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This is Parkfield,
這里是帕克菲爾德
a tiny hamlet in the middle of California.
加州中部的一個小村落
Few people ever come here, and even fewer stay.
人跡罕至 居民更是少之又少
But this village lies on
但是這座村莊位于
top of the infamous San Andreas Fault,
惡名昭著的圣安地列斯斷層的頂部
and once looked like it held the key
而且曾一時被認為是
to understanding earthquakes.
了解地震的關(guān)鍵地
It all began when a team of geologists led by John Langbein
故事要從一隊由約翰·朗拜領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的地質(zhì)學家
noticed something unusual about little Parkfield.
發(fā)現(xiàn)帕克菲爾德的一些反常現(xiàn)象說起
It was, er, in the '70s and early '80s it was recognised
上世紀70到80年代初 人們發(fā)現(xiàn)
that there was a sequence of magnitude six earthquakes
連續(xù)數(shù)次的六級地震
that repeated the same stretch of the San Andreas Fault
反復(fù)發(fā)生在圣安地列斯斷層帶同一段斷層上
every 20-odd years
每次地震間隔20多年
and it didn't take too much imagination to extrapolate and say
所以不用多想就能推斷說
the next one ought to be in the late '80s.
下一次地震應(yīng)該會發(fā)生在80年代后期
The village had always suffered from earthquakes,
帕克菲爾德一直飽受地震侵襲
but these quakes followed a very distinct pattern.
而這些地震遵循一條非常獨特的規(guī)律
Langbein's team decided to use Parkfield
朗拜的團隊決定利用帕克菲爾德
for a bold and unprecedented experiment.
進行一次大膽而空前的實驗
To see what happened to the ground
來研究地震發(fā)生前
before an earthquake struck.
地面的變化
Estimating that the quake would occur
由于估計地震會在
between 1987 and 1993,
1987到1993年間發(fā)生
scores of geologists descended onto Parkfield.
大量地質(zhì)學家涌入帕克菲爾德
