The Three Gorges Dam, or How the Chinese slowed the Earth's Rotation
It is no secret that human activity can have an impact on the topography, ecology, and even the tectonic system of the Earth. But it turns out that some man-made objects can affect the planet on a more global scale. The monster dam, built by the Chinese on the Yangtze River, was able to slow down the rotation of the earth. And this is not a joke.
The innocuously named "Three Gorges" dam was built in Hubei Province, across China's great Yangtze River, in 2003. To date, this is the most grandiose hydroelectric construction on the planet, and in the coming years, the palm is unlikely to be challenged by anyone.
The idea to block one of the largest rivers in Asia appeared in the government of the Middle Kingdom in 1994. The country was actively realizing its industrial potential, building new cities and railways, so it needed a huge amount of electricity. At the same time, electricity production was to be carried out in an environmentally friendly way, without the use of "peaceful atoms" and even more so coal and fuel oil.
But the dam had another important purpose – during the rainy season, the Yangtze periodically overflowed its banks, becoming a real disaster for millions of residents of the river valley. The construction was supposed to curb the elements and stop the uncontrolled annual flooding of the river in Hubei Province.
No expense was spared for the implementation of the unprecedented project – the construction cost an incredible 28.5 billion dollars. During the construction process, the latest technologies and innovative materials were used, as well as generating equipment with the highest possible efficiency.
And so, in 2003, the Three Gorges dam with a fantastic hydroelectric power station was solemnly commissioned. Has it lived up to the expectations placed on it? If we talk about electricity generation, then quite. But the dam could not protect the residents of Hubei Province. Moreover, the structure, which holds back 39 trillion kilograms of water and raised the river level by 175 meters, has caused serious problems.
First, in order to build a dam on the river, the residents of three large cities, 114 small towns and 1,680 villages had to be moved out of the flood zone. Secondly, the huge mass of water held by a dam in a mountainous area has disrupted the delicate tectonic balance in the bowels of the planet. Because of this, earthquakes have become more frequent in the region, as a result, 1.3 million people had to move out of the seismically dangerous zone.
But most of all, scientists were concerned that the Three Gorges dam slowed the Earth's rotation and shifted the North Pole by two centimeters! NASA has determined that the planet is now rotating 0.06 microseconds slower than normal, and the colossal moment of inertia created by the volume of water passing through the dam is to blame.
The Earth's rotation is affected by many factors, such as the position of the Moon and other planets, earthquakes, and even atmospheric pollution. But the "Three Dams" is the first man-made object in the history of mankind, which was able to "suspend" our planet. So far, scientists are at a loss to say what this threatens humanity in the long term, but they are absolutely sure that we will not get away with it.
And China… He goes forward, surprising and shocking with the scope of his achievements. It is already estimated that in just two years, this country has produced more cement than the United States in a century!
Keywords: Earth | China | Hydroelectric power station | Construction | Dam | Production | North pole