Usoi Dam

The Usoi Dam is a natural dam along the Murghab River in the Central Asian nation of Tajikistan. The dam was created on February 18, 1911, when a great earthquake estimated between 8 and 9 on the Richter Scale caused a massive landslide to block the flow of the river. The Usoi is formed of approximately two cubic kilometers of rock dislodged from the steeply sloped river valley of the Murghab, which cuts through the high and rough Pamir Mountains. The basin formed by Usoi now holds Sarez Lake, a 60-kilometer long lake holding 17 cubic kilometers of water.

Related Topics:
Dam - Murghab River - Central Asia - Tajikistan - February 18 - 1911 - Earthquake - Richter Scale - Landslide - Pamir Mountains - Sarez Lake - Lake

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Geologists are concerned that the Usoi Dam may become unstable during future large-magnitude earthquakes, which are relatively common in the seismically active Pamirs, and might collapse due to liquefaction or subsequent landslides during such an event. Collapse of the dam would unleash a locally catastrophic flood, as the Murghab's river valley tends to be relatively narrow and steep, which would focus and maintain a flood's destructive power.

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