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Usoi Dam

Afghanistan / Badahsan / Qaleh-ye Panjeh /
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The Usoi Dam is a natural landslide dam along the Murghab River in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. At 567 metres (1,860 ft) high, it is the tallest dam in the world, either natural or man-made. The dam was created on February 18, 1911, when the 7.4-Ms Sarez earthquake caused a massive landslide that blocked the flow of the river.

The dam is formed of approximately 2 cubic kilometres (0.48 cu mi) of rock dislodged from the steeply sloped river valley of the Murghab, which cuts from east to west through the high and rough Pamir Mountains. It is named after the village of Usoi, which was completely buried by the 1911 landslide. The dam rises to a height of 500 to 700 metres (1,600 to 2,300 ft) from the original valley floor.
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Coordinates:   38°16'1"N   72°35'26"E
This article was last modified 12 years ago