Keeping an eye on Three Gorges Dam...
Oh, yeah. The term "game-changer" is over-used but if that dam goes we won't be talking about the WuFlu anymore.
China floods threaten collapse of The Three Gorges Dam, one of the world largest. This article maybe of interest to only a few of you, but if it materializes, in some form or another it may affect all of us.
I came across a mathematical study the other day in reference to the water pressure against the dam walls of the Three Gorges dam which was rather impressive with a conservative estimate of about 25 million tons of pressure. You may find this short movie clip on YouTube by searching for FORCE OF WATER ON CHINA’S 3 GORES DAM WALL.
As far as the stability of this dam is concerned, from time to time I run across the comment that the base of this dam is not anchored to the bedrock beneath, since it is known as a gravity dam. The thought crossed my mind that this may have been done on purpose, why? From what I understand is that this area is subject to frequent quakes and needless to say, should there be a solid connection to the bedrock below it would transfer any motion throughout the whole dam.
With the dam being constructed from individual blocks any severe motion of the ground beneath could place quite a bit of stress on any of the individual sections forcing them to move. This along with the enormous water pressure behind the dam wall, could quite possible expedite the demise of this dam. For this reason I believe, maybe I am wrong, they choose to let the ground slide independently from the structure resting on top.
Either way, I would not feel comfortable or safe living anywhere downstream of this dam, knowing that this dam is holding back a lake approximately 360 miles in length. Not only that, but should this dam give way I would not be surprised to see that it would usher in some big political changes, which would be to the benefit of several neighboring countries including Hong Kong
Any recent news on the dam?