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The Gatun Dam is a large earthen dam across the Chagres River in Panama, near the town of Gatun. The dam, constructed between 1907 and 1913, is a crucial element of the Panama Canal; it impounds the artificial Gatun Lake, which in turn carries ships for of their transit across the Isthmus of Panama. In addition, a hydro-electric generating station at the dam generates electricity which is used to operate the locks and other equipment in the canal. Construction of the dam was a great engineering achievement, eclipsed only by the parallel excavation of the Culebra Cut; at the time of completion, the dam was the largest earth dam in the world, and Lake Gatun was the largest artificial lake in the world. == Description == The dam is situated in the valley of the Chagres River, about from its mouth in the Caribbean Sea. The hills bordering the valley of the Chagres form a gap just over wide at this point, with a natural rocky hill in the centre of the gap. The gap is filled by an earth dam, thick at the base, long along the top, thick at the water level, and thick at the top, which is above the normal lake level. The spillway for the dam is constructed on the central hill; it consists of a semi-circular concrete dam, which regulates the flow of water down a concrete channel built into the back slope of the hill. The spillway dam itself measures along the top; its crest is at below the normal lake level. The spillway is designed so that water pouring over the semi-circular dam converges at the bottom from opposite directions and neutralises its own force, thus minimising erosion below. The spillway dam is topped by 14 gates, supported by concrete piers and each wide by high. These gates, which are electrically operated, are raised or lowered to control the flow of water; with the lake level at , its planned maximum level, the capacity of the spillway is per second, more than the maximum flow of the Chagres River. In addition to this, the culverts in the locks can dispose of per second. ]〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00017879/00001?search=ernest+=hallen )〕 Gatun Lake has an area of at its normal level; it stores of water, which is about as much as the Chagres River brings down in an average year. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gatun Dam」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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