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China's Monster Three Gorges Dam Is About To Slow The Rotation Of The Earth
The Business Insider ^ | 6-18-2010 | Cutler Cleveland, The Energy Watch

Posted on 06/18/2010 7:01:52 AM PDT by blam

China's Monster Three Gorges Dam Is About To Slow The Rotation Of The Earth

Cutler Cleveland, The Energy Watch
Jun. 18, 2010, 9:23 AM

The Myth: The filling of the reservoir behind Three Gorges Dam in China changed the rotation of the Earth.

The Evidence: Three Gorges Dam, China crosses the Yangtze River in Hubei province, China. It the world’s largest hydroelectric power station by total capacity, which will be 22,500 MW when completed. When the water level is maximum at 175 meters (574 ft) over sea level (91 meters (299 ft) above river level), the reservoir created by the dam is about 660 kilometers (410 mi) in length and 1.12 kilometers (0.70 mi) in width on average. The total surface area of the reservoir is 1045 square kilometers, and it will will flood a total area of 632 square kilometers, of land. The reservoir will contain about 39.3 cu km (9.43 cubic miles) of water. That water will weigh more than 39 trillion kilograms (42 billion tons).

A shift in a mass of that size would affect the rotation of the Earth due to a phenomena known as the moment of inertia, which is the inertia of a rigid rotating body with respect to its rotation. The moment of inertia of an object about a given axis describes how difficult it is to change its angular motion about that axis. The longer the distance of a mass to its axis of rotation, the slower it will spin. You may not know it, but you see examples of this in everyday life. For example, a figure skater attempting to spin faster will draw her arms tight to her bodies

[snip]

The Verdict: True.

This is a guest post from The Energy Watch.

[snip]

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; dam; earth; threegorges
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To: Cold Heart

Except all the extra people living on Guam that will have already caused Guam to sink into the ocean and then were drowned.


61 posted on 06/18/2010 8:28:26 AM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: Kenny Bunk

Mud and wattles construction of the 3 Rivers Gorge Dam is described in the epic engineering fictionalized history novel: “Spots on the Wall” by Hoo Flung Poo. A good read but a little thick in places.


62 posted on 06/18/2010 8:31:18 AM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: blam

I thought soetoro was in charge of this stuff.


63 posted on 06/18/2010 8:45:59 AM PDT by onedoug
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To: BigBobber

This is why global warming is essential! When the Greenland icecap melts it will move a mass of water to a lower elevation, thereby speeding up the earth’s rotation to counteract the 3 Gorges dam!

Voila! Problem fixed! /sarc

;-)


64 posted on 06/18/2010 9:14:47 AM PDT by BwanaNdege ( "Hapana Obama!")
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To: Joe Brower

There are only two kinds of concrete:

1) Concrete that is cracked
2) Concrete that is going to crack


65 posted on 06/18/2010 9:20:22 AM PDT by Scythian
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To: melsec

Obviously this calls for further study and possibly a federal grant.


66 posted on 06/18/2010 9:49:10 AM PDT by hometoroost (Proverbs 8:36 - All those who hate me love death.)
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To: late bloomer
Showing your age with that one...

Sorry. Went to a really good grammar school in the 40's, back when America was a wealthy and powerful country. I remember the day that I was reading my favorite Chinese Detective Story before going to farrier class to learn a useful trade.

Yes. It was the perennially exciting "Brown Spots on the Wall."
by the inimitable Hoo Flung Dadung. Speaking of reading, there is no sadder proof of the dumbing down of America than the good old Readers Digest.

Peruse a copy from the 1950's, and compare it to a recent issue. Today's 8th Grade reading level, to which standard RD is edited, would clearly be about 3rd or 4th Grade level back then ... or about the level of Obama's supposed teleprompted oratory.

67 posted on 06/18/2010 9:53:01 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk (Is that big scar on BHO, Jr.'s head where they put in the receiver?)
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To: Kenny Bunk; John S Mosby

Sorry, Major. In my unseemly haste I did not notice that you also, are a fan of Chinese literature. A pity this thread could not switch to the Russian Classics available at the time.


68 posted on 06/18/2010 9:55:47 AM PDT by Kenny Bunk (Is that big scar on BHO, Jr.'s head where they put in the receiver?)
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To: Red Badger
"Longer days means more global warming!................"

That might not be a bad thing for those of us in areas where it gets cold in the winter. If Cap and Trade passes and we can no longer afford to stay warm in the winter a few degrees warmer may keep us from freezing to death!

69 posted on 06/18/2010 10:02:32 AM PDT by chris_bdba
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To: Jack Hydrazine
The Moon moves away from the Earth about 2 inches annually.

Given the current social and political condition of the Earth, can you blame the Moon? It's probably trying for more than 2 inches.

70 posted on 06/18/2010 10:03:17 AM PDT by upchuck (Don't let freedom slip away. After America, there is no place to go ~ Kitty Werthmann - Google her.)
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To: chris_bdba

OTOH, it also means longer nights..................


71 posted on 06/18/2010 10:09:04 AM PDT by Red Badger (No, Obama's not the Antichrist. He's just some guy in the neighborhood.............)
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To: dblshot
a liter of bourbon.

A liter? What are you, a commie? ;-)


72 posted on 06/18/2010 10:15:40 AM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: hometoroost

I’ll write the proposal when this hangover lifts!

Mel


73 posted on 06/18/2010 10:21:56 AM PDT by melsec
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To: blam

If I did the math right, given a 40 hour week, 50 weeks/year over a 40 year career span this means future generations will work 1/840,000th or 1/84,000th of a second longer depending on if the decimal was placed properly.


74 posted on 06/18/2010 10:22:44 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Political correctness in America today is a Rip Van Winkle acid trip.)
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To: SoothingDave

Well that’s what it says on the bottle now, just a way to up the price but I never saw any one complain about it. Wait till they start selling gasoline by the liter like they do in Europe, people are going throw tantrums.


75 posted on 06/18/2010 10:23:33 AM PDT by dblshot (Insanity - electing the same people over and over and expecting different results.)
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To: Scythian

Well, maybe. But consider this the Hoover Dam (Grand Coulee Dam) concrete is still curing to this day. The concrete within the dam is still hardening from its original pouring. This was calculated for by the engineers. Amazing.


76 posted on 06/18/2010 10:26:50 AM PDT by John S Mosby (Sic Semper Tyrannis)
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To: Scythian

There is also concrete that has cracked, broken, has been ground up, and is in the liquid state, waiting for a new chance to crack.


77 posted on 06/18/2010 10:41:14 AM PDT by MortMan (If quizzes are quizzicle, what are tests?)
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To: blam

LOL!


78 posted on 06/18/2010 10:45:26 AM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: Young Werther

You saying Obama is a real Manchurian candidate?


79 posted on 06/18/2010 7:53:25 PM PDT by bigheadfred (I said free association. Not freely associate.)
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To: Joe Brower

Stadiums built in Africa as “gifts” from the PRC are already crumbling after 20 years.


80 posted on 06/19/2010 12:52:33 AM PDT by happygrl (Continuing to predict that 0bama will resign)
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