英语翻译Theoceanbottom--aregionnearly2.5timesgreaterthanthetotallandareaoftheEarth--isavastfrontierthateventodayislargelyunexploredanduncharted.Untilaboutacenturyago,thedeep-oceanfloorwascompletelyinaccessible,h

　　英语翻译

　　Theoceanbottom--aregionnearly2.5timesgreaterthanthetotallandareaoftheEarth--isavastfrontierthateventodayislargelyunexploredanduncharted.Untilaboutacenturyago,thedeep-oceanfloorwascompletelyinaccessible,hiddenbeneathwatersaveragingover3,600metersdeep.TotallywithoutlightandsubjectedtointensepressureshundredsoftimesgreaterthanattheEarth'ssurface,thedeep-oceanbottomisshostileenvironmenttohumans,insomewayasforbiddingandremoteasthevoidofouterspace.

　　Althoughresearchershavetakensamplesofdeep-oceanrocksandsedimentsforoveracentury,thefirstdetailedglobalinvestigationoftheoceanbottomdidnotactuallystartuntil1968,withthebeginningoftheNationalScienceFoundation'sDeepSeaDrillingProject(DEDP).Usingtechniquesfirstdevelopedfortheoffshoreoilandgasindustry,theDSDP'sdrillship,theGlomarChallenger(格拉玛挑战者号),wasabletomaintainasteadypositionontheocean'ssurfaceanddrillinverydeepwaters,extractingsamplesofsedimentsandrockfromtheoceanfloor.

　　TheGlomarChallengercompleted96voyagesina15-yearresearchprogramthatendedinNovember1983.Duringthistime,thevessellogged600,000kilometersandtookalmost20,000coresamplesofseabedsedimentsandrocksat624drillingsitesaroundtheworld.TheGlomarChallenger'scoresampleshaveallowedgeologiststoreconstructwhattheplanetlookedlikehundredsofmillionsofyearsagoandtocalculatewhatitwillprobablylooklikemillionsofyearsinthefuture.

　　Today,largelyonthestrengthofevidencegatheredduringtheGlomarChallengers'voyages,nearlyallearthscientistsagreeonthetheoriesofplatetectonics(构造学)andcontinentaldriftthatexplainmanyofthegeologicalprocessesthatshapetheEarth.

　　ThecoresofsedimentdrilledbytheGlomarChallengerhavealsoyieldedinformationcriticaltounderstandingtheworld'spastclimates.Deep-oceanssedimentsprovidedaclimaticrecordstretchingbackhundredsofmillionsofyears,becausetheyarelargelyisolatedfromthemechanicalerosionandtheintensechemicalandbiologicalactivitythatrapidlydestroymuchland-basedevidenceofpastclimates.Thisrecordhasalreadyprovidedinsightsintothepat