Is it possible that the weight from "three gorges dam" triggered the earthquakes in China?

Question

Knowing that large dams have and can cause earthquakes.does it sound reasonable to make the connection

between the recent quakes,and the stress that the dam and

resiviour are placing on the crust?

Maybe the stress transfered to a weaker fault line and ruptured it.It also could be a contributing factor in the strength

and high number of aftershocks.

I would like to hear good solid answers to this question.I am

researching trying to find maps of tectonic plates,and asian

earthquake faults.

Answer 1

It's incredibly unlikely.  Yes, the weight of the Three Gorges Dam is immense, but compared to all the land around it, it's actually quite minuscule.  The only way it would be possible is if the dam was build directly on top of a very unstable fault (which, I think engineers probably would have accounted for), and even then I doubt it's possible.

Answer 2

The possibility is very low. The stress imposed bu the dam is far less significant compared to the mass of rock and soil around it.

Answer 3

Absolutely not.

Answer 4

The three gorges dam contribution to the recent 'quakes is about the same as a bird on the roof contributes to the fall of a house.  You just need to consider the amount of water behind the dam, compared to the stress in the fault lines by the 'quake.  Besides, the two places are several 100's of kilometers apart.

Answer 5

Three Gorges Dam is a long way from the latest earthquake's epicenter.  China is notorious for some big earthquakes -- the Tianshan (east of Beijing) quake in 1976 killed an estimated 650,000 people.  Nothing backs your speculations.

Answer 6

Please give me any and all information you have about dams causing earthquakes. I'd like to know about this "phenomenon".

The earthquake of May 12 and subsequent aftershocks are rooted in the convergence of the Indian plate with the Asian plate. This convergence activated faults in the Asian plate, triggering the earthquake.

Visit: http://www.usgs.gov Click on hazards on you will find a tectonic summary of this quake.

Answer 7

Doubt it, you have received some excellent answers though, i have learnt a lot by reading the answers to your question, way to go responders  :-)

Answer 8

First let me explain what is the real cause for earthquakes. We have several sandwiched layers in earth. The top layer where we live is called crust. The depth will be about 30 k/m in land and as low as 5 k/m in deep ocean. Next is the lithosphere made out of solid rocks the depth will be around 100 k/m. These tectonic plates were broken in to several large and small pieces long long ago. These plates are moving at the rate of about 50 to 100 mm per year causing the accumulation of stress. The sudden release of stress causes earthquakes. The pulling power from gravitational force during straight alignment of planets some time helps to pull it and there by the slipping process are accelerated. In that case how force acting against the force of stress in the tectonic plates can cause an earthquake. There fore any external force applied on earth surface like dam weight or the buildings weight can not be responsible for earthquakes.

Answer 9

Dude you're crazy. Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of the earths plates that the conitinents are sitting on

Answer 10

it could have but that isn't what did. the dam is in an eq zone and can even trigger eq's but it did not cause the recent one.