Extraordinary Rainbows of the Natural World自然界的別樣“彩虹”

Imagine a world where the mountains are striped1) with candy colours and people are dwarfed2) by the landscape's immensity. Such a place exists in China's northwestern Gansu Province， where 24 million years of vibrant3) stone and mineral deposits4) have created rainbow-striped mountains.

The tinted5) peaks were fashioned by uplift from the Earth's tectonic plates6)—the same ones that formed parts of the Himalayan range—while rain， wind， and erosion shaped them into the jagged7) world seen today. Located around the city of Zhangye， the area covers more than 10 sqkm and the vista8) is most dazzling after a rainfall， when the colours glow even brighter than usual.

想象這樣一個世界：群山上布滿五彩繽紛的糖果色條紋，人在這種壯闊景色的映襯下變得渺小。在中國西北部的甘肅省就有這樣一個地方， 2400萬年來活躍的巖石和礦物沉積造就了這里身披彩虹色條紋的群山。

這些色彩斑斕的山峰是由于地球板塊抬升而形成的，造就喜馬拉雅山脈部分地段的也正是這些板塊。經過風吹雨打和侵蝕，這些山峰就形成了我們今天看到的山巒起伏的樣子。該地位于張掖市附近，面積超過十平方公里。雨后群山的顏色甚至比平時更加亮麗，此時的景致最為迷人。

In the language of the Afar people， Dallol means disintegrated9). So it makes sense that Ethiopia's Dallol Volcano is less a volcano than a sunken crater. Caused by groundwater and magma10) colliding， sulphur11)， iron oxide， salt， and other minerals have created the vivid greens and neon12) yellows that form one of the most remote， untouched， and ethereal13) natural rainbows in the world.

Dallol lies near the border of Eritrea in an area that was closed to foreigners until 2001. Even today it is prudent14) to travel with an armed guard， as border tensions persist and kidnappings have been known to happen. Because of this， only a few hundred visitors make it to this remarkable landscape every year—which is probably for the best considering the fragility of the landform， the toxic gases， and the temperatures that average above 30℃.在阿法爾人的語言中，“達洛爾”意為“崩塌的”。這樣就不難理解為什么埃塞俄比亞的達洛爾火山更像是一個凹陷的坑洞，而不像是一座火山。受地下水與巖漿的碰撞的影響，硫、氧化鐵、鹽及其他礦物質共同呈現出鮮綠和霓虹黃的色彩，從而造就了世界上最偏遠的、未經破壞、恍若仙境的自然彩色景觀之一。

達洛爾火山位于厄立特里亞邊界附近，所處的那片區域直到2001年才向外國人開放。由于兩國邊境局勢持續緊張，常有綁架事件發生，即使在今天，帶著武裝警衛到該地游覽才是謹慎之舉。正因如此，每年只有幾百人能成功目睹達洛爾火山的壯美景色——鑒于此地易被破壞的地貌、各種有毒的氣體和平均30℃以上的氣溫，這或許是件再好不過的事情。Wyoming's Ultimate Spring 美國懷俄明州的極品溫泉Yellowstone's Grand Prismatic15)， named for its brilliant colouration， is the largest hot spring in the US—its 370 ft diameter put into perspective16) by the paved walkway visible near the photo's top. The colour spectrum17) that ranges from deep blue to burnt red is the product of trillions of thermophiles18)， or bacterial microorganisms， which flourish in hot waters. Different temperatures determine the hue19)， and the centre's blue is the result of extreme heat that leaves the bacteria sterile20). Grand Prismatic is one of many coloured springs in Yellowstone and draws millions of visitors every year. 黃石公園的大棱鏡溫泉因顏色絢麗而得名，是美國最大的溫泉，其直徑達370英尺(編注：約113米)，靠近右圖上方可以看見的人工走道可做參照。大棱鏡溫泉的顏色從深藍色到火焰紅不等，是在生長于溫泉中數以萬億計的嗜熱菌或細菌微生物的作用下產生的，這些微生物在溫泉中大量生長。水溫不同，溫泉的顏色就不同。而溫泉中心呈現藍色是因為那里的水溫極高，細菌無法存活。大棱鏡溫泉是黃石公園眾多的彩色溫泉之一，每年吸引數百萬游客前來參觀。1.striped [stra#618;pt] adj. 有條紋的；條紋狀的

2.dwarf [dw#596;#720;f] vt. (相比之下)使顯得矮小；使相形見絀

3.vibrant: 請參見P57注釋32

4.deposit [d#618;#712;p#594;z#618;t] n. 沉積物

5.tinted [t#618;nt#618;t] adj. 帶色的

6.tectonic plate: 【地】(地殼)構造板塊

7.jagged [#712;d#658;#230;ɡ#618;d] adj. 凹凸不平的

8.vista [#712;v#618;st#601;] n. [雅]景觀；景色；全景

9.disintegrate [d#618;s#712;#618;nt#618;ɡre#618;t] vt. 【地】使(巖石)崩解，使剝蝕

10.magma [#712;m#230;ɡm#601;] n. 【地】巖漿

11.sulphur [#712;s#652;lf#601;(r)] n. 【化】硫，硫黃

12.neon [#712;ni#720;#594;n] adj. 霓虹的

13.ethereal [i#712;θ#618;#601;ri#601;l] adj. 天上的，非人間的

14.prudent [#712;pru#720;dnt] adj. 審慎的；精明的

15.prismatic [pr#618;z#712;m#230;t#618;k] adj. 三棱鏡的；光彩奪目的

16.put into perspective: 與……相對照