atlantis.found-第72部分

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ost　part；　are　smaller　fragments　from　asteroids　that　have　collided　with　one　another　and　broken　up。　The　largest　ever　found　weighed　seventy　tons。　A　et　is　quite　different。　It's　often　called　a　dirty　snowball　made　up　of　ice；　gas；　and　rocky　dust　particles。　They　usually　travel　in　very　long　oval　orbits　on　the　outer　edge　of　the　solar　system；　and　often　beyond。　Because　of　gravitational　interaction　from　the　sun　and　planets；　a　few　are　diverted　and　orbit　around　the　sun。　When　they　e　close　to　the　sun；　the　et's　surface　ice　vaporizes　and　forms　a　spectacular　elongated　cone　or　tail。　It's　generally　thought　that　they　are　leftovers　from　the　formation　of　the　planets。　By　drilling　and　then　analyzing　the　position　of　the　microscopic　debris　found　in　and　around　the　Hudson　Bay　crater；　geophysicists　discovered　tiny　particles　that　they　identified　as　part　of　the　et　that　slammed　into　the　earth　in　seven　thousand　B。C。　Tests　revealed　no　traces　of　the　usual　minerals　and　metals　associated　with　asteroids。〃
　　　　　〃So　we　have　impact；〃　said　Sandecker。　〃Then　what　happened？〃
　　　　　〃A　measureless　inverted　cone　of　red…hot　rock；　steam；　dust；　and　debris　was　hurled　up　and　above　the　atmosphere；　only　to　plunge　in　a　fiery　rain　back　down　on　Earth；　igniting　uncontrollable　forest　fires　around　the　world。　Huge　amounts　of　sulfur；　shock…heated　nitrogen；　and　great　doses　of　fluorides　were　injected　into　the　atmosphere。　The　ozone　layer　would　have　been　destroyed；　skies　blotted　out；　as　winds　of　hurricane　strength　whipped　across　the　land　and　seas。　Our　simulation　suggests　this　cloud　of　debris　and　smoke　lasted　no　less　than　fourteen　months。　This　alone　would　have　killed　off　most　of　Earth's　life　and　collapsed　the　food　chain。〃
　　　　　〃It　sounds　too　horrible　for　me　to　imagine；〃　said　Loren　quietly。
　　　　　Friend　made　a　taut　smile。　〃Lamentably；　that's　only　the　opening　act。　Because　Hudson　Bay　opened　into　the　Atlantic　Ocean；　waves　as　high　as　seven　or　eight　miles　were　formed　that　burst　across　the　lowlands。　Florida　would　have　been　totally　inundated；　along　with　most　of　the　islands　of　the　world。　Much　of　Europe　and　Africa　saw　waves　surging　hundreds　of　miles　inland　from　their　shorelines。　Because　most　of　Australia's　ancient　inhabitants　lived　on　or　near　the　coasts；　the　continent　would　have　suffered　a　ninety…nine…percent　death　rate　within　minutes。　Southeast　Asia　would　have　been　buried　under　water。　Vast　multitudes　of　sea　life　would　have　been　carried　far　inland　and　left　to　die　when　the　giant　waves　finally　receded。　The　chemical　balance　of　the　oceans　was　altered。　What　the　upheaval　didn't　kill　in　the　oceans；　the　silt；　mud；　and　debris　would。
　　　　　〃Shuddering　from　the　et's　impact；　massive　earthquakes　far　beyond　the　top　end　of　the　Richter　scale　forever　changed　the　dimensions　of　the　mountains；　plains；　and　deserts。　Then　volcanoes　around　the　globe；　dormant　or　active；　erupted　molten　lava　in　great　sheets　as　high　as　a　mile　stormed　over　whatever　land　wasn't　submerged。　If　an　astronaut　had　flown　to　Mars　before　the　cataclysm　and　returned　two　years　later；　he　would　not　have　been　able　to　recognize　the　world；　nor　would　anyone　he　knew　or　loved　still　be　alive。　He　could　very　well　find　himself　the　only　man　on　Earth。〃
　　　　　Pitt　looked　at　the　astronomer。　〃You　don't　paint　a　very　pretty　picture。〃
　　　　　〃The　aftermath　was　ghastly　to　behold。　Once　the　deluge　waters　retreated；　boulders　of　every　size　and　shape　were　dispersed　throughout　the　landscape；　where　they　still　rest　today　and　are　a　great　puzzle　to　geologists；　who　otherwise　can't　explain　how　they　came　to　be　there。　Vast　deposits　of　mangled　trees；　along　with　the　bodies　of　animals　and　sea　life　carried　far　inland；　were　heaped　in　huge　deposits。　These　deposits　can　still　be　found　in　the　frozen　regions　of　the　world；　proving　that　they　were　hurled　there　by　a　giant　cataclysm。　Huge　bodies　of　water　were　trapped；　and　formed　lakes。　In　one　known　instance；　the　land　strait　that　separated　the　Atlantic　Ocean　from　the　valley　and　rivers　of　the　Mediterranean　was　swept　away　and　the　sea　was　formed。　Old　glaciers　melted；　new　ones　were　formed。　Tropical　forests　began　to　grow　in　mild　climates　that　were　once　lashed　by　frigid　winds　and　freezing　temperatures。　The　Gobi；　Sahara；　and　Mojave　regions；　then　tropical　forests；　became　dry　and　arid。　The　continental　shelves　that　once　stood　above　the　water　were　now　drowned。　The　magnetic　poles　reversed　their　polarity。　Civilizations　that　existed　were　buried　as　deep　as　five　hundred　feet　beneath　the　surface。　It　might　have　taken　as　long　as　twenty　years　before　the　world　became　pletely　stable　again。　The　few　humans　who　somehow　survived　were　faced　with　a　very　grim　existence；　and　it　was　a　miracle　any　of　them　endured　to　bee　our　ancestors。〃
　　　　　Pat　set　down　her　cup。　〃The　primitive　people　of　the　Earth　were　so　badly　decimated　and　fragmented；　they　kept　no　record　of　their　activities　for　thousands　of　years。　Except　for　the　inscriptions　by　the　Amenes；　most　of　which　were　lost　or　buried；　the　only　memories　of　the　cataclysm　that　were　passed　down　came　by　word　of　mouth。　Only　after　the　early　Egyptians；　the　Sumerians；　and　the　Indus　civilization　of　India　reinvented　the　written　language　did　records　and　stories　of　the　deluge　begin　to　spread。〃
　　　　　〃Who　knows　what　cities；〃　said　Pitt；　〃what　palaces　with　their　archaeological　treasures　lie　scattered　on　the　deep　seafloor　or　buried　under　hundreds　of　feet　of　silt　and　rock？　Except　for　the　inscriptions　left　by　the　Amenes；　we　have　no　way　of　assessing　the　splendor　of　the　distant　past　before　civilizations　began　rebuilding　themselves。〃
　　　　　Friend　had　remained　silent　while　each　member　of　the　group　envisioned　the　nightmare。　He　let　his　eyes　rove　around　the　sitting　area　inside　the　mand　truck；　curiously　observing　the　expressions　of　abhorrence　in　their　eyes。　Only　Pitt's　eyes　seemed　to　be　posed。　It　was　as　if　he　was　contemplating　something　much　different；　something　far　off　in　the　distance。
　　　　　〃And　thus　ends　the　cataclysm；〃　said　Sandecker　morosely。
　　　　　Friend　slowly　shook　his　head。　〃I　haven't　yet　e　to　the　worst　part；〃　he　said；　his　earlier　smile　gone。　〃Only　in　the　past　few　years　have　scientists　e　to　realize　the　major　upheavals　Earth　has　experienced　in　the　past；　with　and　without　influence　by　objects　from　outer　space。　We　know　now　that　a　significant　impact　by　a　large　et　or　asteroid　has　the　capability　to　cause　the　earth's　crust　to　shift。　Charles　Hapgood　put　forth　the　theory　that　because　it　literally　floats　on　an　inner　molten　core；　the　crust　or　shell；　which　is　only　twenty　to　forty　miles　thick；　can　and　has　rotated　around　the　core's　axis；　causing　great　extremes　in　climate　and　the　movement　of　the　continents。　It's　called　earth　crust　displacement；　and　its　consequences　can　be　catastrophic。　At　first；　Hapgood's　theory　was　laughed　at　by　other　Earth　scientists。　Then　Albert　Einstein　focused　his　intellect　on　it　and　ended　up　agreeing　with　Hapgood。〃
　　　　　〃Sort　of　like　the　coating　of　Teflon　around　a　soccer　ball；〃　suggested　Yaeger。
　　　　　〃The　same　principle；〃　Friend　acknowledged。　〃Our　puter　simulation　suggested　that　the　impact　exerted　enough　pressure　to　move　the　crust。　The　result　was　that　some　continents；　islands；　and　other　landmasses　shifted　closer　to　the　equator；　while　others　shifted　farther　away。　The　movement　also　caused　the　North　and　South　Poles　to　shift　from　their　former　positions　into　warmer　climates；　unleashing　trillions　of　tons　of　water　that　raised　the　surface　of　the　oceans　over　almost　four　hundred　feet。　To　give　you　an　example；　before　the　deluge；　a　man　or　woman　could　have　walked　from　London　across　the　English　Channel　to　France　without　getting　their　feet　wet。
　　　　　〃In　the　end；　the　whole　world　was　rearranged。　The　North　Pole　that　was　in　the　center　of　Canada　was　now　far　to　the　north　in　what　is　now　known　as　the　Arctic　Sea。　Siberia　also　shifted　north　in　an　incredibly　short　time　span；　as　evidenced　by　fruit　trees　with　leaves　and　woolly　mammoths　that　were　found　quick…frozen；　with　vegetation　undigested　in　their　stomachs　that　no　longer　grew　within　a　thousand　miles　of　that　location。　Because　North　America　and　most　of　Europe　revolved　south；　the　great　ice　age　abruptly　ended。　Antarctica　also　shifted　south；　nearly　two　thousand　miles　from　the　region　it　had　once　occupied　in　the　southern　sea　between　the　lower　portions　of　South　America　and　Africa。〃
　　　　　〃Was　Earth's　orbit　affected？〃　Yaeger　asked。
　　　　　〃No；　the　orbit　remained　on　its　present　track　around　the　sun。　Nor　was　the　Earth's　axis　altered。　The　equator　remained　where　it　had　been　since　the　beginning。　The　four　seasons　came　and　went　as　always。　Only　the　face　of　the　globe　had　changed。〃
　　　　　〃That　explains　a　great　deal；〃　said　Pitt；　〃such　as　how　the　Amenes　could　draw　a　map　of　Antarctica　without　its　ice　mass。〃
　　　　　〃And　their　city　under　the　ice　that　the　Germans　discovered；〃　said　Pat。　〃Its　climate　was　habitable　before　the　shift。〃
　　　　　〃What　about　the　Earth's　axis　of　rotation？〃　queried　Giordino。　〃Would　that　change？〃
　　　　　Friend　shook　his　head。　〃Earth's　tilt　of　twenty…three　point　four　degrees　would　remain　constant。　The　equator　would　also　remain　constant。　Only　the　crust　above　the　fluid　core　would　move。〃
　　　　　Sandecker　said；　〃If　we　could　get　back　to　the　et　for　a　moment；　it's　time　for　you　to　answer　Dirk's　question。　Were　the　Amenes　and　the　Wolf　family　right　in　predicting　a　cataclysmic　collision　with　the　twin　of　the　et　that　struck　earth　in　seven　thousand　B。C。？〃
　　　　　〃May　I　have　another　cup　of　coffee？〃　Friend　asked。
　　　　　〃Certainly；〃　said　Loren；　pouring　from　the　pot　on　the　center　table。
　　　　　Friend　took　a　few　sips　and　set　the　cup　down。　〃Now；　then；　before　I　answer　your　question；　Admiral；　I'd　like　to　describe　briefly　the　new　Asteroid　and　et　Attack　Alert　System；　which　came　online　just　last　year。　A　number　of　telescope　facilities　and　specially　designed　instruments　have　been　set　up　in　different　areas　of　the　world　for　the　express　purpose　of　discovering　asteroids　and　ets　whose　orbits　approach　Earth。　Already；　astronomers　manning　the　facilities　have　discovered　over　forty　asteroids　that　will　e　unpleasantly　close　to　Earth　at　some　point　within　its　orbit。　But　detailed　calculations　reveal　that　they　will　all　miss　by　a　fortable　margin　in　the　years　ahead。〃
　　　　　〃Have　they　known　about　the　approach　of　the　second　et；〃　said　Loren　in　dismay；　〃and　suppressed　any　warning　of　the　threat？〃
　　　　　〃No；〃　said　Friend。　〃Though　the　astronomers　agreed　to　keep　news　of　such　possible　encou