Imagine something so massive it can gently push the entire planet off balance. That’s exactly what a colossal dam in China has done—shifting Earth’s rotation axis by nearly an inch and subtly lengthening our days. This might sound like science fiction, but it’s real, verified by NASA and experts studying the planet’s delicate movements.
Built over 18 years, the Three Gorges Dam reshaped the Yangtze River’s flow, creating a reservoir so vast it holds about 10 trillion gallons of water. This accumulation of water isn’t just a feat of engineering; it has a surprising effect on the Earth’s spin and stability.
How the three gorges dam impacts Earth’s rotation and axis
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Between 1994 and 2012, the Three Gorges Dam transformed the Yangtze River into a massive reservoir containing roughly 39.3 billion cubic meters (about 10 trillion gallons) of water. Experts at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center report that this weight has physically shifted Earth’s rotation axis by nearly two centimeters—roughly three-quarters of an inch.
Though two centimeters may seem tiny, it’s significant when considering the planet’s size. Even more intriguing is that this added mass is concentrated above sea level, pressing on Earth’s crust and redistributing the planet’s mass. Scientists explain that changes in how the Earth’s mass is spread out influence the moment of inertia, the property that affects how quickly the planet spins.
Think of a figure skater spinning with arms extended—when the skater pulls their arms in, they spin faster; when they stretch out again, the spin slows. Earth, too, spins slightly slower when mass moves farther from its axis. The dam’s reservoir essentially “extends the planet’s arms,” causing a tiny slowdown of about 0.06 microseconds in each day. While imperceptible in daily life, it’s measurable with precision instruments.
Similar effects were noticed after natural disasters such as the massive 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which shifted Earth’s axis and shortened the day by a few microseconds due to tectonic movement. The case of the dam is a powerful example of how human activities can alter global geophysical balances.
Environmental and human ripple effects of China’s largest hydroelectric project
The Three Gorges Dam isn’t just notable for reshaping Earth’s axis; it’s also a human and environmental story on a grand scale. Aside from its staggering size, the dam includes state-of-the-art lock systems and a ship elevator capable of lifting vessels weighing up to 6,600 tons over a vertical height exceeding 330 feet. This facilitates improved inland navigation on the Yangtze, powering trade and commerce in the region.
This technological marvel brings significant benefits. It generates more than 80 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually—enough to supply multiple countries—while reducing dependence on coal and other fossil fuels in China. Additionally, the dam helps control flooding along the Yangtze River, protecting millions of residents downstream.
But not all impacts are positive. Constructing the reservoir displaced approximately 1.3 million people, forcing entire communities to relocate and dramatically altering about 370 miles of landscape. The flooded areas have transformed ecosystems that took centuries to evolve, raising questions about the cost of progress and the price of human intervention in nature.
Several studies, including a report published in 2010 by the journal Geophysical Research Letters, emphasize that large-scale projects such as this can produce subtle yet significant shifts in Earth’s balance. Experts call for a careful weighing of benefits against environmental and geophysical consequences when undertaking such feats.
Lessons from Earth’s subtle response to human engineering
The story of the Three Gorges Dam reveals something profound about our relationship with the planet: even when we act locally with the best intentions—powering cities, preventing floods, and boosting economies—we impact the Earth on a global scale. The planet’s rotation and axis, processes that seem immutable, are sensitive to shifts in mass distribution whether caused by natural events or large engineering projects.
I recall visiting a reservoir once and being struck by how much water silently lay there, stretching to the horizon. It made me think about the unseen forces at play—not just water’s visible power, but how its weight might affect the very ground beneath our feet. The Three Gorges Dam is not just a human achievement; it’s a reminder that our planet is a finely tuned system where changes ripple across continents and influence the very measure of our days.
So, what do you think? Should we be more cautious about creating mega-structures that change Earth’s physical balance? Have you ever experienced or witnessed large infrastructure projects that made you rethink how humans interact with nature? Share your thoughts below—your experiences might inspire others to view humanity’s footprint through a new lens. Don’t forget to share this story and start a conversation with friends who love science and the environment.
It’s ironic, isn’t it? That the super storms, global warming, climate change etc.l began in 1995…just after this damn was completed
But it’s all American fault cause we burn a little coal
We all gonna die. Right?
I will be long gone before Judgement Day . Pray for all who follows 🙏
That raises an interesting question…. when humans mine goal and burn , does that process change the inertia of the globe as well? What about pumping oil what about quarrying for any kind of stone or rock? Hmmm…
The filling behind the dam was completed in 2012.
I visited in 2002 while it was being built. A Chinese guide brought us to meet a villager who was displaced little old lady. The guide asked, “Are you happy? and she said, “I am so very happy.” bowing compulsively repeatedly like obediently?
I noticed when visiting NYC – that the folks living in Manhattan do not see much sunlight during the day between the highrise buildings.
I am positive this has an effect on their psyche. It also probably affects why so many people are out on the streets. They might not even realize they are “chasing” the body’s need for sunlight (which is crucial to human being’s health and wellness).
This phenomenon is also part of many other large cities. Human beings NEED sunlight.
I would have to agree with that for sure that’s makes total sense but that Mega Structure has definitely has shifted. To where it’s melting the Earth. But it doesn’t help with all the plastic floating around in our seas. Just not good. But I live in the midwest New Mexico and it’s made our days hotter extremely hotter during the Summers it’s lengthened our summer I’ve noticed
Best days of my life have been in NYC. Easy to get lots of daylight and sunshine. Only a tourist who was there for a hectic trip would imagine something so daft.
Maybe in the next world War the usa can blow it up and restore the earth’s natural rotation
Murica! How very typical..
Agreed. Great city.
It’s a bit scary to think how much this type and size of construction can affect our planet. Now that we know, perhaps we should be more cautious about some other large, weighty thing being built.
You said it. “Our planet is a finely tuned system where changes ripple across continents and influence the very measure of our days”. The fine tuning must come from beyond our planet, by someone who knows exactly what needs to be done. It is the Almighty God who finely tuned our world at creation and even when mankind tries to improve on it and stuffs it up, can bring healing and rejuvenation to the world He made for His loved creatures.
We should build something massive here in the US to counter balance the Chinese dam. 😁
Hmmmm….the Hoover Dam is the same size. Maybe they counter balanced us??
The water held by the hoover is still below sea level
That’s what I was gonna say find the other side of the world and have something to balance it lol (but jk)
Does this apply to city’s are
they also doing the same thing
Everything us humans are doing to the earth is terrible. The unneeded buildings when there is plenty of already built structures. The mass production of junk that people buy and just throw away. Moving and capturing natural stuff is all terrible. The earth lays things down where they are to stay stable. Humans are very unstable, always needing more more more and it is raking a toll on earth. I bet within the next year we will have another major flood. Mosses style.
You are right on the issue of flood. Definitely we gonna have floods and massive ones across the world.
Altering the Earth’s axis creates more problems for the human species so can we now officially blame China for Global Warming?
It’s a disaster in the making, one earthquake and all that power stored will wipe anything off the map downstream.
Who would have thought a mountain in the swiss Alps could wipe out a village in an instant
Humans are ruining the world.
Why does every here feel the need to blame another country, one that’s existed for thousands of years longer than the US, for something that the entire of humanity is contributing to? Are you mad at them for procreating longer than you? Overdevelopment will happen to every country over time. Your childish blame-game mindset accomplishes nothing.
Nana–nanana
Lets see here, Covid came out of China. They have take zero responsibilty for it, not even apologized to the millions of families who have lost loved ones. They are constantly cyber attacking the U.S., constantly violating patent laws, and now they have altered the Earth and directly impacted all of its inhabitants. When is someone going to wake up and put them in check?
This is a completely biased comment…I understand you are trying to vent but at least be fair. Firstly, Yes, covid did come out of China and even though they did make a few mistakes at the start of the pandemic, it is not their fault. You can’t blame a country for being the origin of a pandemic. In addition,an apology is unrealistic as they could not have possibly predicted the spread of the pandemic. While they are the source of the virus, it is unrealistic in the political sense for them to apologise for it. From what you said, then other countries should also be blamed for all the pandemics over mankind’s existence… But did they? No, because its not their fault for pandemic outbreaks. Your comment is extremely one sided and please do some fact checking before lashing out at a country. This often causes disputes and arguments which is not necessary. I understand where you are coming from but its not good to make such one sided statements. your comment sounds childish and could be interpreted as racially insensitive, so lets not read an article and immediately start blaming other countries. ( I aint from china but I just wanna share my views on ur comments:)
They were affected by Covid too.
I agree that it has contributed to global warming and effects the seasons. The tilt in the axis will give certain areas more direct sunlight. The Earth spins at a considerable fast rate. The slower it goes the temp increases. The damp maybe a phenomenal achievement, it is also going to fail one day or be used as a weapon against the Chinese people.
Reservoir created is 27th largest list. Let’s chek top 3 and blame those countries.
Save us from us
GREED will be the death of us all !!
What about the super collider in Geneva. I don’t think scientists should be playing God trying to find dark matter or what ever they are doing. Playing with life altering or possible manipulation of atoms , protons and electrons is against all ethical standards and it should stop. Humans are fragile and shouldn’t be played with. Your going off a cliff or a slippery slope and mankind will suffer. You will have to answer for this, it won’t be pretty.
Exactly that’s what we need to be looking at, not this.
If something or someone takes out that dam the death and destruction would be devastating. An Achilles heel for sure.
I realize certain people in this world have convinced a ridiculous number of people that they at always right.
However, the reality of it is, it’s only a matter of time before that damn is displaced enough and the what they call normal cracks, as in every damn will no longer be able to handle the stress.
And the will come tumbling down.
It’s inevitable.
Get ready for the worst manmade disaster in history.
Changing the position of the Earth’s rotational axis can cause a catastrophe. Human are busy destroying mother Earth and need to be stopped. Now, what can happen if pressure builds up and this giant dam breaks?
Instead of blaming why don’t you build your own damn dam and balance the shift in the axis, and of course if you can, but i don’t think that’s possible for any other country other than china. This all seems to be a comment triggered by a jealousy out of what the country can do and others couldn’t. Mind your own business, build your own dam don’t make a scene stating sensitive issues like axis shifting or any other. I bet it would be normal if it was done by the US, yeah?…
are we gonna drowned
The shift in the Earth’s axis by this giant project didn’t violate but validated ALL Newton’s three laws of motion:-
1. Every object will continue to be in a state of rest or uniform motion unless it is acted upon by an external force.
2. The rate of change of momentum of a body is directly proportional to the impressed force and takes place in the direction of the force.
3) To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
China is bad for the world! I disagree this what they want the world to believe!!!!! That’s true in one comment humans ruin everything and China is the worst. But there’s some good in humans who want to help we need more tho.
👍
This damn holding all this weight on the Earth is really no different than the giant cities. We’ve created the massive amount of weight that we put on the edge of these tectonic plates. Can’t be any different. These giant skyscrapers like in New York think about all the weight that is sitting on that tectonic plate there
I thought about what we take from the center of the United States and shifted all to the edge of the oceans that massive amount of weight that that we are building on the edge of the tectonic plates like in California New York, Seattle Miami it’s not just China’s damn that is holding all that water we have dams that are holding trillions of gallons of water look at Lake Mead how many trains of gallons are holding another small dams across United States but we damned up rivers look at the Columbia river how many dams have on it how much water is being backed up just so you we can use hydroelectric power, the amount of concrete that we poured on the tectonic plate can’t be any better than all that water in China
Does it matter? The worlds ending soon anyway.