地震學家們21日提出警告，靠近美國最大城市的核電廠，發生地震的機會極可能比先前所想的還高，因為核電廠所座落的區域，正好在新證實的兩個活地震帶的交叉點上。
位於美國紐約州布坎南市的印地安角核電廠（圖片來源：wikipeida，攝影：Daniel Case）
備有兩座核能發電機組的印地安角(Indian Point nuclear)核電廠，位於紐約州布坎南市(Buchanan)的哈德遜河谷，大約是紐約北方24英里處。
哥倫比亞大學拉蒙特-多爾蒂地球觀測站（Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory）研究人員，已找出這個前所未知的活地震帶－從康乃狄克州史丹佛市( Stamford）到紐約州皮克斯基爾市（Peekskill）的哈德遜河谷；而地震帶經過的範圍只離印地安角核電廠北方不到1英里的距離。
Stamford-Peekskill 地震帶與所知的Ramapo地震帶相交；Ramapo地震帶是從賓州東部到哈德遜河谷中部，經過印地安角核電廠西北方2英里處。
Stamford-Peekskill 地震帶在研究人員的地震圖上顯得很突出，因為小規模地震佈滿了整個地震帶與西南方的地區。然而，地震帶北方完全沒有地震發生，顯示出有可能是某種地底邊界。
地球觀測站的科學家們收集了1677年到2007年間，在紐約周圍15000平方英里的區域內，所發生的383起規模性地震，繪成Stamford-Peekskill 地震帶的分佈圖形。而地球觀測站是透過一套機器網路，來監測美國東北部的大部分地震活動。
本期《美國地震學會期刊》刊載了科學家的研究：「印地安角核電廠座落的交叉點，不僅有著地震活動最明顯的兩個線型特徵，且正好在大規模人群的中央位置，一旦發生災難，將造成極大風險。」研究內容指出，「從地震危害與風險的觀點來看，核電廠的位置在我們研究之後，顯然是座落在一個最差的地點之一。」
這份研究的主筆者希克斯( Lynn Sykes )表示，和加州與日本等地震活動較頻繁的地區相比，資料顯示紐約發生大規模地震的次數不多，但由於絕大多數人口及公共建設都集中在此區，所以面臨的風險很大。
The nuclear power plant closest to America's largest city is more likely to be hit by an earthquake than previously thought because it sits atop a newly identified intersection of two active seismic zones, earthquake scientists warned today.
The Indian Point nuclear power plant, with its two nuclear generating units, is situated 24 miles north of New York City, on the Hudson River at Buchanan, New York.
Researchers from Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory have located a previously unknown active seismic zone running from Stamford, Connecticut, to the Hudson Valley town of Peekskill, New York, where it passes less than a mile north of the Indian Point nuclear power plant.
The Stamford-Peekskill line intersects with the known Ramapo seismic zone, which runs from eastern Pennsylvania to the mid-Hudson Valley, passing within two miles northwest of Indian Point.
The Stamford-Peekskill line stands out sharply on the researchers' earthquake map, with small events clustered along its length, and to its immediate southwest. Just to the north, there are no quakes, indicating that it represents some kind of underground boundary.
The pattern emerged when the Earth Observatory scientists compiled a catalog of all 383 known earthquakes from 1677 to 2007 in a 15,000 square mile area around New York City. The observatory runs the network of instruments that monitors most of the northeastern United States for earthquake activity.
Their paper appears in the current issue of the "Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America."Indian Point is situated at the intersection of the two most striking linear features marking the seismicity and also in the midst of a large population that is at risk in case of an accident," says the paper. "This is clearly one of the least favorable sites in our study area from an earthquake hazard and risk perspective."
Lead author Lynn Sykes says the data show that large quakes are infrequent around New York compared to more active areas like California and Japan, but that the risk is high, because of the overwhelming concentration of people and infrastructure.
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