MikePScott
Vajont Dam, Veneto, Italia
The Vajont Dam (or Vaiont Dam) is a disused dam, completed in 1959 in the valley of the Vajont River under Monte Toc, in the municipality of Erto e Casso, 100 km (60 miles) north of Venice, Italy. One of the tallest dams in the world, it is 262 metres (860 ft) high, 27 metres (89 ft) wide and 22.11 metres (72 ft 6 in) thick at the base and 191 metres (627 ft) wide and 3.4 metres (11 ft 2 in) thick at the top.
On 9 October 1963, during initial filling, a massive landslide caused a man-made megatsunami in the lake in which 50 million cubic metres of water overtopped the dam in a wave 250 metres (820 ft) high, leading to 1,910 deaths and the complete destruction of several villages and towns.
The construction company and the Italian government initially disregarded early warning signs and reports describing the geological instability of Monte Toc on the southern side of the basin. The eventual attempt to safely control the landslide by lowering the lake level was too late. The dam remained almost intact and two thirds of the water was retained behind it, but the landslide was much larger than expected and the impact brought massive flooding and destruction to the Piave valley below.
Vajont Dam, Veneto, Italia
The Vajont Dam (or Vaiont Dam) is a disused dam, completed in 1959 in the valley of the Vajont River under Monte Toc, in the municipality of Erto e Casso, 100 km (60 miles) north of Venice, Italy. One of the tallest dams in the world, it is 262 metres (860 ft) high, 27 metres (89 ft) wide and 22.11 metres (72 ft 6 in) thick at the base and 191 metres (627 ft) wide and 3.4 metres (11 ft 2 in) thick at the top.
On 9 October 1963, during initial filling, a massive landslide caused a man-made megatsunami in the lake in which 50 million cubic metres of water overtopped the dam in a wave 250 metres (820 ft) high, leading to 1,910 deaths and the complete destruction of several villages and towns.
The construction company and the Italian government initially disregarded early warning signs and reports describing the geological instability of Monte Toc on the southern side of the basin. The eventual attempt to safely control the landslide by lowering the lake level was too late. The dam remained almost intact and two thirds of the water was retained behind it, but the landslide was much larger than expected and the impact brought massive flooding and destruction to the Piave valley below.