Threats of Volcano

It’s reported that enormous ( /ɪˈnɔːrməs/ 巨大的,极大的,庞大的) magma (/’mæɡmə/ 岩浆,糊剂) intrusion (/ɪnˈtruːʒn/ 入侵) under a peninsula (/pəˈnɪnsələ/ 半岛) is causing earthquake swarms and forcing evacuations (/ɪ,vækjʊ’eʃən/ 撤离,疏散).

After several tense days of earthquake swarms, people living on the peninsula are in limbo ( /ˈlɪmboʊ/ 监狱 ) as they wait to see whether a surging blob ( /blɑb/ 一滴、一团/在…上涂抹) of magma about half a mile beneath their feet will gently quiet down—or explode in a damaging volcanic eruption ( /ɪ’rʌpʃən/ 喷发).

Because of several days of relentless ( /rɪˈlentləs/ 不停的、持续强烈的) quakes, some of them have opened fissures ( /ˈfɪʃər/ 裂缝) in the landscape. All the seismic ( /ˈsaɪzmɪk/ 地震的、因地震引起的) activities are observed carefully in order to monitor the lava ( /’lɑvə/ 熔岩).

Tourists all over the world are drew to the peninsula because of its picturesque ( /ˌpɪktʃəˈresk/ 风景如画的) blue lagoon ( /lə’gʊn/  潟湖 ) hot spring, however, this tourist attraction is now closed because this region’s geology has been restless ( /ˈrestləs/ 不安宁的、动荡的) for several weeks. During this period, earthquake activities started kicking up in a big way with more than 1500 times within 24 hours. The largest one is magnitude ( /ˈmæɡnɪtuːd/ 巨大、重要性/(星) 等级 ) 4.7.

Scientist said that the reason for the temblors ( /’tɛmblɚ/ 地震 ) was a massive underground river of magma that rapidly shot out from a temporary reservoir ( /ˈrezərvwɑːr/ 水库 ) called a sill ( /sɪl/ 窗台、门槛 ), with it had been accumulating around 3.0 miles down. As it surged out of the sill, a huge intrusion or dyke ( /daɪk/ 堤) was formed.  It’s said that some seismic stations in the area showed the ground subsiding ( /səbˈsaɪd/ 平息、沉淀; sediment  /’sɛdɪmənt/ 沉淀物、沉积 ) more than 1 meter in a matter of hours as the magma moved.

This peninsula sits over a volcanic hotspot, where magma comes close to the surface, furthermore, it is also right on the top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge ( /rɪdʒ/ 山脊 ). Scientists said that although the movement of the magma makes the ground shudder ( /ˈʃʌdər/ 震动、发抖、颤栗 ), the subterranean (/ˌsʌbtəˈreɪniən/ 地下的) changes wrought ( /rɔːt/ 锻造的/work 的过去分词 ) by this movement also change the stress of itself.

Scientists are monitoring the activities of it and they will reassess ( /’riə’sɛs/ 再评估 ) it once it is necessary. Given the complex factors of the region’s wild geology, no one can ensure it will lead to a big eruption or not, we should not take it easy for the sake of securities, especially for several geothermal ( /ˌdʒioˈθɚməl/ 地热的) plants, albeit ( /ˌɔːlˈbiːɪt/ 即使、虽然) there’re only small earthquakes happened. Once big eruption happened, one of the methods is to dig trench ( /trentʃ/ 沟、渠 )with the purpose to lead the lava.