atlantis.found-第1部分

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　7120　B。C。
　What　is　now　Hudson　Bay；　Canada
　The　intruder　came　from　beyond。　A　nebulous　celestial　body　as　old　as　the　universe　itself；　it　had　been　born　in　a　vast　cloud　of　ice；　rocks；　dust；　and　gas　when　the　outer　planets　of　the　solar　system　were　formed　4。6　billion　years　ago。　Soon　after　its　scattered　particles　had　frozen　into　a　solid　mass　one　mile　in　diameter；　it　began　streaking　silently　through　the　emptiness　of　space　on　an　orbital　voyage　that　carried　it　around　a　distant　sun　and　halfway　to　the　nearest　stars　again；　a　journey　lasting　many　thousands　of　years　from　start　to　finish。
　The　et's　core；　or　nucleus；　was　a　conglomeration　of　frozen　water；　carbon　monoxide；　methane　gas；　and　jagged　blocks　of　metallic　rocks。　It　might　accurately　be　described　as　a　dirty　snowball　hurled　through　space　by　the　hand　of　God。　But　as　it　whirled　past　the　sun　and　swung　around　on　its　return　path　beyond　the　outer　reaches　of　the　solar　system；　the　solar　radiation　reacted　with　its　nucleus　and　a　metamorphosis　took　place。　The　ugly　duckling　soon　became　a　thing　of　beauty。
　As　it　began　to　absorb　the　sun's　heat　and　ultraviolet　light；　a　long　ma　formed　that　slowly　grew　into　an　enormous　luminous　blue　tail　that　curved　and　stretched　out　behind　the　nucleus　for　a　distance　of　90　million　miles。　A　shorter；　white　dust　tail　more　than　one　million　miles　wide　also　materialized　and　curled　out　on　the　sides　of　the　larger　tail　like　the　fins　of　a　fish。
　Each　time　the　et　passed　the　sun；　it　lost　more　of　its　ice　and　its　nucleus　diminished。　Eventually；　in　another　200　million　years；　it　would　lose　all　its　ice　and　break　up　into　a　cloud　of　dust　and　bee　a　series　of　small　meteorites。　This　et；　however；　would　never　orbit　outside　the　solar　system　or　pass　around　the　sun　again。　It　would　not　be　allowed　a　slow；　cold　death　far　out　in　the　blackness　of　space。　Within　a　few　short　minutes；　its　life　would　be　snuffed　out。　But　on　this；　its　latest　orbit；　the　et　passed　within　900；000　miles　of　Jupiter；　whose　great　gravitational　force　veered　it　off　on　a　collision　course　with　the　third　planet　from　the　sun；　a　planet　its　inhabitants　called　Earth。
　Plunging　into　Earth's　atmosphere　at　130；000　miles　an　hour　on　a　forty…five…degree　angle；　its　speed　ever…increasing　with　the　gravitational　pull；　the　et　created　a　brilliant　luminescent　bow　shock　as　its　ten…mile…wide；　four…billion…ton　mass　began　to　break　into　fragments　due　to　friction　from　its　great　speed。　Seven　seconds　later；　the　misshapen　et；　having　bee　a　blinding　fireball；　smashed　onto　Earth's　surface　with　horrendous　effect。　The　immediate　result　from　the　explosive　release　of　kinetic　energy　upon　impact　was　to　gouge　out　a　massive　cavity　twice　the　size　of　the　island　of　Hawaii　as　it　vaporized　and　displaced　a　gigantic　volume　of　water　and　soil。
　　The　entire　earth　staggered　from　the　seismic　shock　of　a　12。0　earthquake。　Millions　of　tons　of　water；　sediment；　and　debris　burst　upward；　thrown　through　the　hole　in　the　atmosphere　above　the　impact　site　and　into　the　stratosphere；　along　with　a　great　spray　of　pulverized；　fiery　rock　that　was　ejected　into　suborbital　trajectories　before　raining　back　to　earth　as　blazing　meteorites。　Firestorms　destroyed　forests　throughout　the　world。　Volcanoes　that　had　been　dormant　for　thousands　of　years　suddenly　erupted；　sending　oceans　of　molten　lava　spreading　over　millions　of　square　miles；　blanketing　the　ground　a　thousand　or　more　feet　deep。　So　much　smoke　and　debris　were　hurled　into　the　atmosphere　and　later　blown　into　every　corner　of　the　land　by　terrible　winds　that　they　blocked　out　the　sun　for　nearly　a　year；　sending　temperatures　plunging　below　freezing；　and　shrouding　Earth　in　darkness。　Climatic　change　in　every　corner　of　the　world　came　with　incredible　suddenness。　Temperatures　at　vast　ice　fields　and　northern　glaciers　rose　until　they　reached　between　ninety　and　a　hundred　degrees　Fahrenheit；　causing　a　rapid　meltdown。　Animals　accustomed　to　tropical　and　temperate　zones　became　extinct　overnight。　Many；　such　as　the　woolly　mammoths；　turned　to　ice　where　they　stood　in　the　warmth　of　summer；　grasses　and　flowers　still　undigested　in　their　stomachs。　Trees；　along　with　their　leaves　and　fruit；　were　quick…frozen。　For　days；　fish　that　were　hurled　upward　from　the　impact　fell　from　the　blackened　skies。
　　　　　Waves　five　to　ten　miles　in　height　were　thrown　against　the　continents；　surging　over　shorelines　with　a　destructive　power　that　was　awesome　in　magnitude。　Water　swept　over　low　coastal　plains　and　swept　hundreds　of　miles　inland；　destroying　everything　in　its　path。　Endless　quantities　of　debris　and　sediment　from　the　ocean　floors　were　spread　over　low　landmasses。　Only　when　the　great　surge　smashed　against　the　base　of　mountains　did　it　curl　under　and　begin　a　slow　retreat；　but　not　before　changing　the　course　of　rivers；　filling　land　basins　with　seas　where　none　existed　before　and　turning　large　lakes　into　deserts。
　　　　　The　chain　reaction　seemed　endless。
　　　　　With　a　low　rumble　that　grew　to　the　roar　of　continuous　thunder；　the　mountains　began　to　sway　like　palm　trees　under　a　light　breeze　as　avalanches　swept　down　their　sides。　Deserts　and　grassy　plains　undulated　as　the　onslaught　from　the　oceans　reared　up　and　struck　inland　again。　The　shock　from　the　et's　impact　had　caused　a　sudden　and　massive　displacement　in　Earth's　thin　crust。　The　outer　shell；　less　than　forty　miles　thick；　and　the　mantle　that　lay　over　the　hot　fluid　core　buckled　and　twisted；　shifting　crustal　layers　like　the　skin　of　a　grapefruit　that　had　been　surgically　removed　and　then　neatly　replaced　so　it　could　move　around　the　core　of　fruit　inside。　As　if　controlled　by　an　unseen　hand；　the　entire　crust　then　moved　as　a　unit。
　　　　　Entire　continents　were　shoved　around　to　new　locations。　Hills　were　thrust　up　to　bee　mountains。　Islands　throughout　the　Pacific　Ocean　vanished；　while　others　emerged　for　the　first　time。　Antarctica；　previously　west　of　Chile；　slid　over　two　thousand　miles　to　the　south；　where　it　was　quickly　buried　under　growing　sheets　of　ice。　The　vast　ice　pack　that　once　floated　in　the　Indian　Ocean　west　of　Australia　now　found　itself　in　a　temperate　zone　and　rapidly　began　to　melt。　The　same　occurred　with　the　former　North　Pole；　which　had　spread　throughout　northern　Canada。　The　new　pole　soon　began　to　produce　a　thick　ice　mass　in　the　middle　of　what　once　had　been　open　ocean。
　　　　　The　destruction　was　relentless。　The　convulsions　and　holocaust　went　on　as　if　they　would　never　stop。　The　movement　of　the　Earth's　thin　outer　shell　piled　cataclysm　upon　cataclysm。　The　abrupt　melting　of　the　former　ice　packs；　bined　with　glaciers　covering　the　continents　that　had　suddenly　shifted　into　or　near　tropical　zones；　caused　the　seas　to　rise　four　hundred　feet；　drowning　the　already　destroyed　land　that　had　been　overwhelmed　by　tidal　waves　from　the　et's　impact。　In　the　time　span　of　a　single　day；　Britain；　connected　to　the　rest　of　the　European　continent　by　a　dry　plain；　was　now　an　island；　while　a　desert　that　became　known　as　the　Persian　Gulf　was　abruptly　inundated。　The　Nile　River；　having　flowed　into　a　vast　fertile　valley　and　then　on　toward　the　great　ocean　to　the　west；　now　ended　at　what　had　suddenly　bee　the　Mediterranean　Sea。
　　　　　The　last　great　ice　age　had　ended　in　the　geological　blink　of　an　eye。
　　　　　The　dramatic　change　in　the　oceans　and　their　circulation　around　the　world　also　caused　the　poles　to　shift；　drastically　disturbing　the　earth's　rotational　balance。　Earth's　axis　was　temporarily　thrown　off　by　two　degrees；　as　the　North　and　South　Poles　were　displaced　to　new　geographical　locations；　altering　the　centrifugal　acceleration　around　the　outer　surface　of　the　sphere。　Because　they　were　fluid；　the　seas　adapted　before　the　earth　made　another　three　revolutions。　But　the　landmass　could　not　react　as　quickly。　Earthquakes　went　on　for　months。
　　　　　Savage　storms　with　brutal　winds　swirled　around　the　earth；　shredding　and　disintegrating　everything　that　stood　on　the　ground　for　the　next　eighteen　years　before　the　poles　stopped　wobbling　and　settled　into　their　new　rotational　axis。　In　time；　sea　levels　stabilized；　permitting　new　shorelines　to　form　as　bizarre　climatic　conditions　continued　to　moderate。　Changes　became　permanent。　The　time　sequence　between　night　and　day　changed　as　the　number　of　days　in　a　year　decreased　by　two。　The　earth's　magnetic　field　was　also　affected　and　moved　northwest　over　a　hundred　miles。
　　　　　Hundreds；　perhaps　thousands；　of　different　species　of　animals　and　fish　became　instantly　extinct。　In　the　Americas；　the　one…humped　camel；　the　mammoth；　an　ice　age　horse；　and　the　giant　sloth　all　disappeared。　Gone　also　were　the　saber…toothed　tiger；　huge　birds　with　twenty…five　foot　wingspans　and　many　other　animals　that　weighed　a　hundred　or　more　pounds；　most　dying　by　asphyxiation　from　the　smoke　and　volcanic　gases。
　　　　　Nor　did　the　vegetation　on　land　escape　the　apocalypse。　Plant　life　not　turned　to　ashes　by　the　holocaust　died　for　lack　of　sunlight；　along　with　the　algae　in　the　seas。　In　the　end；　over　85　percent　of　all　life　on　Earth　would　die　from　floods；　fires；　storms；　avalanches；　poison　from　the　atmosphere；　and　eventual　starvation。
　　　　　Human　societies；　many　quite　advanced；　and　a　myriad　of　emerging　cultures　on　the　threshold　of　a　progressive　golden　age　were　annihilated　in　a　single　horrendous　day　and　night。　Millions　of　Earth's　men；　women；　and　children　died　horribly。　All　vestiges　of　emerging　civilizations　were　gone；　and　the　few　pathetic　survivors　were　left　with　nothing　but　dim　memories　of　the　past。　The　coffin　had　been　closed　on　the　greatest　uninterrupted　advance　of　mankind；　a　ten…thousand…year　journey　from　the　simple　Cro…Magnon　man　to　kings；　architects；　stonemasons；　artists；　and　warriors。　Their　works　and　their　mortal　remains　were　buried　deep　beneath　new　seas；　leaving　few　physical　examples　and　fragments　of　an　ancient　advanced　culture。　Entire　nations　and　cities　that　had　stood　only　a　few　hours　before　vanished　without　a　trace。　The　cataclysm　of　such　magnitude　left　almost　no　evidence　of　any　prior　transcendent　civilizations。
　　　　　Of　the　shockingly　low　number　of　humans　who　survived；　almost　all　lived　in　the　higher　altitudes　of　mountain　ranges　and　were　able　to　hide　in　caves　to　escape　the　furies　of　the　turbulence。　Unlike　the　more　advanced　Bronze　Age　peoples　who　tended　to　cluster　and　build　on　low…lying　plains　near　rivers　and　ocean　shorelines；　the　inhabitants　of　the　mountains　were　Stone　Age　nomads。　It　was　as　though　the　cream　of　the　crop；　the