(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.
Possible earthquake and bank stability due to the reservoir
The possible earthquake issue due to Three Gorges reservoir has been emphasized by the government for a long time, and extensive researches have been made on the issue involved in the rock, geologic structure, osmosis, etc. A 300~800 m deep-hole earth stress observation is carried out at dam and reservoir site and the earthquake intensive observation is made on some fracture zones around the dam. According to the researches, the geologic structure is stable, and has no geological background for a
Geographical overview of the Three Gorges dam and reservoir, China—geologic hazards and environmental impacts
(2008) The Three Gorges dam and reservoir are an ongoing project that will involve a continuous process of construction, maintenance, monitoring, evaluation, and modification. Some of the history, construction characteristics, hydropower statistics, environmental and population impacts, monitoring, and current and potential hazards of the massive dam project are presented in this Microsoft PowerPoint® format.
Earthquake Reports
(May 31, 2007) Read here about the effect of earthquakes on dams… and vice versa.
Largest network for monitoring sinking land OK’d
(February 10, 2007) China’s largest network for monitoring land subsidence, or land sinking, has passed appraisal tests, the China Geological Survey, a bureau of the Chinese Ministry of Land and Resources, said yesterday.
China’s big dams: Are they safe?
(January 29, 2007) It goes without saying that flood control is one of the most important functions a dam project can fulfill. However, it is unrealistic to build a dam expecting it to achieve a permanent solution to a flood problem.
Seismologists: further destructive earthquakes in China city unlikely
(October 30, 2006) Seismologists in central China’s Hubei province have ruled out the possibility of a stronger quake jolting Suizhou city, which was hit Friday by an earthquake measuring 4.7 degrees on the Richter scale.
Quakes jolt Three Gorges area as huge reservoir fills
(October 29, 2006) The strongest earthquake to hit China’s Hubei province in two decades shook an area near the Three Gorges dam on Oct. 27, the same day the project’s rising reservoir reached the 2006 target of 156 metres above sea level.
Quake strikes near China’s Three Gorges Dam
(October 28, 2006) An earthquake measuring 4.7 on the Richter scale struck central China near the $25-billion Three Gorges Dam, but no damage to the structure was immediately reported, state media said Saturday.
The bridge doctor
(October 14, 2006) (Article excerpt) … [Engineering professor Maria Feng and her colleagues at University of California (Irvine)] have developed sensors that monitor stress on everything from bridges and high-rise buildings to dams that are prone to damage from earthquakes. One of the devices is a fiber optic sensor that’s the size of a half dollar.
China to build earthquake warning system at Three Gorges Reservoir area
(August 22, 2006) A network of 21 digital earthquake-monitoring stations is to be set up in the Chongqing section of the Three Gorges reservoir by the end of next year, to ‘prevent damage caused by earthquakes and other disasters.’
Quakes the main natural disaster killer on mainland
(August 6, 2006) Earthquakes have killed more people in China than any other form of natural disaster, accounting for 54 per cent of such deaths since 1949, a Chinese seismological official says.
Quake warnings ignored
(July 28, 2006) Chinese media reports have accused the Yunnan government of failing to alert the public about seismic warnings ahead of a July 22 quake that claimed at least 22 lives.
Three Gorges revisited
(May 3, 2006) Sichuan geologist Fan Xiao travels to the Three Gorges reservoir area, and reports on aspects of the project that continue to trouble Chinese experts.
Patricia Adams
Dai Qing
Fan Xiao
Lawrence Solomon
Mu Lan
Probe International
Lisa Peryman
Patricia Adams and Lawrence Solomon
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