Earthquakes地震
「規模 6.5」和「震度 6 級」是兩件完全不同的事——這是台灣人最常搞混的一組數字。
CEFR B1閱讀約 6 分鐘 · 12 個單字 · 測驗卷 100 分
3D Tour3D 導覽影片：先看一遍，再自己點點看
3D 導覽影片 · 約 2 分鐘
The Earthquake Science Room地震科學教室
12 個可以點的單字 · 可以隨時暫停、轉動場景
逐字稿（15 段）
- 1Welcome to the earthquake science room. Taiwan records thousands of earthquakes every year.歡迎來到地震科學教室。台灣每年記錄到數千次地震。
- 2The Earth's surface is broken into huge plates. At Taiwan, the Philippine Sea Plate pushes into the Eurasian Plate.地球表面裂成好幾塊巨大的板塊。在台灣，菲律賓海板塊正擠向歐亞板塊。
- 3That push built the Central Mountain Range. It is still growing a few millimetres every year.這股推擠造就了中央山脈。它到現在每年還在長高幾公釐。
- 4The push builds up pressure in the rocks, like a spring that is squeezed harder and harder.推擠讓岩層裡累積壓力，就像一根被越擠越緊的彈簧。
- 5When the rocks cannot take the pressure any more, they suddenly slip.當岩層再也承受不住壓力，就會突然錯動。
- 6The rocks release the pressure all at once, like a spring jumping out of a box.岩層一口氣釋放壓力，就像彈簧從盒子裡彈出來。
- 7The energy travels outwards as waves, and we feel an earthquake.能量以波的形式向外傳出，我們就感覺到地震。
- 8P waves travel fastest but shake gently. S waves arrive later and shake much harder.P 波跑得最快但搖得輕，S 波晚到但搖得厲害得多。
- 9When the S waves arrive, the whole building can shake.S 波一到，整棟樓都可能搖起來。
- 10Magnitude is the energy at the source. Going up one whole number means about 32 times more energy.規模是震源釋放的能量。每上升一個整數，能量大約多 32 倍。
- 11Intensity is how hard it shook at one place. It is high near the source and low far away.震度是某個地方搖得多厲害。靠近震源震度高，離得遠震度低。
- 12Radio waves travel much faster than seismic waves, so an alert can reach your phone before the strong shaking.電磁波比地震波快得多，所以警示可以在強烈搖晃之前傳到你的手機。
- 13Drop, cover, hold on. Get under a sturdy table and protect your head until the shaking stops.趴下、掩護、穩住。躲到堅固的桌子底下，保護頭部，直到搖晃停止。
- 14An earthquake under the sea can cause a tsunami, but large tsunamis are rare in Taiwan.海底地震可能引發海嘯，不過大型海嘯在台灣相對少見。
- 15Now it's your turn. Look around the room and click on anything you see.現在換你了。在教室裡看一看，點點看你看到的每一樣東西。
Why Taiwan Shakes台灣為什麼會搖
The Earth's surface is broken into huge pieces called plates. They move very slowly — about as fast as your fingernails grow.地球表面裂成好幾塊巨大的板塊。它們移動得非常慢——差不多跟指甲長長一樣快。
Taiwan sits right where the Philippine Sea Plate pushes into the Eurasian Plate. That push is what built the Central Mountain Range, and it is also what makes the island shake.台灣正好位在菲律賓海板塊擠向歐亞板塊的地方。這股推擠造就了中央山脈，也讓這座島不停搖晃。
When the rocks cannot take the pressure any more, they suddenly slip. The energy travels outwards as waves, and we feel an earthquake.當岩層再也承受不住壓力，就會突然錯動。能量以波的形式向外傳出，我們就感覺到地震。
Taiwan records thousands of earthquakes every year. Most are far too small to feel.台灣每年記錄到數千次地震，其中絕大多數小到根本感覺不到。
Magnitude Is Not Intensity規模不等於震度
- Magnitude — how big the earthquake was規模——這場地震有多大
- Magnitude measures the energy released at the source. One earthquake has exactly one magnitude, no matter where you are standing.規模衡量的是震源釋放出來的能量。一場地震只有一個規模，不管你站在哪裡都一樣。
- Intensity — how hard it shook where you are震度——你所在的地方搖得多厲害
- Intensity measures the shaking at one place. The same earthquake has a high intensity near the source and a low intensity far away, so one earthquake has many different intensities.震度衡量的是某一個地點的搖晃程度。同一場地震在震源附近震度高、在遠處震度低，所以一場地震會有很多個震度。
- The scale is not what it looks like刻度不是你以為的那樣
- Magnitude is a logarithmic scale. Going up one whole number means about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 7 releases about a thousand times the energy of a magnitude 5.規模是對數刻度。每上升一個整數大約是 32 倍的能量，所以規模 7 釋放的能量大約是規模 5 的一千倍。
- Two kinds of wave兩種波
- P waves travel fastest but shake gently. S waves arrive later and shake much harder. The gap between them is what makes early warning possible.P 波（縱波）跑得最快但搖得輕。S 波（橫波）晚到但搖得厲害得多。兩者之間的時間差，就是地震速報能夠成立的原因。
- Drop, cover, hold on趴下、掩護、穩住
- Get under a sturdy table, protect your head and neck, and hold on until the shaking stops. Do not run outside while the ground is still moving.躲到堅固的桌子底下，保護頭頸，抓住桌腳直到搖晃停止。地還在動的時候不要往外跑。
Magnitude and What It Feels Like規模與感受
| Magnitude 規模 | How often worldwide 全球頻率 | Effect 影響 |
|---|---|---|
| Below 3.0 3.0 以下 | Millions a year 每年數百萬次 | Usually not felt 通常感覺不到 |
| 3.0 – 4.9 | Over 100,000 a year 每年十萬次以上 | Felt, rarely damaging 感覺得到，很少造成損害 |
| 5.0 – 5.9 | About 1,500 a year 每年約 1,500 次 | Can damage weak buildings 可能損壞老舊建築 |
| 6.0 – 6.9 | About 150 a year 每年約 150 次 | Serious damage near the source 震源附近嚴重受損 |
| 7.0 and above 7.0 以上 | About 15 a year 每年約 15 次 | Major destruction 重大破壞 |
資料查證至 2025 年底
全球頻率是長期平均值，不是每年剛好這麼多。規模每上升一個整數，次數大約少十倍。
Earthquakes Taiwan Remembers台灣記得的地震
| Earthquake 地震 | Date 日期 | Magnitude 規模 |
|---|---|---|
| 921 Chi-Chi earthquake 921 集集大地震 | 1999-09-21 | 7.3 |
| Hualien earthquake 花蓮地震 | 2024-04-03 | 7.2 |
| Tainan earthquake 台南地震 | 2016-02-06 | 6.6 |
| Hualien earthquake 花蓮地震 | 2018-02-06 | 6.2 |
資料查證至 2025 年底
921 之後台灣大幅提高了建築的耐震標準，也建立了地震速報系統。2024 年花蓮那場規模跟 921 幾乎一樣，傷亡卻少很多——這就是防災做得好的差別。
Did You Know?你知道嗎？
- Taiwan's early warning system can send an alert to your phone before the strong shaking arrives, because radio waves travel much faster than seismic waves.台灣的地震速報可以在強烈搖晃到達之前把警報送到你的手機，因為電磁波比地震波快得多。
- The warning only gives a few seconds to tens of seconds. That is still enough to get under a table or stop a train.警報只爭取到幾秒到數十秒。但這已經足夠躲到桌子底下，或讓一列火車減速停下。
- The Central Mountain Range is still growing by a few millimetres every year, pushed up by the same plate collision.中央山脈到現在每年還在長高幾公釐，推它的正是同一場板塊碰撞。
- An earthquake under the sea can create a tsunami, but Taiwan's shape and the shallow water around it make large tsunamis rare here.海底地震可能引發海嘯，但台灣的地形和周圍的淺水讓大型海嘯在這裡相對少見。
Key Words單字表
plate/pleɪt/n.
板塊
Two plates push against each other.兩個板塊互相推擠。
magnitude/ˈmæɡ.nə.tuːd/n.
規模
The magnitude was 7.3.規模是 7.3。
intensity/ɪnˈten.sə.t̬i/n.
震度
The intensity was higher near the coast.靠海的地方震度比較高。
energy/ˈen.ɚ.dʒi/n.
能量
The energy travels outwards as waves.能量以波的形式向外傳。
release/rɪˈliːs/v.
釋放
The rocks released the pressure suddenly.岩層突然釋放了壓力。
pressure/ˈpreʃ.ɚ/n.
壓力
The pressure built up for years.壓力累積了很多年。
slip/slɪp/v.
錯動、滑動
The rocks slipped along the fault.岩層沿著斷層錯動。
wave/weɪv/n.
波
S waves shake much harder.S 波搖得厲害得多。
shake/ʃeɪk/v.
搖晃
The whole building shook.整棟樓都在搖。
sturdy/ˈstɝː.di/adj.
堅固的
Get under a sturdy table.躲到堅固的桌子底下。
alert/əˈlɝːt/n. / v.
警示
The alert reached my phone first.警示先傳到我的手機。
tsunami/tsuːˈnɑː.mi/n.
海嘯
An undersea quake can cause a tsunami.海底地震可能引發海嘯。
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