is a structure that comes up like this, |
先是朝这个方向延伸上去 |
bends around and comes back down on itself as such, |
再折回来这样延伸下来 |
and in three-dimensional view, |
以三维立体来看 |
it's a structure that looks something like this. |
大致是这样一个结构 |
A very, very tight fold with a plunge towards the south here. |
一个质地紧密向南面延伸的褶皱 |
These are rocks that were very, very strongly deformed |
这些岩石在长时间的作用下 |
over protracted periods of time. |
变形得非常非常严重 |
And it's the same bedrock that occurs over much of New York City. |
这与纽约市大部分的基岩同属一种基岩 |
This tight fold in the rock suggests |
岩石中的这种密致褶皱表明 |
New York's bedrock was formed under great pressure. |
纽约的基岩是在巨大的压力下形成的 |
To confirm this hunch, |
为了证实这种猜测 |
Merguerian takes a sample to the lab for detailed analysis. |
麦格利安将样品带回实验室做详细分析 |
Radiometric dating proves |
放射性定年法证明 |
this rock is about 450 million years old. |
这块岩石大约有4.5亿年的历史 |
But the rock has even greater secrets to tell. |
不过这块岩石还隐藏着更大的秘密 |
It contains a kaleidoscope of minerals, |
它含有各种各样的矿物质 |
which opens a window into the ancient world. |
而它们正是我们了解远古世界的窗口 |
To me, minerals are like the instrument cluster in your car, |
对我来说矿物质就像你车里的仪表盘 |
they tell you everything about how your car is running. |
透露了关于你爱车运行状况的全部信息 |
Merguerian uses a microscope with polarised light |
麦格利安用偏振光显微镜 |
to view the minerals. |
来观察这些矿物质 |
The examination tells us the former depth regime, |
这检查告诉我们岩石之前的深度状态 |
how deep the rocks were, they tell you the age of the rocks, |
位于地下多深处以及岩石的年代 |
they tell you everything you want to know |
另外任何关于地壳演变的信息 |
about the development of the earth's crust. |
你都可以从中找到答案 |
What's striking about these samples is |
这些样品的惊讶之处在于 |
that the minerals inside are elongated. |
其内部的矿物质都被拉长了 |
It is a clue that |
这表明 |
these rocks must once have been crushed by massive forces. |
这些岩石曾被巨大的外力碾压过 |
And the colours support this theory. |
另外矿物质的颜色也支持了这一论点 |
Under the polarised light, |
在偏振光下 |
the sample from Inwood Hill Park shows up blue. |
来自英伍德山公园的样品呈现出蓝色 |
This comes from a mineral called kyanite, |
这是由一种叫蓝晶石的矿物质所散发的 |
which forms at great depths. |
这种矿物质形成于地底深处 |
It's conclusive evidence that |
毫无疑问这证明了 |
this rock was compressed deep under the surface. |
此岩石是在地下深处受到作用而产生变形 |
Rocks forged at these depths are much harder, |
在这种深度下形成的岩石异常坚硬 |
ideal for a city's foundations. |
是城市地基的理想之选 |
But what gigantic weight was on top? |
但在这岩石之上的巨大作用力是什么呢 |
Merguerian believes there is only one answer. |
麦格利安认为答案只有一个 |
The rock was once buried |
这岩石曾经承受着 |
under the crushing weight of a chain of massive mountains. |
巨型山脉的重压 |
The minerals that we find in the bedrock units of New York City |
在纽约市的基岩中发现的矿物质 |
tell us that the rocks of New York City were formerly buried |
告诉我们纽约的基岩在形成之时 |
when they were formed, |
是位于地底之下 |
完整版请点击 |
|
under very high pressures, |
并承受着巨大压力 |
and that those high pressures indicate that |
而这些巨大压力则表明 |
these rocks formerly were produced at depths of 20 to 25 miles, |
这些岩石形成于地下32到40千米之处 |
and probably the mountains were |
而这条山脉极有可能 |
as high as the Alps are today. |
和今天的阿尔卑斯山一样高 |
But even the most impressive mountain chains |
然而即便是最宏伟的山脉 |
can't survive the ravages of time. |
也无法抵御时间的侵蚀 |
The Rocky Mountains, for example. |
以落基山脉为例 |
Millions of years ago, |
几百万年前 |
they soared nearly six miles into the sky. |
落基山脉耸入云霄海拔将近九千多米 |
Today, erosion has halved their size. |
如今在侵蚀作用下海拔减半 |
The same process happened in New York. |
纽约也曾经历了这一过程 |
Rain, wind and ice |
在风雨及冰的侵蚀下 |
wore the ancient mountains almost flat. |
古老的山脉几乎被磨成了平地 |
But the microscopic crystals found in the rock in Manhattan |
但在曼哈顿岩石中发现的微小晶体 |
testify that they existed in the past. |
证明它们曾耸立于此 |
How did the mountains form? |
而这条山脉是如何形成的呢 |
The answer lies in the way the earth's crust moves. |
答案就藏在地壳运动中 |
A network of interlocking individual pieces |
独立又相连的板块网络 |
makes up the Earth's surface. |
构成了地表 |
Geologists call them tectonic plates. |
地理学家称之为地壳构造板块 |
Over millions of years, |
几百万年来 |
they collide and break apart to form different continents. |
它们碰撞分裂形成了各大洲 |
450 million years ago, |
4.5亿年前 |
the Earth's surface looked completely different. |
地表布局可谓截然不同 |
|
纽约 |
North America was much further to the south. |
北美洲的位置比现在更靠南 |
North America was tilted 90 degrees clockwise |
将现在的北美洲顺时针转90度后 |
from its present orientation |
才是当时的北美洲 |
and it was straddling the equator. |
那时的北美洲跨越赤道 |
As such, the climate was tropical, |
如此以来当时的北美洲属热带气候 |
the east coast of North America |
而北美洲东海岸的气候 |
was really experiencing Club Med conditions. |
则接近于地中海气候 |
The weather may have been awesome, |
那时的天气或许相当宜人 |
but the ancient East Coast was heading for trouble. |
但古东海岸就要大难临头了 |
The plate beneath it was moving. |
其下面的板块在移动 |
The East Coast was on a collision course with ancient West Africa. |
古东海岸即将与古西非相撞 |
450 million years ago, they collided. |
4.5亿年前它们相撞了 |
The impact unleashed geological chaos. |
这次碰撞触发了地质剧变 |
Under intense compression, the land was forced upwards |
在巨大的挤压力下陆地被抬高 |
to form a soaring range of mountains. |
形成了一条高耸的山脉 |
The collision that took place is |
这次碰撞是 |
the most fundamental and impressive mountain-building event |
最常见亦是最令人惊叹的造山事件 |
to affect the East Coast of North America. |
它给北美洲的东海岸带来了深远影响 |
Today, all that remains are their stumps, |
如今只剩下这些山脚基石 |
stumps that form the bedrock of modern-day New York. |
而正是它们构成了今日的纽约的基岩 |
The collision that built up the ancient mountains |
这次碰撞不仅创造了远古山脉 |
also folded the bedrock into dips and rises. |
还导致基岩变得起伏不平 |
These folds are responsible for the shape of Manhattan's skyline. |
这些起伏决定了曼哈顿其天际线的形状 |
The city boasts two clusters of skyscrapers |
在曼哈顿两簇摩天大楼群 |
in downtown and midtown. |
在其下城区和中城区顶天而立 |
Here, the hard bedrock that formed deep underground was forced up. |
这里形成于地底深处的坚硬基岩受力上升 |
It is now close to the surface and provides solid anchorage |
从而接近地表为高楼大厦 |
for the high-rise buildings. |
提供了坚硬的地基 |
In the dip in the middle the rock was folded down. |
高楼区间的岩石则受力下沉 |
The area is filled with loose sediments, |
这片区域被稀松的沉积物所填满 |