俄勒岡州“失落之湖”爲何會消失

Why Oregon's Lost Lake Disappears Every Year

俄勒岡州“失落之湖”爲何會消失

Lost Lake that lies in Oregon's Mount Hood National Forest is a mysterious natural wonder. During winter, it resembles any other large body of freshwater. However, as drier weather kicks in the water disappears, transforming the 85-acre 'lake' into a beautiful meadow.

位於俄勒岡州胡德山國家森林區域的“失落之湖”是個自然奇觀。它冬季如其他淡水湖泊一樣安靜祥和，但是當旱季來襲，85英畝大的湖卻變成了美麗的田野。

Jude McHugh, a spokeswoman for the Willamette National Forest in Oregon, says that the lakebed starts to fill during the rainy season in fall. Because the lava tube measures just six-feet in diameter it is unableto drain the water fast enough. As a result, the lake which is 167-ft at its deepest, manages to remain full, despite the fact that some water is always seeping out. This continues through spring as the snow fromthe surrounding mountains melts. But once the steady flow of water stops, the constant drainage causes thelake to "disappear."

維拉米特國家森林發言人Jude McHugh告訴我們，河牀一般在秋天雨季來臨的時候被灌滿水。湖下的熔岩管道直徑只有6英尺，不足以迅速把水泄走。因此，雖然難免被滲走一些水量，這個最深處達167英尺的湖還是能保存足夠水量的。但是，當雨季過去，沒有充足水分供應時，湖底不停的泄水，最終就導致了整個湖的“消失”。

Experts are not entirely sure where the water goes. They hypothesize that it seeps through the porous volcanic rock below and eventually makes its way into Oregon's groundwater supply. Lava tubes are fairly common in Oregon due to the Cascade Mountain Range, a series of tall mountains and old volcanoes that cuts through the state. However, none are as fascinating as the one on Lost Lake.

專家們也不清楚湖水的具體去處。他們猜想，湖水是通過湖底多孔的火山岩流走的，最終匯入了俄勒岡的地下水供給。岩溶通道在俄勒岡州卡斯克德山脈區是很常見的地貌，因爲該地區遍佈高山和年代久遠的火山。然而，“失落之湖”的現象仍然是鳳毛麟角。

Lava tubes or tunnels form when lava flowing from several volcanic eruption channels merge into one large stream, similar to how a series of water streams and creeks amalgamate into a larger river. As the lava flows, some of the liquid rock overflows onto land and begins to cool. This cooling magma builds up hard walls on both sides of the flow. As the lava flow continues to flow, it erodes the ground creating an even deeper channel. Eventually, a crust forms on the top of the channel, creating a tube that remains long afterthe molten rock has stopped flowing.

岩漿從許多火山口噴出並向下流淌，如同許多溪流與河灣匯聚成江河一樣，最終匯成了巨大的岩漿流，因而形成岩溶通道。流動的岩漿到達地表變硬冷卻，自動形成岩漿流的管道壁。岩漿流還會繼續往地下腐蝕，加深熔岩管道。當它們停止流動，管道上部也凝結成硬硬的一層岩漿壁，假以時日，就形成了巨大的地下管道。

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