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The inhabitants of these bustling communities may grow at speed
这些熙熙攘攘的生物群落生长速度虽然很快，
but their existence can also be short, for the vents do not erupt indefinitely.
不过存在的时间也可能很短，因为火山口的喷发是不确定的。
Suddenly, unpredictably, they may become inactive.
说不定突然间它们就会消失。
Nine months have passed at Nine North.
9个月后，北九地区。
What were only recently chimneys teeming with life have turned into cold, sterile mineral monuments.
火山口丰富的生物群现在只剩下了寒冷贫瘠荒凉的遗址。
Some eddy, deep in the Earth's crust diverted the volcanic energy elsewhere
地壳喷出的能量漩涡转移到了别处，
and, an entire microworld was extinguished.
整个微观世界也黯然失色。
In places, volcanoes have erupted to build great submarine mountains.
在有的地方，火山喷发后会形成巨大的水下山。
There are thought to be around thirty thousand such volcanoes
据估计海底共有30000座火山，
some, measured from the sea floor, are taller than Everest.
如果从海床开始算，甚至有一些比珠穆朗玛峰还要高。
Sheer cliffs soaring to drowned volcanic peaks.
火山开凿出来的绝壁一直延伸到山顶。
Powerful currents sweep up the mountains' flanks, transporting nutrients from deep water towards the summits.
带着海底养分的强大的洋流与海底山相接，便顺山而上。
The hard rock provides excellent anchorage for communities of great variety and stunning color.
坚硬的岩石给这些绚丽的共生种群提供了很好的停靠地点。
