NASA reports that an enormous engineered
1. A Tiny Extension to Our Day
Time is a resource “none of us can reclaim once it’s gone.”
Remarkably, China’s Three Gorges Dam has slightly slowed Earth’s rotation, lengthening a solar day by about 0.06 microseconds, or 60 millionths of a second.
2. How a Dam Can Affect the Planet
By moving billions of tons of water into its reservoir, the dam alters Earth’s mass distribution.
Dr. Benjamin Fong Chao explains: “Transferring massive volumes of water from lower river channels into a high-elevation reservoir expands Earth’s effective radius, slowing the planet’s rotation.”
3. Detecting the Change
Using satellite and geodetic data, scientists measured the subtle effect on Earth’s rotation and polar motion.
Although imperceptible to humans, it’s detectable with modern instruments.
4. Human Impact and Perspective
Beyond energy generation and flood control, this tiny slowdown shows how human projects leave measurable planetary footprints.
As the article notes, this “symbolizes the profound scale at which humanity now operates.”
