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The Ma Rib Dam (Yemen) : Outline: Dams (P. 12)

Dams are structures used to block or divert water and have been used for over 5,000 years. There are around 500,000 dams worldwide, ranging from small structures less than 3 meters high to large dams over 15 meters. Dams are classified based on their materials and serve purposes like raising water levels, generating electricity, and preventing floods. The main types of dams include gravity dams, earthfill dams, arch dams, and buttress dams, which differ based on the riverbed, geology, and available materials and labor. Modern dams are often multi-purpose and the tallest dam is the 300-meter Nurek Dam in Tajikistan, while the largest is China's Three Gorges Dam.

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Qasem NA
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37 views

The Ma Rib Dam (Yemen) : Outline: Dams (P. 12)

Dams are structures used to block or divert water and have been used for over 5,000 years. There are around 500,000 dams worldwide, ranging from small structures less than 3 meters high to large dams over 15 meters. Dams are classified based on their materials and serve purposes like raising water levels, generating electricity, and preventing floods. The main types of dams include gravity dams, earthfill dams, arch dams, and buttress dams, which differ based on the riverbed, geology, and available materials and labor. Modern dams are often multi-purpose and the tallest dam is the 300-meter Nurek Dam in Tajikistan, while the largest is China's Three Gorges Dam.

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Qasem NA
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Outline: Dams (p.

12)

I. Dams - def. = A structure used to block or divert water in a stream,


river, etc.
A. Used for:
1. raising water level
2. generating electricity
3. hold water (for crops, drinking)
4. protect from floods
B. One of oldest structures: 5000 years in M.E.
1. Jawa Dam (Jordan) ~ 3000 BC
2. The Ma‘rib Dam (Yemen) ~ 700 BC
C. Today ~ 500,000 dams in the world
1. most <3m high
2. large >15m (40,000 worldwide)
II. Classification of Dams
A. Materials:
1. concrete
2. stone masonry
3. loose rock
4. earth
5. wood
6. combination of materials
B Type - depends on:
7. riverbed
8. geology
9. materials available
10. workers available
III. Types of Dams
A. Gravity Dams - hold water by
gravity/weight force (water
can’t push the dam
downstream)
1. must have thick base/heavy mass - deeper water = ^
horizontal pressure
2. are thinner at the top - less pressure
B. Embankment Dam - (type of gravity dam)
1. from mound of loose rock and/or earth
2. has a waterproof layer e.g. concrete, flat stone panels
prevent leaking/erosion
3. core of impervious material e.g., concrete, steel, clay
C. Arch Dam - curved upstream into reservoir, between canyon
walls
1. Made from concrete or masonry
2. water pressure transferred to canyon walls
3. narrow canyon with solid walls required
4. not as massive as gravity dams
D. Buttress Dam - A wall supported by buttresses facing
downstream
1. most buttresses - reinforced concrete 6 - 30m apart
2. Flat slab - upstream face is flat
3. Multiple arch - upstream arches that rest on buttresses
IV. Modern Dams
A. Multipurpose e.g. flood control and electricity generation. e.g.:
1. Aswan Dam (Egypt)
2. Itaipu Dam (Brazil/Paraguay) 190m tall, 12600 MW of
power
B. Tallest dam: Nurek Dam, (Tajikistan) (300m)
C. Barrage (only for impounding water) e.g Syncrude Tailings Dam
(Canada) holds 540,000 cubic m water
D. World’s largest dam - Three Gorges Dam (China) (Gravity Dam)
1. largest concrete structure in the world
2. largest hydro-electric power plant (18,000 MW)
3. reservoir 660 Km - largest lake in the world
4. dam wall - 2,309m long, 185m high
5. ~ 2 million people displaced to build the dam

Note Taking: Best Practices

The goal of note taking is to record information clearly in the shortest possible way. To do
this, good note takers practice the following strategies:
 Use abbreviations
 Use symbols
 Avoid complete sentences
 Paraphrase where possible, but keep scientific/technical terms and proper names

Can you find examples of these strategies in the outline above?

For more practice, have a look at the Note Taking Skills section of Appendix 1

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