In October 1963, a massive landslide crashed into the reservoir behind Italy’s Vajont Dam, triggering a catastrophic mega-tsunami. A towering wave surged over the dam and tore through the narrow ...
MSN: The wave that erased a town: The terrifying story of one of the world’s tallest dams, Vajont Dam
On , a colossal engineering marvel became a monument to human overconfidence. High in the Italian Alps, the Vajont Dam- then the world’s tallest- withstood the unthinkable: a massive ...
The wave that erased a town: The terrifying story of one of the world’s tallest dams, Vajont Dam
MSN: They built the world’s tallest dam - then the mountain moved
Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees (also known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions.
dam, structure built across a stream, a river, or an estuary to retain water. Dams are built to provide water for human consumption, for irrigating arid and semiarid lands, or for use in industrial processes.
The oldest known dam is the Jawa Dam, located in present-day Jordan. It was built in the fourth century B.C.E. Dams provided farmers with a steady source of water to irrigate crops.
Explore the types of dams, their advantages, disadvantages, and classification in this comprehensive guide to dams.
Dams can help protect communities from floods, provide water to irrigate farmland, enable safe passage for boats and barges, create places to play on the river and provide the Northwest with reliable, low-cost electricity. While not all dams perform the same jobs, most dams provide multiple benefits.