Natural History: Articles

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The Yangtze's peril, promise: exploring above and below China's Three Gorges Dam
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015-08-20) Rolston, Holmes, 1932-, author; Fort Collins Coloradoan, publisher
The Three Gorges Dam is, by most counts, the largest dam in the world, 1.3 miles wide, and impounds more water than any other dam, creating a lake 400 miles long, about the length of Lake Superior. Three scenic wild gorges were drowned. The Yangtze River flood in 1931 killed 3.7 million. The dam is built to withstand a scale 7 earthquake, and there is uncertainty about the likelihood of an earthquake. The Communists envision what they call an "ecological civilization," although there is an omnipresent grey haze from pollution resulting from development. Three Gorges is a perfect model for Communist glory in heroic labor. This masterpiece of human construction has replaced and tamed three gorges, masterpieces of nature.