Question

Answer the following in your own words.
Is there any relation between the dam and the earthquake? Explain.

Answer 1

Hint: A dam is a large structure that is used to store water. Dams are constructed on the rivers to control their flow, store water, and produce energy from that water. Moreover, earthquakes are the tremors that are produced inside the surface of the earth due to the movement of the tectonic plates underneath.

Complete answer: Dams and earthquakes have a direct relationship with each other. This is because it is commonly known that the dams are damaged by earthquakes. Dams are very large and heavy structures and even the slightest bit of shaking and tremor causes cracks to develop in them. The cracks can cause the dams to fail. This is because the ground shaking that results from the earthquakes is sufficient to collapse the faulty or even the good dams. The dams with large reservoirs of water are also known to cause earthquakes. The construction of the dams creates very large reservoirs of water. These water reservoirs submerge very big portions of the land underneath. Due to this reason, the dams exert excess pressure on the fissures of the ground and the micro-cracks of the ground under the reservoir. This excess pressure causes the water to seep into the ground. This percolated water then lubricates the rocks. In some cases, when the pressure of the water is very high, the water reaches the planes of the faults known as the fault planes. This water then lubricates these fault planes. Due to this lubrication, the friction between the tectonic plates is reduced. This results in the plates slipping over one another, thereby triggering an earthquake by the dam.

Note: Dams are very important structures from the construction point of view. Due to this reason, several precautions are taken to prevent failure. Dams are constructed with the greatest factor of safety. They are created for a lifetime of a hundred to two hundred years of standing.