About 400 million years ago, when the present-day continents of North America and Europe were joined, the Caledonian mountain chain was the same size as the modern Himalayas.

现在的北美大陆和欧洲大陆大约在40亿年前是连接在一起的，在那时，加勒多尼亚山脉与现代的喜马拉雅山脉一样雄伟。

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Adapted for cool, cloudy conditions, their populations become isolated on particular peaks, which is why each mountain or chain of mountains tends to spawn scores of unique local species.

为了适应凉爽多云的环境，山地生物会各自居住在某一山头，彼此隔绝，所以每座山或是每一群山都会孕育许多与众不同的本地物种。

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The plate collision helped close the western part of the ancient Tethys Sea and lifted up the massive European mountain chain that persists today.

同时，这次板块碰撞封闭了特提斯海(即古地中海)的西部，并且形成了仍保存至今的欧洲大部分山脉。

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