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These crystals form when sea water trickling down from above
海水从上面留下来的时候
met hot waters coming up from below,
遇到了下方的热水形成了这些水晶
and it was in this mineral-rich mixing zone
就是在这个富含矿物质的混合地带
that these fingers of gypsum grew.
长出了这些像手指的硫酸钙
And they would have stayed there submerged
如果地中海的海平面不下降
if the level of the Mediterranean Sea hadn't dropped,
露出了这片地质精华
revealing this geological gem.
它们将永远被埋藏在地下
Sadly, I can't stay inside the geode for too long
可惜我不能在这个晶洞里呆的时间太长
as the moisture from my body will soon start to dissolve the gypsum.
因为我身体的湿度会很快融化这些碳酸钙
It's astonishing enough to think that the Mediterranean evaporated once,
认为地中海曾经蒸发过这个想法已经够令人震惊的了
but, in fact, this sea has come and gone many times in the last few million years.
但实际上这片海在过去的数亿年里 曾消失出现过很多次
And that has had some surprising effects,
这导致了很多奇异的影响
not just on the geology of this area,
不仅是影响这片海洋的地质
but also on the evolution of some of the animals that lived here.
同时还导致了居住在这里的生物的进化
During one drop in sea level, elephants roamed over the old seabed.
海平面下降后大象会在原来的海床上闲逛
But when water levels rose once more,
但是水平面一旦上涨
they were forced to take refuge on higher ground,
它们就必须到高地上避难
on land that was to become the island of Sicily.
这片高低就成为了西西里岛
