新西兰因火山而存在——周一的火山喷发不会是最后一次

新西兰因火山而存在——周一的火山喷发不会是最后一次

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.

几个世纪以来——在末日火山把托尔金的英雄们吸引到魔多之前很久——新西兰爆炸性的地质让岛上的居民又惊又怕。

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，包括在电影《指环王》中不朽的那座火山，造就了新西兰的群岛。总有一天，他们会把它消灭。

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.

新西兰最具持续性的活火山怀特岛(White Island)周一喷发，造成至少6人死亡，20多人受伤。这是一个令人痛苦的提醒，提醒我们这个国家惊人的、有时是超现实的风景背后的危险:永远存在的另一次喷发的可能性。

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."

“这不是是否发生的问题，而是何时何地发生的问题，”在史密森尼学会(Smithsonian Institution)全球火山活动计划(Global Volcanism Program)工作的新西兰人、火山学家贾宁·克里普纳(Janine Krippner)说。“真正尊重我们面临的所有危险，以及它们对社会的贡献，这一点非常重要。”

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.

克里普纳说，新西兰有很多火山，尤其是考虑到它的大小和地质年龄。新西兰位于不稳定的火山带，这条构造边界带导致了世界上大部分的地震和火山爆发，专家认为它是地球上一个非常活跃的角落。与自然界众多最强大的力量一样，它既是福祉，也是负担。

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."

“新西兰，尤其是它的北岛，到处都是火山，”火山学家、科学记者罗宾·安德鲁斯说。“他们创造了地球上最美丽的自然景观之一，但同时，这里也容易发生毁灭性的地震和可怕的火山爆发。这是它的价签。”