Ang Lee and his group continued to explore along the cave. Because they encountered two small ventilation holes along the way, the air in the cave was very fresh. After continuing to walk for a while, Ang Lee felt a faint cold wind. It seemed that there was a ventilation hole in front. Otherwise, there should not be wind.
It was naturally a good thing to have ventilation holes. If there were no ventilation holes in the cave, after walking a certain distance, there would be a lack of oxygen. The torch would be extinguished, and people would suffocate to death. Therefore, it was necessary to prepare a torch when exploring a cave. From the light of the torch, the concentration of oxygen inside could be judged. Thus, danger could be detected in time to avoid suffocation.
In general, the situation inside a natural cave was more complicated. It was very irregular, and the internal size was different. It was not as neat as artificial excavation. The depth of the cave was difficult to predict. There were even some natural caves that were dozens of miles long. No one even knew the true length. It was most appropriate to describe it as unfathomable.
For shallow caverns, there might be ventilation holes in the middle, but for deep caverns, there might not be any ventilation holes in the middle. Therefore, when exploring deep caverns, there were many times when one would be forced to return midway. When there was insufficient oxygen, one would have to return.
The depth of the cave that Ang Lee was exploring now was actually not very deep. This was a mountainous area, and the terrain was very complicated. The probability of having ventilation holes was relatively high. Therefore, they could explore deeper. If there were no ventilation holes, Ang Lee could only choose to return.
When the later generations built tunnels, they had to solve the problem of ventilation when they encountered super strong tunnels. They even had to add a lot of special ventilation equipment and consume energy to ventilate the interior. Otherwise, the people inside would suffocate because of the lack of oxygen. Especially when they were working, they needed more oxygen. Once they did not absorb enough oxygen, they would faint and lose their strength.
The caves along the way were sometimes big and sometimes small, but the smallest was still taller than a person, and the width was enough for three people to walk side by side. It was just that the stream under their feet was too irregular, sometimes in the middle, sometimes on the left, and sometimes on the right, so it was inevitable that everyone would often cross the stream, or else they could only wade in the water. Fortunately, the width of the stream had always been relatively narrow and shallow, so crossing the stream was not difficult. However, there were still many people whose shoes were wet, which made them very uncomfortable when they walked. No one would feel comfortable wearing wet shoes.
"This cave is really strange. There were a lot of valuable stones on the way here, but ever since we passed through the two caves, we haven't encountered a single valuable stone. They are all unremarkable bluestones."
Chen Long seemed to be a little dissatisfied as he spoke.
Ang Lee looked at the bluestones and said, "It seems that not only is the terrain of Jie Mountain complicated, but the geological situation is also very complicated!"
"Geological situation? What is geological situation? "
A Zhan Clan member asked.
They naturally understood the terrain. The mountainous terrain was rugged, but they had never heard of the term geological situation. Ang Lee naturally had to explain it to them.
"This geological situation! It's … "
Ang Lee explained it. Because it was not difficult to understand, the Zhan Clan members quickly understood. They also understood that the Jie Mountain area where their clan lived had such a complicated geological structure.
When they discovered the tungsten ore, Ang Lee thought that the entire Jie Mountain was filled with tungsten ore. When he saw the stalactites and gemstones, Ang Lee found that there was also lime ore. At this moment, Ang Lee found that there were ordinary stones, which were silicate ores. As for whether there were other geological structures, Ang Lee was not sure.
Under normal circumstances, the more complicated the geological structure was, the more dangerous it was. Geological disasters could happen at any time.
"The geological structure here is complicated, so it's easier for geological disasters to happen. So, everyone should be careful. If you find anything wrong, remind each other in time."
Ang Lee said.
"Assistant Minister Li, what is a geological disaster?"
The Zhan Clan members were curious and asked.
Ang Lee said, "It's a geological disaster! It's … "
Ang Lee knew a lot about geological disasters. According to the scientific explanation, natural disasters that were mainly caused by geo-dynamic activities or abnormal changes in the geological environment could be called geological disasters.
Under the action of the earth's internal forces, external forces, or man-made geo-dynamic forces, the earth's abnormal energy release, material movement, deformation and displacement of rocks and soil, and abnormal changes in the environment, endangering human life and property, life and economic activities, or destroying the resources and environment that humans rely on for survival and development.
Adverse geological phenomena were usually called geological disasters. They were geological events that deteriorated the geological environment caused by natural geological processes and human activities, reducing the quality of the environment, directly or indirectly endangering human safety, and causing losses to social and economic construction. Geological disasters were geological processes (phenomena) that were formed under the action of natural or man-made factors, causing damage and loss to human life and property, and the environment. For example, landslides, mudslides, ground fissures, ground subsidence, ground collapse, rock bursts, water bursts, mud bursts, gas bursts, coal spontaneous combustion, loess collapses, rock and soil expansion, sand liquefaction, soil freezing and thawing, soil erosion, desertification, swamps, soil salinization, earthquakes, volcanoes, geothermal damage, and so on.
After Ang Lee's explanation, the Zhan Clan members naturally understood the meaning of geological disasters. They were very happy to learn the knowledge.
"Assistant Minister Li, we've all seen mountain collapses, landslides, and ground collapses. What are the rest of them? For example, mudslides, rock bursts, and ground freezing and thawing? What are these? "
The Zhan Clan members asked curiously.
The Zhan Clan members who lived in the mountains had naturally seen a lot of geological disasters, but they had not encountered more disasters. Although there were many mountains here, there had never been a mudslide. Therefore, they naturally did not know what a mudslide was. As for the rest, they were even less clear. They did not have access to the outside world, so it was normal that they did not know.
Li An said, "This is a mudslide! They are … "
What is a mudslide? Mudslide refers to a special torrent of landslide caused by heavy rain, snowstorm or other natural disasters in mountainous areas or deep valleys with steep terrain. It carries a large amount of sand and stones. Mudslide has the characteristics of sudden, fast flowing, large flow, large material capacity, strong destructive power and so on. When a mudslide occurred, it would often destroy roads, railways, and other transportation facilities, even villages and towns, causing huge losses.
A mudslide was a torrent formed by rainstorms and floods that diluted the soft soil mountain containing sand and stones. Its area, volume, and flow rate were relatively large, while a landslide was a small area of the diluted soil mountain. A typical mudslide was composed of thick mud that was rich in silt and clay, suspended with thick solid debris suspended in the air. Under suitable terrain conditions, a large amount of water would soak the solid accumulated material in the flowing water slope or ditch bed, causing its stability to decrease. The solid accumulated material full of water would move under its own gravity, forming a mudslide. A mudslide was a disastrous geological phenomenon. Usually, a mudslide would erupt suddenly and fiercely, carrying large stones. Because it moved at high speed, it had powerful energy and was very destructive.
"If that's the case, a mudslide should occur in our Zhan Clan, but I haven't seen it even once!"
A Zhan Clan member said doubtfully.
"What? You want to see a mudslide? A powerful one can destroy the world! It might even swallow your Zhan Clan's walled city. "
Ang Lee said with a smile. After a pause, he explained, "Not all mountainous areas will have a mudslide. Although the terrain here is complicated, there are a lot of trees and flowers, especially on this mountain. There are all kinds of big and small trees, and there are so many grasses. With such a terrain, the chances of a mudslide occurring are not high."
Obviously, the condition for a mudslide to occur was a large amount of flood, and at the same time, there must be sufficient soil and stones. However, the vegetation in the Zhan Clan was quite good, and there was not much exposed soil. Therefore, even if there was a large amount of flood, it would be difficult to wash away a large amount of silt and stones. Therefore, there were no conditions for a mudslide to occur. Generally, a mountainous area with a large amount of vegetation destroyed was more likely to have a mudslide. Of course, this was also related to the specific terrain and precipitation. If there was no heavy rain, and the rainwater could flow away in time, then the chances of a mudslide occurring were not high.
Of course, if one was unlucky, even if the entire mountain was filled with large trees, a mudslide would still occur. After all, there were cases of landslides causing mudslides. Once the mountain had a landslide, a large number of trees on the surface would roll down, exposing a large amount of soil underneath. This created the conditions for a mudslide to occur. The Zhan Clan had also experienced landslides before, but after the landslides, what was exposed were hard rocks. Therefore, a mudslide did not occur. This was also luck!
"Assistant Minister Li, what is that rock burst?"
A Zhan Clan member asked.
"It's a rock burst! It's … "
Ang Lee opened his mouth and explained patiently.
What was a rock burst? Rock burst was a phenomenon where the accumulated elastic deformation potential energy in the rock mass was suddenly released violently under certain conditions, causing the rock to burst and eject out. Under normal circumstances, it would occur in surrounding rocks. When there was a river near the mountain or when the water table was high, the underground water would invade into the bottom of the mountain. At this time, the underground water would be pressured by the weight of the mountain to produce high pressure. If there were cracks in the mountain, the underground water would flow up along the cracks. This was what the folklore said, 'The higher the mountain, the higher the water.' After the high pressure water entered the cracks in the mountain, the air in the cracks would be pressured and look for a way out. If an exit was found on the surface of the mountain, it might evolve into a spring.
"Assistant Minister Li, what is this ground freezing and thawing?"
Another Zhan Clan member asked. Obviously, these Zhan Clan members were also very curious and liked to ask about things they didn't understand. At the same time, they also reflected Ang Lee's amiable and approachable nature and wouldn't refuse to answer.
Ang Lee opened his mouth and answered, "This ground freezing and thawing refers to a physical geological phenomenon where the soil layer freezes and thaws when the temperature drops below zero and rises above zero. Is there something you don't understand? In fact, the water in the soil freezes when the temperature is low and melts when the temperature is high. As a result, the soil becomes very unstable. When the water in the soil melts, the soil becomes very soft. When the water in the soil freezes, the soil becomes very hard.
The temperature in the Western Detention Area wasn't very cold even during winter. Therefore, the Zhan Clan people didn't have a deep understanding of the ground freezing and thawing. After all, there wasn't such a geological situation here. However, during winter, there would be snowy weather here and the water in the river would freeze. Therefore, they more or less knew about it.
"Assistant Minister Li, I understand. We also have snow during winter here. After the snow melts, the ground is full of soil. When people walk on it, they will leave many deep footprints. At night, these footprints will be frozen. Therefore, when we walk the next morning, we will find many hard bumps on the road. If we are not careful, it will be easy to sprain our feet and it will be very bumpy on the road."
A member of the Zhan Clan said.
Li An said happily, "Yes, you're right. That's the reason. The phenomenon in winter here can also be considered as land freezing and thawing. However, it's only on the surface. It doesn't have a big impact on life and roads. In some places, the land freezing and thawing doesn't stop at the surface. There's also the phenomenon of land freezing and thawing more than ten meters underground. In this way, the destructive power is much greater than in winter here. It's very likely that a newly built road will become a tragic sight in a few years."
Under the effect of the ground freezing and thawing, a flat road would soon become uneven. The more serious the ground freezing and thawing, the more terrible the degree of unevenness would be. After a few years, the effect would be too horrible to look at. The money spent on the road would basically be wasted.
Under the situation where the ground freezing and thawing could not be solved, the road couldn't be built casually. Forcibly building a road would be a waste of money. If they spent money on maintenance every year, the price would be too high.
These members of the Zhan Clan were curious enough. Subsequently, they asked about various geological disasters such as mud bursting, soil collapsing, sand liquefaction, etc. Ang Lee answered all of them one by one. Every geological disaster was explained very clearly and in detail, striving to make the members of the Zhan Clan understand. As for his guards, Ang Lee had already told them that when he had nothing to do, Ang Lee always liked to chat with his subordinates. It was the kind of dialogue that was equal. He didn't use his status to oppress his subordinates. This made everyone have a good impression of Ang Lee.
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