山。意大利海岸附近的地中海里散落着火山群。根据多拉索的看法，最令人担忧的是伊斯基亚岛（Ischia）等度假岛屿。火山爆发会影响那不勒斯市，“情况可能会比假想中的维苏威火山爆发更为糟糕”，多拉索说。

Miami, Florida

美国佛罗里达州的迈阿密（Miami, Florida）

No one can predict where a hurricane will hit next, but south Florida is always a reasonable bet. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the southern tip of Florida can expect more than 60 hurricanes over a 100-year period. And in 2008, sustainability company SustainLane ranked Miami as the most risky city for natural disasters in the United States.

没有人能预测下一次的飓风会击中那里，但佛罗里达州南部始终是一个有根据的预测。美国地质调查局估计，佛罗里达州南端，可以预计在100多年的周期里会遭到60次飓风的袭击。在2008年，可持续发展的公司SustainLane把迈阿密列为美国受自然灾害最危险的城市。

Hurricane destruction in Miami and the nearby Florida Keys is nothing new. In 1926, the Great Miami Hurricane destroyed or damaged every building in downtown Miami and killed at least 373 people, according to the Red Cross. Less than 10 years later, the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 killed 408 people in the Florida Keys. In 1960, Hurricane Donna roared through the Keys and South Florida, bringing with it 11 to 15-foot storm surges.

根据红十字会的信息，飓风对迈阿密和佛罗里达群岛附近的破坏并不是什么新鲜事。 1926年，巨大的迈阿密飓风几乎摧毁了迈阿密市区的每一幢建筑，至少造成了373人死亡。不到10年，1935年的劳动节飓风在佛罗里达州又杀害了408人。 1960年的唐娜飓风呼啸地通过佛罗里达群岛及南佛罗里达州，并带来高达11到15英尺的风暴潮。

Perhaps the most famous hurricane to hit south Florida was 1992's Hurricane Andrew. Andrew blasted through Florida as a Category 4 storm with winds so high they broke measurement instruments. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Andrew killed 23 people in the United States. The destruction totaled more than $26.5 billion.

也许袭击佛罗里达州南部最有名的飓风是1992年的安德鲁飓风。安德鲁以4类暴风雨冲击和通过佛罗里达州，它的风力非常之强，甚至打坏了测量仪器。根据美国国家海洋和大气管理局，安德鲁在杀害了23人。经济损失的总额超过了265亿美元。

The Sahel region of Africa

非洲的萨赫勒地区（The Sahel region of Africa)

Drought often doesn't get as much attention as other natural disasters, but it can be a killer.  According to the United Nations Environmental Programme, more than 100,000 people died because of drought in the Sahel region of Africa from 1972 to 1984. Another 750,000 were unable to grow their own crops and were completely dependent on food aid.

干旱往往没有像其他自然灾害一样得到人们很大的重视，但它可以也是一个杀手。据联合国环境计划署，在非洲萨赫勒地区（Sahel region）从1972年至1984年由于干旱就死亡了10万多人。另外还有75万人因无法种植农作物而完全需要依赖粮食援助。

The arid Sahel region borders the Sahara Desert, stretching across northern Africa through Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Algeria, Ethiopia and Eritrea. According to the U.N., human exploitation of the area's limited water is causing desertification, raising the risk of future drought and famine.

干旱的萨赫勒地区毗连着撒哈拉大沙漠，该沙漠通过毛里塔尼亚、塞内加尔、马里、尼日尔、布基纳法索、尼日利亚、乍得、苏丹、阿尔及利亚、埃塞俄比亚和厄立特里亚延伸横穿非洲的北部。据联合国所提供的资料，人类开采该地区的水资源有限，造成了土地荒漠化，增加了未来干旱和饥荒的危险。

Guatemala

危地马拉（Guatemala）

Central America gets hit by a triple threat of natural disasters: earthquakes, hurricanes and mudslides.

中美洲受到地震、飓风和泥石流等自然灾害的三重威胁。

Along with the western coast of North and South America, Central America lies on the Ring of Fire, a seismically active loop that encircles the Pacific Ocean. Guatemala isn't the only country affected, but it's been hit hard: In 1976, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake killed 23,000 people, according to the USGS. Thanks to the country's mountainous terrain, landslides hampered transportation and rescue efforts.

沿着北美和南美的西部海岸，中美洲位于环绕太平洋地震活跃圈的火山带上。据美国地质调查局，危地马拉不是受其影响的唯一国家，但它却受到过重创：1976年7.5级地震造成23,000人死亡。由于该国的山区地形，山体滑坡阻碍了交通运输和救援工作。

The combination of topography and weather can be deadly as well. Heavy rains can saturate hillsides, leading to devastating mudslides. In 2005, the remnants of Hurricane Stan soaked Guatemala, El Salvador and southern Mexico, causing more than 900 mudslides. Entire villages were buried; one, Panabaj, was declared a cemetery after officials gave up hope of excavating the bodies of 300 missing villagers. The exact death toll is unknown, but some estimates suggest that up to 2,000 people lost their lives.

地形和天气相结合也可能是很致命的。大雨会浸透山坡，会导致毁灭性的泥石流。 2005年，斯坦飓风所引起的洪水浸泡了危地马拉、萨尔瓦多和墨西哥的南部地区，造成900多个泥石流。一个个村庄被全部埋葬；其中之一的巴拿巴杰(Panabaj)，在官员宣布放弃对该村庄的300名失踪村民的尸体发掘后，公开宣布它是一个墓地。确切的死亡人数是不知道的，但一些估计数字表明，有多达2,000人丧生。

Java and Sumatra, Indonesia

印度尼西亚的爪哇和苏门答腊（Java and Sumatra, Indonesia）

These two Indonesia islands face perhaps more natural disaster hazards than anywhere else. Droughts, floods, earthquakes, landslides, volcanoes and tsunamis all threaten Indonesia, and Java and Sumatra have the highest risk, according to the Center for Hazards and Risk Research at Columbia University.

印度尼西亚的这两个群岛也许面临着比别处更多的自然灾难。按照哥伦比亚大学的危害和风险研究中心：干旱、洪水、地震、山崩、火山爆发和海啸等都威胁着印度尼西亚，爪哇和苏门答腊，首当其冲，冒着最大的风险。

The most famous disaster to hit Indonesia is the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which killed an estimated 227,898 people after a 9.1-magnitude earthquake triggered the enormous wave. Indonesia was hardest hit among the affected Southeast Asian countries, with over 130,000 people confirmed dead.

印度尼西亚最有名的灾难是2004年印度洋的海啸，在9.1级地震所引发的巨浪后，估计有227,898人丧生。印尼是受影响的东南亚国家中的重灾区，证实死亡的超过130,000人。

But smaller disasters cause more regular suffering. Between 1907 and 2004 (before the tsunami), droughts killed 9,329 Indonesians, according to the Columbia University group. Volcanoes killed 17,945 people in the same time period, and earthquakes killed 21,856. One of the most famous eruptions in history, of the volcano Krakatoa, occurred in the Sunda Strait between the two islands. And as recently as this February, floods drove thousands of west Java residents from their homes, and a landslide in the village of Tenjolaya killed dozens.

但经常有规模较小的灾害造成更多的苦难。在1907年和2004年（海啸前）之间，干旱造成9,329印尼人的死亡，根据哥伦比亚大学的研究小组。在同一时期内，火山爆发杀害了17,945人，地震杀害了21,856人。历史上一次最有名的火山喷发——喀拉喀托（Krakatoa）火山爆发，就发生在这两个群岛之间的巽他海峡（Sunda Strait）。最近的今年二月，洪水把数千名西爪哇居民从他们的家里驱走，在一个名叫登佐拉雅（Tenjolaya）村庄里发生的山体滑坡就杀害了几十人。

Istanbul, Turkey

土耳其的伊斯坦布尔（Istanbul, Turkey）

No one knows when the North Anatolian Fault will rupture, but one thing is certain: It will rupture. The resulting earthquake could be very bad news for the 12.8 million people in Istanbul.

没有人知道，什么时候北安纳托利亚断层（North Anatolian Fault）会破裂，但有一点是可以肯定：它是要破裂的。由此产生的地震对住在伊斯坦布尔的1,280万人来说可能是个非常糟糕的事情。

For the past century, earthquakes on the North Anatolian Fault in northern Turkey have been creeping westward. The last big quake happened in 1999, when a 7.6-magnitude temblor devastated the city of Izmit. The official death toll was around 17,000, but a 2004 estimate by University of Brasilia researcher Vasile Marza put the number at 45,000.

上世纪，土耳其北部的北安纳托利亚断层上的地震已逐渐向西慢慢地移动。上次大地震发生在1999年，当时的这场7.6级地震摧毁了伊兹米特市(Izmit)。官方公布的死亡人数是17,000左右，然而2004年巴西利亚大学的研究员瓦西吗咋（Vasile Marza）估计死亡人数达到了45,000。

The next time the ground shakes, scientists expect that it will be even further west, just south Istanbul. A January 2010 study in the journal Nature Geosciences found that tensions along the fault are building and could trigger multiple small-to-moderate quakes. Or the fault could go all at once. In March, USGS geophysicist Tom Parsons told Nature that the chances of Istanbul being hit by a magnitude 7 or greater quake in the next 25 years are between 30 and 60 percent.

科学家们预计，下一次地面摇晃将发生在进一步向西的方向上，正好是在伊斯坦布尔（Istanbul）的南边。 2010年1月在“自然地质科学”杂志中一项研究发现，沿着断层的张力正在不断增加，并可能引发多个小到中等的地震。或者断层会立即完全破裂。今年3月，美国地质勘探局的地球物理学家汤姆·帕森斯（Tom Parsons）告诉“自然”杂志，伊斯坦布尔在未来25年内受7级或更高级别地震袭击的机率是在30％和60％之间。

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