Now lumps of heavily eroded rocks have been marooned in a sea of sand. 现在 这些严重侵蚀的石块 已被放逐在沙海之中
They discovered that Lechuguilla's limestone had actually been eaten away by sulphuric acid, 他们发现龙舌兰洞的石灰岩 实际上是被硫酸侵蚀的
Lechuguilla's rock had not been eaten away by running rainwater. 龙舌兰洞中的岩石并非被流水侵蚀
and since this discovery more than 120 miles of passageways have been mapped. 自从那次发现之后 迄今已测绘了120多英里的地道
so these species must have been isolated for a very long time. 所以这些物种必定 与世隔绝了相当长的一段时间
a technique that has been used here, in Mexico, to chart the largest underwater cave in the world - 在墨西哥的这个地方 这种科技被用来 测绘世界上最大的地下水洞
So far, more than 350 miles of underwater galleries in the Yucatan have been mapped, 人们迄今为止已绘制了350英里的 尤卡坦半岛地下水系图
Yet their impact on life on the surface has been huge. 然而它们对地面上的生物 却有着极其深远的影响
For 500 years people have been harvesting the nests of cave swiftlets. 500年来 人们一直采集洞金丝燕的燕窝
Originally, this whole area would have been one solid block of limestone, 起初 这整个地方都是 一整块坚固的石灰岩床