Hi Gary - I've been following the Three Gorges Dam since 2001 - I spent a month in China in 2002, which included a cruise down the Yangtze before the dam was completed. I watched them building the dam and toured offices overlooking it with the 3d scale models.

The dam does sit on some old faults - faults that are considered no longer active. It is not on a plate boundary, nor is it on one of the world's largest faults - I am curious as to where this information comes from.

I also don't think there possible could be any relationship between the dam and Yellowstone. There is nothing there to connect them at all - Yellowstone is a Hot Spot.

I'd love to see any data on an increase in earthquakes in California and Nevada.

Since there is no plate boundary at the dam's location in China, the plate just isn't going to go sliding anywhere...nor will it do anything to Yellowstone.. BUT - Let's say it does cause plate movement due to the added weight of the water behind the dam - if the plates move, therefore moving the pacific plate, and it moving the North American plate (where yellowstone is) - It would simply cut off the supply of magma to yellowstone, and thereby decrease any potential super volcano, not strengthen the possibility.

I'd love to see where this info is coming from..

As for the Three Gorges Dam - I do think it is a disaster in the making, but more for the millions of displaced Chinese, the landslides that are occurring upwards of the dam, the drought below due to mismanagement and the potential for a disastrous flood if the dam should fail.

On the other hand - China is starved for energy - this project will supply them with a lot of clean energy - currently they are major polluters using vast amounts of coal to produce electricity - and buying oil like crazy driving up the price of the world's oil...

Canie