(May 20, 2008) A senior Chinese engineer has said that a series of dams situated in the vicinity of the epicenter should remain stable barring any massive aftershocks, reports the Wall Street Journal.
China’s quake: the dam factor
(May 20, 2008) A foreign service correspondent for the San Francicso Chronicle quotes Probe International’s Patricia Adams in a story linking China’s devastating earthquake to speculation that the country’s enormous Three Gorges dam “was a factor in causing the killer Sichuan province quake.”
China earthquakes. More peril: Dam and reservoir collapse
(May 17, 2008) The 7.8 earthquake that shook Sichuan Province in the afternoon of May 12, killing an estimated 50,000, is posing a continuing threat as the untold damage to hydropower stations and reservoir dams upstream on the Min River (the Minjiang) becomes apparent, reports Chinastakes.
China sends experts to assess reservoir damage in quake-hit Sichuan
(May 16, 2008) China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Friday dispatched nine emergency repair teams to Sichuan to assess the conditions of reservoirs after Monday’s massive earthquake, reports Xinhua.
Case Study: Three Gorges Dam
(May 15, 2008) Though the deadly Wenchuan earthquake was the result of tectonic stresses, experts are concerned that the filling of the Three Gorges dam’s enormous reservoir may have induced or exacerbated the earthquake.
What Makes A Tremor So Destructive?
(May 15, 2008) As China reels following Monday’s earthquake, scientists are just beginning to figure out the complex mechanics that triggered a temblor of such destructive force and widespread reach.
Chinese dams compromised by earthquake; authorities on alert
(May 14, 2008) In the wake of China’s massive earthquake, and amidst the desperate recovery effort, Chinese authorities have still more to worry about as damage to existing dams becomes evident.
China’s deadly earthquake: Was the Three Gorges reservoir a trigger?
(May 14, 2008) The world’s earthquake experts have identified tectonic plate movements as the cause of this week’s earthquake in southwestern China. But the question now is did the filling of the massive Three Gorges reservoir, which reaches the southeastern part of the Sichuan Basin, trigger seismic activity in what has always been an earthquake-prone region?
China says troops rush to plug dangerous cracks in dam
(May 13, 2008) The Zipingpu dam has been left with dangerous cracks as a result of Monday’s deadly earthquake, AP reports.
Special Report: Strong quake jolts SW China
(May 13, 2008) Earthquake forecasting remains a “hard nut” to crack, a Chinese expert told reporters here on Tuesday.
Disaster set off by colliding land masses
(May 13, 2008) The earthquake in the Sichuan Province of China on Monday was a result of a continuing collision between India and Asia.
How Dams Fail
(May 1, 2008) There are different types of dams classified by the material and design used in construction. These differences influence how and why dams fail. A dam can be classified by its material, indicating whether it is earthen or concrete. Dam components can also include iron, steel or timber or a combination of any of the above.
FACT SHEET: Measuring Earthquakes
(May 1, 2008) The Richter scale provides an objective way of measuring and comparing the size of earthquakes using a mathematical device.
China’s Three Gorges dam: An environmental catastrophe?
(April 8, 2008) Fan Xiao, a geologist at the Bureau of Geological Exploration and Exploitation of Mineral Resources in Sichuan province, is quoted saying recent landslides in the Three Gorges area are directly linked to filling the reservoir. Water first seeps into the loose soil at the base of the area’s rocky cliffs, destabilizing the land and making it prone to slides.
Fragile Three Gorges: Caijing magazine reports
(February 20, 2008) Chief engineer of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area Disaster Control Headquarters says the number of landslides and collapses in the dam’s reservoir area have nearly doubled between 2001 and 2003, reports Caijing magazine.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Probe Media
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