美国国家公共电台 NPR--Encore: Experts aren't sure why South Carolina has been hit with many earthquakes

Encore: Experts aren't sure why South Carolina has been hit with many earthquakes

Transcript¹

An unusually large number of earthquakes have hit South Carolina this year, but scientists don't know why. (Story first aired on All Things Considered on Aug. 26, 2022.)

NATIONAL

Unusually large number of earthquakes hit South Carolina

A MARTINEZ, HOST:

In South Carolina, an unusually high number of earthquakes have rattled² the state this year. The thing is experts cannot really explain why. Nick de la Canal of member station WFAE takes us to a town close to where many of the earthquakes have hit.

NICK DE LA CANAL, BYLINE³: David Horne sits on his front porch, cooling under a fan. You can often find him on his porch. It's where he was last December 27. That was the date the first earthquake hit the town of Elgin, where he lives, about 25 miles east of Columbia.

DAVID HORNE: I was sitting on the porch when the first one hit.

DE LA CANAL: This porch.

D HORNE: Yes, on this porch right here. My wife was inside with one of the grandchildren.

DE LA CANAL: He remembers sudden shaking and a noise like thunder booming across the sky.

D HORNE: And as soon as it happened, I got out of my chair, and I went and told her. I said, that was an earthquake. I said, that was a three-point plus.

DE LA CANAL: Horne used to live in Alaska, where earthquakes are more common. His wife Whitney, a lifelong South Carolinian, wasn't sure what was going on.

WHITNEY HORNE: Because I'd never experienced...

D HORNE: You never felt an earthquake.

W HORNE: ...An earthquake. We're in South Carolina. You don't have earthquakes that you feel in South Carolina.

DE LA CANAL: Sure enough, it was a 3.3 magnitude earthquake, too small to cause damage but big enough to light up the town's Facebook page with dozens of excited comments. David said at first, he thought it was cool.

D HORNE: Wow, an earthquake. I've heard there was a big fault line near here, and that's all I thought about.

DE LA CANAL: Until the ground continued to shake. Days and months after that first quake, the ground would rumble⁴ while the Hornes were out shopping or at night while in bed.

W HORNE: Ah, there's an earthquake.

DE LA CANAL: And the ground continues to move under their feet.

D HORNE: I mean, literally⁵, it seems like we have an earthquake every week. It's not even a surprise anymore.

DE LA CANAL: The U.S. Geological Survey has recorded more than 60 small earthquakes near the town since December. The largest, a 3.6, rumbled⁶ through in June. All the shaking has fascinated geologists⁸, who say this is the longest-running series of earthquakes in recent South Carolina history. Scott Howard is South Carolina's state geologist⁷. He says this is what's known as a swarm⁹ - that is, a series of small earthquakes with no apparent main shock.

SCOTT HOWARD: Well, it could be a magnitude 2, 3, 1. You know, it just kind of bounces up and down.

DE LA CANAL: South Carolina is on a minor¹⁰ fault line, he says. And the state has had swarms¹¹ before. They traced a series of small earthquakes in the 1970s to the creation of a new reservoir.

HOWARD: Water and fluids tend to be always involved in faulting.

DE LA CANAL: This time, there's no clear explanation. Howard says it's possible heavy rain may have played a role early in the year, but it's hard to know for sure. Residents fear the swarms are building up to a big earthquake. Seismologists say that's unlikely. Still, emergency officials have told people to look into earthquake insurance, and some have, like Phil Crowley. He moved to Elgin a year ago.

PHIL CROWLEY: You know, what can we control? We can control getting insurance. Really, that's about it.

DE LA CANAL: There have been no reports of major damage so far. But the earthquakes keep coming. Crowley and his wife don't think a big one will hit, but they worry.

CROWLEY: She'll look at me when we're going to sleep and say, I hope it's not going to happen tonight.

DE LA CANAL: If it does, they're ready. They keep two bags packed with clothes and other essentials sitting by their front door just in case.

For NPR News, I'm Nick de la Canal in Elgin, S.C.

(SOUNDBITE OF THURSTON MOORE SONG, "THE SHAPE IS IN A TRANCE")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 rumble   

n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说

参考例句：

• I hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.我听到远处雷声隆隆。
• We could tell from the rumble of the thunder that rain was coming.我们根据雷的轰隆声可断定，天要下雨了。

5 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

6 rumbled   

发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋）

参考例句：

• The machine rumbled as it started up. 机器轰鸣着发动起来。
• Things rapidly became calm, though beneath the surface the argument rumbled on. 事情迅速平静下来了，然而，在这种平静的表面背后争论如隆隆雷声，持续不断。

7 geologist   

n.地质学家

参考例句：

• The geologist found many uncovered fossils in the valley.在那山谷里，地质学家发现了许多裸露的化石。
• He was a geologist,rated by his cronies as the best in the business.他是一位地质学家，被他的老朋友们看做是这门行当中最好的一位。

8 geologists   

地质学家，地质学者( geologist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Geologists uncovered the hidden riches. 地质学家发现了地下的宝藏。
• Geologists study the structure of the rocks. 地质学家研究岩石结构。

9 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

10 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

11 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。