時差N小時:地球磁場改變的原因(下)

Every so often, however, that regular motion isinterrupted. Think of what happens when you stirthat bubbling soup. It takes a few minutes forthings to settle down and the regular pattern ofbubbling to resume. That’s probably what happensinside earth. Something–maybe nothing more thannaturally occurring variations in the process–disrupts the otherwise regular flow of metals in ourplanet. This shuts off the magnetic field for a while.Eventually, things start bubbling away again and themagnetic field returns. When it comes back on, oneend will be north and one end will be south. Whether or not they were aligned that way beforethe disturbance is a matter of chance.

【生詞注釋】

interrupt v.打斷

settle down 平靜下來

resume v. 重新開始

variation n.變化

align vi.排行

disturbance n.擾亂

【參考譯文】

盡管如此，常規(guī)的運動不時被打斷。想想當(dāng)你捅破熱湯中的氣泡時，發(fā)生的狀況。得需要幾分鐘熱湯才能平靜襲來，正常的冒泡形式才會重新開始。那也可能是地球內(nèi)部的模式。有些物質(zhì)——很可能是是自然變化過程中的物質(zhì)——打斷了地球內(nèi)部金屬的正常流動。這導(dǎo)致磁場失效了一段時間。最終，冒泡過程重新開始，磁場重新出現(xiàn)。當(dāng)磁場重現(xiàn)出現(xiàn)時，一端是北極，另一段是南極。在磁場被阻斷錢它們是否按照那種方式派別完全是隨機的。