Vajont Dam

8/20/2021 Vajont Dam - Wikipedia
Vajont Dam
The Vajont Dam (or Vaiont Dam)[5] is a disused dam in northern Italy. It is one of the tallest
dams in the world, with a height of 262 m (860 feet).[6]
It is situated in the valley of the Vajont
River under Monte Toc, in the municipality of Erto e Casso, 100 kilometres (54 nmi; 62 mi) north
of Venice.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vajont_Dam 1/19
Vajont Dam
Vajont Dam 2002
Location of Vajont Dam in Italy
Official name Italian: Diga del Vajont
Location Italy
Coordinates 46°16′02″N 12°19′44″E (https://geohack.toolforge.

org/geohack.php?pagename=Vajont_Dam&param
s=46_16_02_N_12_19_44_E_region:IT_type:landmar
k)
Construction began 1956[1]
Designed by Carlo Semenza
Owner(s) ENEL
Operator(s) SADE – Società Adriatica di Elettricità (today part

of Edison)
Dam and spillways
Type of dam arch dam
Impounds Vajont River
Height 262 metres (860 ft)
Length 160 metres (520 ft) (chord)[1]
Width (crest) 3.40 metres (11.2 ft).[2]
Width (base) 27 metres (89 ft)
Reservoir
Creates Lago del Vajont
Total capacity 168,715 thousand cubic metres

(5,958,100 ×103 cu ft)
Power Station
Turbines 4[3]
The Vajont Dam as seen from the

village of Longarone in 2005, showing
approximately the top 60–70 metres
(200–230 ft) of concrete. The wall of
water that overtopped the dam by 250
metres (820 ft)[1] and destroyed this
village and all nearby villages on 9
October 1963 would have obscured
virtually all of the blue sky in this

photo.[4]
The dam was conceived in the 1920s and eventually built between 1957 and 1960 by Società
Adriatica di Elettricità (SADE), at the time the electricity supply and distribution monopoly in
northeastern Italy. In 1962 the dam was nationalized and came under the control of ENEL as part
of the Italian Ministry for Public Works. The engineer was Carlo Semenza (1893–1961).
On 9 October 1963, during initial filling, a landslide caused a megatsunami in the lake in which
50 million cubic metres of water overtopped the dam in a wave of 250 metres (820 ft),[1] which
brought massive flooding and destruction to the Piave Valley below, leading to the complete
destruction of several villages and towns, and between 1,900 and 2,500 estimated deaths. The
dam itself remained almost intact and two thirds of the water was retained behind it.
This event occurred after the company and the Italian government concealed reports and
dismissed evidence that Monte Toc, on the southern side of the basin, was geologically unstable.
They had disregarded numerous warnings, signs of danger, and negative appraisals.
Underestimating the size of the landslide, the company's attempt to safely control the landslide
by lowering the lake's level came when disaster was almost imminent.
Construction
The dam was built by SADE, the electricity supply and distribution monopoly in north-eastern
Italy. The owner, Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata, had been Mussolini's Minister of Finances for
several years. The 'tallest dam in the world', across the Vajont Gorge, was conceived in the 1920s
to control and harness the Piave, Mae, and Boite rivers, and to meet the growing demand for
power generation and industrialization. Not until the confusion after Mussolini's fall during
World War II was the project authorized, on 15 October 1943.[7]
The dam wall had a volume of 360,000 m3 (13,000,000 cu ft) and held up to 168,715,000 m3
(5.9581 × 109 cu ft) of water. The dam and basin were intended to be at the centre of a complex
water management system in which water would have been channeled from nearby valleys and
artificial basins located at higher levels. Tens of kilometres of concrete pipes and pipe-bridges
across valleys were planned.
In the 1950s, SADE's monopoly was confirmed by post-fascist governments, and it bought the
land despite opposition by the communities of Erto and Casso in the valley, which was overcome
with government and police support.[citation needed] SADE stated that the geology of the gorge had
been studied, including analysis of ancient landslides, and that the mountain was believed to be
sufficiently stable.
Construction work started in 1957, but by 1959 shifts and fractures were noticed while building a
new road on the side of Monte Toc. This led to new studies in which three experts separately told
SADE that the entire side of Monte Toc was unstable and would likely collapse into the basin if
the filling were completed.[8] All three were ignored by SADE. Construction was completed in
October 1959, and in February 1960, SADE was authorised to start filling the basin. In 1962 the
dam was nationalized and came under the control of ENEL as part of the Italian Ministry for
Public Works.
Early signs of disaster
On 22 March 1959, during construction of the Vajont Dam, a landslide at the nearby Pontesei
Dam created a 20-metre-high (66 ft) wave that killed one person.[9]
Throughout the summer of 1960, minor landslides and earth movements were noticed. However,
instead of heeding these warning signs, the Italian government chose to sue the handful of
journalists reporting the problems for "undermining the social order".
On 4 November 1960, with the water level in the reservoir at about 190 metres (620 ft) of the
planned 262 metres (860 ft), a landslide of about 800,000 m3 (30 million cu ft) collapsed into the
lake. SADE stopped the filling, lowered the water level by about 50 metres (160 ft), and started to
build an artificial gallery in the basin in front of Monte Toc to keep the basin usable even if
additional landslides (which were expected) divided it into two parts.[10]
In October 1961, after the completion of the gallery, SADE resumed filling the narrow reservoir
under controlled monitoring. In April and May 1962, with the basin water level at 215 metres
(705 ft), the people of Erto and Casso reported five "grade five" Mercalli intensity scale
earthquakes. SADE downplayed the importance of these quakes,[11] and was then authorized to
fill the reservoir to the maximum level.
In July 1962, SADE's own engineers reported the results of model-based experiments on the
effects of further landslides from Monte Toc into the lake. The tests indicated that a wave
generated by a landslide could top the crest of the dam if the water level was 20 metres (66 ft) or
less from the dam crest. It was therefore decided that a level 25 metres (82 ft) below the crest
would prevent any displacement wave from over-topping the dam. However, a decision was
made to fill the basin beyond that, because the engineers thought they could control the rate of
the landslide by controlling the level of water in the reservoir.
In March 1963, the dam was transferred to the newly constituted government service for
electricity, ENEL. During the following summer, with the basin almost completely filled, slides,
shakes, and movements of the ground were continuously reported by the alarmed population.
On 15 September, the entire side of the mountain slid by 22 centimetres (8.7 in). On 26
September, ENEL decided to slowly empty the basin to 240 metres (790 ft), but in early October
the collapse of the mountain's south side looked unavoidable; in one day it moved almost 1
metre (3 ft).
The tests of the hydraulic model of the Vajont tank
The hydraulic model, during the first

series of tests.
After the discovery of the landslide on the northern slopes of Monte Toc, it was decided to
deepen the studies on the following effects:
1. dynamic actions on the dam;
2. wave effects in the reservoir and possible dangers for nearby locations, with particular
attention to the town of Erto;
3. Hypothesis of a partial breakage of the dam and consequent examination of the rout wave
and its propagation along the last stretch of the Vajont and along the Piave, up to
Soverzene and beyond.
The study of point 1 was performed at the I.S.M.E.S. (Experimental Institute for Models and
Structures) of Bergamo, while for the others the SADE decided to build a physical-hydraulic
model of the basin, in which to perform some experiments on the effects of a landslide fall in a
reservoir.
The 1: 200 scale model of the basin, which can still be visited today, was set up at the SADE
hydroelectric plant in Nove (loc. Borgo Botteon di Vittorio Veneto), and became the C.I.M.
(Hydraulic Models Centre). The experiments were entrusted to professors Ghetti and Marzolo,
university professors of the Institute of Hydraulics and Hydraulic Constructions of the University
of Padua, and were carried out with funding of SADE, under the control of the study office of the
company itself.
The study aimed to verify the hydraulic effects on the dam and on the banks of the landslide
reservoir, and was therefore directed in this sense rather than reproducing the natural
phenomenon of the landslide. The experiments were carried out in two different series (August-
September 1961 and January-April 1962), of which the first served substantially to refine the
model.
The first set of experiments
The first series of 5 experiments began on August 30, 1961 with a sliding surface of the flat
landslide inclined by 30°, consisting of a wooden plank covered with a sheet. The sliding mass
was simulated with gravel, held in place by flexible metal nets, which were initially held in
position by ropes that were then suddenly released. At the beginning of September, another 4
tests were carried out intended for orientation purposes. The first always with a 30° inclined
plane, the following 3 with a 42° inclined plane. Having found it impossible to reproduce the
natural geological phenomenon of the landslide in the model, the model was elaborated by
modifying the movement surface of the landslide, which was replaced with a masonry one (the
relative profiles were elaborated by Semenza, who also used the surveys that had already been
carried out and that had provided sufficient elements of judgment in this sense), to make it
possible to vary the speed of the landslide fall into the reservoir (made difficult by the new
"back" shape of the movement surface). To simulate the compactness of the moving material
(which in the model remained the gravel) rigid sectors were inserted which were towed by ropes
pulled by a tractor.
The second set of experiments
In these 17 experiments, conducted from January 3, 1962 to April 24, 1962, the "collapsing"
material was still gravel, this time held in place by hemp nets and cords. Starting from the Muller
hypothesis relating to the different characteristics of the mass moving between the downstream
part of the Massalezza stream (west) and the upstream part of the same (east), all the
experiments were performed by making those two hypothetical parts of the landslide descend
separately. In the model, however, the two landslides were initially made to descend at different
times, so that their effects were totally separate and, subsequently, when the wave produced by
the first came back, so as to obtain a total increase in the water of the even greater lake.
The final Ghetti report
The total increase of the water in the tank (measured by means of special instruments) was
broken down into "static increase", which was the non-transient effect of increasing the level of
the water left in the tank after the landslide due to the immersion of the landslide in the tank
(once the state of rest is reached again), and in "dynamic boost", due to the temporary wave
motion produced by the landslide. The static boost depended on the volume of the landslide
that remained immersed in the tank, while the dynamic boost depended almost exclusively on
the speed of the landslide fall (while it was negligibly linked to the volume of the same).
Based on this simulation (following the disaster object of criticism, as considered approximate by
some) it was determined that by placing a reservoir limit at an altitude of 700 metres (2,300 ft)
there would be no damage above 730 metres (2,400 ft) a.s.l. along the banks of the reservoir,
while a minimum quantity of water would have exceeded the edge of the dam (722.5 metres
(2,370 ft)) causing negligible damage downstream of the same.
With the reported experiences, carried out on a 1:200 scale model of the Vajont lake-reservoir,
we tried to provide an evaluation of the effects that will be caused by a landslide, which is
possible to occur on the left bank upstream of the dam. . Given that the extreme limit
downstream of the landslide is more than 75 m from the embankment of the dam, and that
the formation of this embankment is of compact and consistent rock and well distinct, even
geologically, from the aforementioned mass, it is absolutely not to be fear of any static
perturbation to the dam with the occurrence of the landslide, and therefore only the effects of
the wave rise in the lake and in the overflow on the dam crest as a consequence of the fall are
to be considered.
INSTITUTE OF HYDRAULICS AND HYDRAULIC CONSTRUCTIONS OF

THE UNIVERSITY OF PADUA MODEL CENTER "E. SCIMEMI"
EXAMINATION ON THE HYDRAULIC MODEL OF THE EFFECTS OF A

POSSIBLE LANDSLIDE IN THE VAJONT LAKE TANK
[...] The forecasts on the modalities of the landslide event are very
uncertain from a geological point of view. Partial falls of limited extent
occurred in the last months of 1960 in the lower part of the moving bank in
conjunction with the initial, and still partial, filling of the reservoir. The
landslide formation extends over a total front of 1.8 kilometres (0.97 nmi;
1.1 mi), from an altitude of 600 metres (2,000 ft) to an altitude of 1,200
metres (3,900 ft) asl (maximum height of the reservoir lake-reservoir
722.50 metres (2,370.4 ft) a.s.l.). The geological examination leads to the
recognition of a presumable conchoidal flow surface, on which the
landslide mass, consisting mainly of incoherent material and groundwater
debris, reaches a thickness of 200 metres (660 ft) in the central part
(astride the shaft of the Massalezza stream). The slope of the slope is
steeper in the lower part overlooking the lake; a collapse of this part would
probably have been followed by the steepening of the upper mass. It is to
be considered that any descent of the landslide is unlikely to occur
simultaneously on the entire front; on the other hand, the hypothesis that
one or the other of the two areas located upstream or downstream of the
Massalezza stream will descend first, and that this steep slope will be
followed, at a more or less short interval, by that of the remaining area. [...]
[...] These data seem sufficiently indicative of the extent that the wave
phenomenon can present even in the most unfavorable forecasts of the fall
of the landslide. It should be noted that the rise found near the dam is
always higher than that which occurs in the more distant areas along the
shores of the lake. Moving on to consider the effects of the landslide that
occurs in the lake that is not completely encased, we have from the
evidence that already with the reservoir brought to an altitude of 700 m
s.l.m. the most unfavorable event, namely the fall of the valley area in 1
min. following a previous fall in the upstream area, it barely causes, with a
27 metres (89 ft) rise. Near the dam (and a maximum of 31 metres (102 ft)
at 430 metres (1,410 ft) from it) an overflow just over 2,000 cubic metres
(71,000 cu ft) / s. Starting from the reservoir altitude 670 metres (2,200 ft)
a.s.l. even with the fastest landslide, the rise is very limited and well below
the overflow ridge.
Therefore, it seems to be possible to conclude that, starting from the
reservoir to the maximum flooded, the descent of the expected landslide
mass only in catastrophic conditions, i.e. occurring in the exceptionally
short time of 1-1.30 minutes, could produce an overflow point of the order
of 30,000 cubic metres (1,100,000 cu ft) / s, and a wave rise of 27.5 metres
(90 ft). As soon as this time is doubled, the phenomenon is attenuated
below 14,000 cubic metres (490,000 cu ft) / s of overflow and 14 metres
(46 ft) of elevation.
By decreasing the altitude of the initial reservoir, these overflow and
overflow effects are rapidly reduced, and already the altitude of 700 metres
(2,300 ft) a.s.l. can be considered absolutely certain with regard to even the
most foreseeable catastrophic landslide event. [...]
:[...] It will in any case be opportune, in the foreseen continuation of the

research, to examine on the suitably prolonged model the effects in the
Vajont bed and at the confluence in the Piave of the passage of flood waves of
an entity equal to that indicated above for possible dam. In this way there will
be more certain indications on the possibility of allowing even greater
reservoirs in the lake-reservoir, without danger of damage downstream of the
dam in the event of a landslide [...]
Padua 3 July 1962

THE RESEARCH DIRECTOR
(Prof. Ing. Augusto Ghetti)[12]
Landslide and wave
Vajont Landslide
View of the village of Longarone, which was below the dam, showing the extent of the damage after the
megatsunami had passed through
Native name Italian: Disastro del Vajont
Date October 9, 1963
Time 22:39 (CET)
Coordinates 46°16′02″N 12°19′44″E (https://geohack.toolforge.

org/geohack.php?pagename=Vajont_Dam&param
s=46_16_02_N_12_19_44_E_region:IT_type:event)
Type Dam failure
Cause Underestimated speed and mass of landslide of

Monte Toc
Casualties
1,900-2,500 fatalities (estimated)
Deaths 1,917
Missing 1,300
Property damage 500,000,000,000 Lira (1963)
Charges Manslaughter and causing the disaster
Trial L'Aquila
The bell tower that remained standing

at Longarone. The rest of the church
building was swept away, as were
almost all of the other structures in
the village.
On 9 October 1963, engineers saw trees falling and rocks rolling down into the lake where the
predicted landslide would take place. Before this, the alarming rate of movement of the landslide
had not slowed as a result of lowering the water, although the water had been lowered to what
SADE believed was a safe level to contain the displacement wave should a catastrophic landslide
occur. With a major landslide now imminent, engineers gathered on top of the dam that evening
to witness the tsunami.
At 10:39 pm, a massive 2 km (1.1 nmi; 1.2 mi) long landslide, with around 260 million m3
(9,200 million cu ft) of forest, earth, and rock, fell from the southern flank of Monte Toc into the
lake below at up to 110 kilometres per hour (31 m/s; 59 kn; 68 mph) (another source gives 25
metres per second (90 km/h; 49 kn; 56 mph)[13]), generating a seismic shock. In 20 seconds it
reached the water level; by 45 seconds the landslide (now at rest) had completely filled the
Vajont reservoir. The impact displaced 115 million m3 (4,100 million cu ft) of water in
approximately 25 seconds, 50 million cubic metres (1,800 ×106 cu ft) of which overtopped the
dam in a 1⁄4-kilometre high (250 m; 820 ft) wave.[1][14][4]
Overview of the Vajont Valley shortly

after the disaster of 9 October 1963.
Note the 260 million cubic metres
(9,200 ×106 cu ft) landslide which
broke off from Monte Toc and fell into
the artificial basin.
The impact with the water generated three waves. One went upwards, reached the houses of
Casso, fell back onto the landslide and went to dig the basin of the pond of Massalezza. Another
headed toward the shores of the lake and, through a washout action of the same, destroyed
some localities in the municipality of Erto e Casso. The third (containing about 50 million cubic
metres (1,800 ×106 cu ft) of water) climbed over the edge of the dam, which remained intact
except for the ring road that led to the left side of the Vajont, and fell into the narrow valley
below.
The approximately 50 million cubic metres (1,800 ×106 cu ft) of water that managed to climb
over the work reached the stony shore of the Piave valley and swept up substantial debris, which
poured into the southern sector of Longarone causing the almost complete destruction of the
town (only the town hall and the houses north of it were saved) and other neighboring towns,
and the death, overall, of about 2,000 people (official data speaks of 1917 victims, but it is not
possible to determine with certainty the number).[15]
The firefighters who departed from Belluno, after receiving reports about the raising of the level
of the Piave, could not reach the location, since from a certain point onwards the road, coming
from the valley, had been completely ripped off. Longarone was reached by firefighters who
departed Pieve di Cadore, who were the first to realize what had happened and were able to
communicate it. At 5:30 on the morning of 10 October 1963, the first soldiers of the Italian Army
arrived to bring relief and recover the dead. Among the soldiers involved there were above all
Alpini, some of which belonged to the combat engineers, who dug by hand to seek the bodies of
the missing. They also found safes of the banks of the country, no longer able to be opened with
normal keys as they were damaged.[16] The Firefighters from 46 Provincial Commands also
participated en masse in the rescue, with 850 men, including divers, land and helicopter teams,
and many vehicles and equipment. The Nucleo Sommozzatori of Genoa, with 8 personnel, was
used in the basin in front of the Busche Dam, for dredging to search for bodies and drums of
toxic substances (61 cyanide drums), with subsequent patrol by immersion and final removal of
sludge when the basin is dry. Of the approximately 2,000 fatalities, only 1500 bodies have been
summarily recovered and recomposed, half of which impossible to recognize.[14]
The flooding in the Piave Valley from the wave destroyed the villages of Longarone, Pirago,
Rivalta, Villanova and Faè, killing approximately 2,000 people and turning the land below the
dam into a flat plain of mud[17] with an impact crater 60 metres (200 ft) deep and 80 metres
(260 ft) wide. Many small villages near the landslide along the lakefront suffered damage from a
giant displacement wave. Villages in the territory of Erto e Casso and the village of Codissago,
near Castellavazzo, were largely wrecked.[18]
Estimates of the dead range from 1,900 to 2,500 people, and approximately 350 families lost all
members. Most of the survivors had lost relatives and friends along with their homes and
belongings.[19]
The dam was largely undamaged. The top 1 metre (3.3 ft) or so of masonry was washed away,
but the basic structure remained intact and exists today.
Causes and responsibility
Immediately after the disaster, the government (which at the time owned the dam), politicians
and public authorities insisted on attributing the tragedy to an unexpected and unavoidable
natural event.
The debate in the newspapers was heavily influenced by politics. The paper l'Unità, the
mouthpiece of the Partito Comunista Italiano (PCI), was the first to denounce the actions of the
management and government, as it had previously carried a number of articles by Tina Merlin
addressing the behaviour of the SADE management in the Vajont project and elsewhere. Indro
Montanelli, then the most influential Italian journalist and a vocal anti-communist, attacked
l'Unità and denied any human responsibility; l'Unità and the PCI were dubbed "jackals,
speculating on pain and on the dead" in many articles by the Domenica del Corriere and a
national campaign poster paid for by Democrazia Cristiana, the party of prime minister Giovanni
Leone. They attributed the catastrophe only to natural causes and God's will.[20]
The campaign accused the PCI of sending agitprops into the refugee communities, as relief
personnel; most of them were partisans from Emilia Romagna who fought on Mount Toc in the
Second World War and often had friends in the stricken area.[21]
Democrazia Cristiana accused the Communist Party of "political profiteering" from the tragedy.
Leone promised to bring justice to the people killed in the disaster. A few months after he lost
the premiership, he became the head of SADE's team of lawyers, who significantly reduced the
amount of compensation for the survivors and ruled out payment for at least 600 victims.[22]
The Democrazia Cristiana's newspaper, La Discussione,[23] called the disaster "a mysterious act of
God's love", in an article that drew sharp criticism from l'Unità.[24]
Apart from journalistic attacks and the attempted cover-up from news sources aligned with the
government, there had been proven flaws in the geological assessments, and disregard of
warnings about the likelihood of a disaster by SADE, ENEL and the government.
The trial was moved to L'Aquila, in Abruzzo, by the judges who heard the preliminary trial, thus
preventing public participation, and resulted in lenient sentencing for a handful of the SADE and
ENEL engineers. One SADE engineer (Mario Pancini) committed suicide in 1968. The government
never sued SADE for damage compensation.
Subsequent engineering analysis has focused on the cause of the landslide, and there is ongoing
debate about the contribution of rainfall, dam level changes and earthquakes as triggers of the
landslide, as well as differing views about whether it was an old landslide that slipped further or a
completely new one.[25]
There were a number of problems with the choice of site for the dam and reservoir: the canyon
was steep sided, the river had undercut its banks, and the limestone and claystone rocks that
made up the walls of the canyon were inter-bedded with the slippery clay-like Lias and Dogger
Jurassic-period horizons and the Cretaceous-period Malm horizon, all of which were inclined
towards the axis of the canyon. In addition, the limestone layers contained many solution caverns
that became only more saturated because of rains in September.[26]
Prior to the landslide that caused the overtopping flood, the downhill creep of the regolith had
been 1.01 centimetres (0.40 in) per week. In September, this creep reached 25.4 centimetres
(10 in) per day until finally, the day before the landslide, the creep was measured at 1 metre
(3.3 ft).[26]
Reconstruction
The area of the 1963 landslide on

Monte Toc, taken in 2005
Most of the survivors were moved into a newly built village, Vajont, 50 km (31 mi) south-east on
the Tagliamento River plain. Those who insisted on returning to their mountain life in Erto e
Casso were strongly discouraged. Longarone and other villages in the Piave Valley were rebuilt
with modern houses and farms.
The government used the disaster to promote the industrialization of the north-east of Italy.
Survivors were entitled to 'business start-up' loans, public subsidies and ten years tax exemption,
all of which they could 'sell on' to major companies from the Venice region. These concessions
were then converted into millions of lira for industrial plants elsewhere. Among the corporations
were Zanussi (now owned by Electrolux), Ceramica Dolomite (now owned by American Standard),
Confezioni SanRemo, and SAVIC (now owned by Italcementi).[27]
Compensation measures did not clearly differentiate between victims and people who lived
nearby; thus much of the compensation went to people who had suffered little damage, creating
a negative public image.
A pumping station was installed in the dam basin to keep the lake at a constant level, and the
bypass gallery was lengthened beyond the dam to let the water flow down to the Piave Valley.
The dam wall is still in place and maintained, but there are no plans to exploit it. The dry basin,
filled with landslip, has been open to visitors since 2002.
The dam today and memorials
In recent years there has been a revival of interest both by researchers with specialist interest,
and sightseers. The dam, now owned by ENEL, was partially opened to the public in 2002 with
guided tours and access to the walkway along the top and other locations. In September 2006 an
annual non-competitive track event, called "Paths of Remembrance", was inaugurated, which
allows participants to access some locations inside the mountain.
On 12 February 2008, in launching the International Year of Planet Earth, UNESCO cited the
Vajont Dam tragedy as one of five "cautionary tales" caused by "the failure of engineers and
geologists".[28]
For 2013, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the disaster, the region of Venice set aside
one million euros for safety works and recovery of tunnels inside the mountain which were part
of the Colomber Road (the old national road 251).
The memorial church in Longarone—constructed over the strong opposition of the surviving
parish priest—is a late masterpiece of the famous architect Giovanni Michelucci.
In the media
After the initial worldwide reporting,[29] the tragedy became regarded as part of the price of
economic growth in the 1950s and 1960s.
Interest was rejuvenated by a 1997 television program by Marco Paolini and Gabriele Vacis, Il
racconto del Vajont.
In 2001, a docudrama about the disaster was released. A joint production of Italian and French
companies, it was titled Vajont—La diga del disonore ("Vajont—The Dam of Dishonour") in Italy,
and La Folie des hommes ("The Madness of Men") in France. It stars Michel Serrault and Daniel
Auteuil.
The tragedy was included in the 2008 documentary series Disasters of the Century.[30]
The TV show Seconds from Disaster featured the event in episode two, "Mountain Tsunami," of its
fifth season in 2012.[3][31]
In 2013, the eleventh stage of the Giro d'Italia finished in Vajont to commemorate the fiftieth
anniversary of the disaster.[32]
See also
List of natural disasters by death toll
List of dams and reservoirs
Malpasset Dam
Seiche
St. Francis Dam
References
1. Petley, Dave (11 December 2008). "The Vaiont (Vajont) landslide of 1963" (https://web.archive.org/web/
20160114061049/http://www.landslideblog.org/2008/12/vaiont-vajont-landslide-of-1963.html) . The
Landslide Blog. Archived from the original (http://www.landslideblog.org/2008/12/vaiont-vajont-landsl
ide-of-1963.html) on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
2. "The Malpasset Dam Disaster – could the Var suffer again? – Riviera Reporter" (http://www.rivierarepor
ter.com/local-living/151-the-malpasset-dam-disaster-could-the-var-suffer-again) .
www.rivierareporter.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
3. "Seconds from Disaster, Schedule, Video, Photos, Facts and More – National Geographic Channel:
Episode Guide – Series 5 – National Geographic Channel" (http://natgeotv.com.au/tv/seconds-from-dis
aster/episodes.aspx?series=5) .
4. "The Vajont Dam Disaster – TeLL-Net Kick-off Assembly Kobe Japan 19–20 January 2006" (https://web.
archive.org/web/20090327032750/http://tellnet.jp/pdf/italy.pdf) (PDF). 20 January 2006. Archived
from the original (http://tellnet.jp/pdf/italy.pdf) (PDF) on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
5. "Vaiont Dam photos and virtual field trip" (http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/geoweb/participants/Du

tch/VTrips/Vaiont.HTM) . University of Wisconsin. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
6. "Capolavoro d'ingegneria nel posto sbagliato" (http://temi.repubblica.it/corrierealpi-diga-del-vajont-1

963-2013-il-cinquantenario/la-costruzione-della-diga/) . La Repubblica. Retrieved 19 September
2014.
7. 1 Verbale del voto n. 692 del Consiglio superiore dei lavori pubblici relativo all'esposto della Sade, del 10
novembre 1944, sulla derivazione delle acque (5 agosto 1946) (https://patrimonio.archivio.senato.it/inve
ntario/scheda/vajont-iv-leg/IT-SEN-123-000237/verbale-del-voto-n-692-del-consiglio-superiore-lavori
-pubblici-relativo-all-esposto-della-sade-del-10-novembre-1944-sulla#lg=1&slide=0) , p. 1, in
Senate Archives (ASSR), Vajont (IV leg.), 6.1.
8. T. Merlin, Sulla pelle viva, Cierre Edizioni, Verona, 1993, pp. 59 and 73.
9. See:
"Release of 50,000,000 cubic metres (1.8 × 109 cu ft) of water at the Vajont Dam [on] 9 October
1963 [in] Erto e Casso (PN), Italy," French Ministry for Sustainable Development, November 2010,
pp. 1–2. Available at: ARIA (http://www.aria.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/wp-content/files_mf/F
D_23607_Vajont_Italie_1963_ang.pdf)
Lago di Pontesei in Italian Wikipedia (in Italian)
10. A. De Nardi, Il bacino del Vajont e la frana del M. Toc, 1965, p. 27.
11. T. Merlin, ibidem, p. 102.
12. Claudio Datei (2005). Vajont la storia idraulica (2 ed.). Padua: International bookshop Cortina. pp. 119–
130.
13. eng-resources.uncc.edu/failurecasestudies/dam-failure-cases/vaiont-dam/ (https://eng-resources.un

cc.edu/failurecasestudies/dam-failure-cases/vaiont-dam/)
14. "Today the forty-fifth anniversary - Vajont, the wall of water that killed Longarone" (https://web.archive.
org/web/20120930084101/http://www1.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cronache/200810articoli/37
192girata.asp) . La Stampa. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original (http://www.lastampa.it/redazi
one/cmsSezioni/cronache/200810articoli/37192girata.asp) on 30 September 2012. Retrieved
9 October 2010.
15. "Quell'onda that swept two thousand lives" (https://necrologie.messaggeroveneto.gelocal.it/news/603

89?refresh_ce) . Messaggero Veneto. 2017. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20190921140705/h
ttps://necrologie.messaggeroveneto.gelocal.it/news/60389?refresh_ce) from the original on 21
September 2019.
16. Davide Pasquali (6 November 2011). "Vajont, the memory of the bolzanini-alpini: "Hands in the mud to
free the bodies " " (https://web.archive.org/web/20160426233828/http://altoadige.gelocal.it/bolzano/c
ronaca/2011/11/06/news/vajont-il-ricordo-degli-alpini-bolzanini-le-mani-nel-fango-per-liberare-i-cor
pi-1.4303446) . Alto Adige. Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso SpA. Archived from the original (http://altoad
ige.gelocal.it/bolzano/cronaca/2011/11/06/news/vajont-il-ricordo-degli-alpini-bolzanini-le-mani-nel-f
ango-per-liberare-i-corpi-1.4303446) on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
17. "Vajont, il muro d'acqua che ha ucciso Longarone" (http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cron

ache/200810articoli/37192girata.asp) . La Stampa. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
18. 3 Relazione statistica dell'Amministrazione provinciale di Udine sulla situazione dei nuclei familiari del
comune di Erto e Casso (13 gennaio 1964) (https://patrimonio.archivio.senato.it/inventario/scheda/vajo
nt-iv-leg/IT-SEN-123-000307/relazione-statistica-amministrazione-provinciale-udine-sulla-situazione-
nuclei-familiari-del-comune-erto-e-casso#lg=1&slide=0) , in Senate Archives (ASSR), Vajont (IV leg.),
9.3.
19. 4 Longarone anno zero (1963) (https://patrimonio.archivio.senato.it/inventario/scheda/vajont-iv-leg/IT-

SEN-123-000264/longarone-anno-zero#lg=1&slide=0) , in Senate Archives (ASSR), Vajont (IV leg.),
7.4.
20. "Mattolinimusic.com" (http://www.mattolinimusic.com/vajont/nove.htm) . Mattolinimusic.com.

Retrieved 29 October 2012.
21. "La rabbia e la speranza" (http://www.tinamerlin.it/OPERE/La%20rabbia%20_11-5.aspx) . Tinamerlin.it.

Retrieved 29 October 2012.
22. "Vajont, Due Volte Tragedia" (http://www.sopravvissutivajont.org/images2/Secondovajont.htm) .

Sopravvissutivajont.org. 9 October 2002. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
23. La Discussione at Italian Wiki (temp ref)
24. L'Unità, 24 October 1963
25. David Petley. "Landslide information: The Vajont (Vaiont) Landslide, 2001" (http://www.land-man.net/va
jont/vajont.html) . Land-man.net. Retrieved 1 January 2008.
26. M. Dane Picard, Mountains and Minerals, Rivers and Rocks: A geologist's notes from the field, Pub.
Chapman & Hall (1993)
27. L. Vastano, Vajont, l'onda lunga, Salani Editore, Varese, 2008, pp. 80–3.
28. "Five Cautionary Tales and Five Good News Stories" (https://en.lswn.it/events/international-year-of-pla
net-earth-global-launch-event-12-13-february-2008/) . International Year of Planet Earth – Global
Launch Event. Latest Science Web News-lswn.it. 11 February 2008. ISSN 1827-8922 (https://www.world
cat.org/issn/1827-8922) . Retrieved 1 January 2009.
29. Towns wiped out in night of horror (https://vimeo.com/76140299) (Newsreel). MCA/Universal

Pictures. 14 October 1963. National Archives Identifier 2050680. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
30. History Television, Vajont Dam Collapse (http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=79111) .

Retrieved January 2008.
31. "Mega Disasters – Mountain Tsunami" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HgamKIp0U) . 7 June

2015.
32. Cycling News, Giro d'Italia 2013 Stage 11 (http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-11)
Bibliography
Franco Mantovania and Claudio Vita-Finzi, 'Neotectonics of the Vajont dam site',
Geomorphology, Vol. 54, Issues 1–2, 2003, pp 33–37.
David Petley, Landslide information: The Vajont (Vaiont) Landslide (http://www.land-man.net/v

ajont/vajont.html) , 2001. Retrieved January 2008.
Suburban Emergency Management Project (SEMP), 'Epic Vajont Dam Disaster, Italy, 1963:
Manmade or Natural?' (http://www.semp.us/publications/biot_reader.php?BiotID=373) , Biot
#373: 17 June 2006. Retrieved January 2008.
Video materials
Video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK2T_ICe8v8) on YouTube of 3D simulation of the

wave generated by the Vajont rockslide.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vajont Dam.
Kiersch, G. A. The Vajont Reservoir Disaster. Mineral Information Service, July 1965, pp. 129–38.
(ftp://ftp.consrv.ca.gov/pub/dmg/pubs/cg/1965/18_07.pdf) (in English)
Vajont dam disaster: a fascist legacy (http://www.vajont.info/scuse/prefACTION-SCHOOLS.ht

ml) (in English)
[https://designerverticalgarden.medium.com/why-buying-fake-ivy-plants-is-a-smart-
investment-than-real-plants-4b08fbf7034b
Fake IVY Plants| Designer Vertical gardens: An Overview] (in English)
Vajont forecast manslaughter (http://www.vajont.info/eNGLISH/indexArticles.html) (in

English)
Sito documentale antimafia Vajont (http://www.vajont.info/welcomeX2.html) (in Italian)
Eyewitnesses, 1964's original movie (2.000 condanne) (http://www.vajont.info/indexTestimon

i.html) (in Italian)
The last outrage: in fact, a mere commercial business. Again... (https://vimeo.com/57763965)

(in Italian)
...Testuale: i festeggiamenti del cinquantesimo della tragedia (https://vimeo.com/58487646)

(in Italian)
Vajont, l'onda lunga, Lucia Vastano. Libro inchiesta, testo di corso IUAV Venezia (http://deastor
e.com/libro/vajont-l-onda-lunga-quarantacinque-anni-lucia-vastano-ponte-alle-grazie/978887
9289702.html#top) (in Italian)
Il disastro del Vajont (http://www.vajont.net) (in Italian)
Comitato Sopravissuti del Vajont (http://www.sopravvissutivajont.org) (in Italian)
Vajont: Almost a Greek Tragedy (http://www.vajont.info/eNGLISH/athensMlover.html) (in

English)
Vajont, La diga del disonore (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0214265/) at IMDb
Vajont dam photos and virtual field trip (University of Wisconsin) (http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/pr
ojects/geoweb/participants/Dutch/VTrips/Vaiont.HTM) . Retrieved 1 July 2009

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8/20/2021 Vajont Dam - Wikipedia

Vajont Dam 2002

Location of Vajont Dam in Italy

Official name Italian: Diga del Vajont

Coordinates 46°16′02″N 12°19′44″E (https://geohack.toolforge.

Designed by Carlo Semenza

Operator(s) SADE – Società Adriatica di Elettricità (today part

Type of dam arch dam

Impounds Vajont River

Height 262 metres (860 ft)

Length 160 metres (520 ft) (chord)[1]

Width (crest) 3.40 metres (11.2 ft).[2]

Width (base) 27 metres (89 ft)

Creates Lago del Vajont

Total capacity 168,715 thousand cubic metres

The Vajont Dam as seen from the

virtually all of the blue sky in this

Early signs of disaster

The tests of the hydraulic model of the Vajont tank

The hydraulic model, during the first

1. dynamic actions on the dam;

The first set of experiments

The second set of experiments

The final Ghetti report

INSTITUTE OF HYDRAULICS AND HYDRAULIC CONSTRUCTIONS OF

EXAMINATION ON THE HYDRAULIC MODEL OF THE EFFECTS OF A

:[...] It will in any case be opportune, in the foreseen continuation of the

Padua 3 July 1962

(Prof. Ing. Augusto Ghetti)[12]

Landslide and wave

Native name Italian: Disastro del Vajont

Time 22:39 (CET)

Coordinates 46°16′02″N 12°19′44″E (https://geohack.toolforge.

Type Dam failure

Cause Underestimated speed and mass of landslide of

1,900-2,500 fatalities (estimated)

Property damage 500,000,000,000 Lira (1963)

Charges Manslaughter and causing the disaster

The bell tower that remained standing

Overview of the Vajont Valley shortly

Causes and responsibility

The area of the 1963 landslide on

The dam today and memorials

List of natural disasters by death toll

List of dams and reservoirs

St. Francis Dam

5. "Vaiont Dam photos and virtual field trip" (http://www.uwsp.edu/geo/projects/geoweb/participants/Du

6. "Capolavoro d'ingegneria nel posto sbagliato" (http://temi.repubblica.it/corrierealpi-diga-del-vajont-1

Lago di Pontesei in Italian Wikipedia (in Italian)

11. T. Merlin, ibidem, p. 102.

13. eng-resources.uncc.edu/failurecasestudies/dam-failure-cases/vaiont-dam/ (https://eng-resources.un

15. "Quell'onda that swept two thousand lives" (https://necrologie.messaggeroveneto.gelocal.it/news/603

17. "Vajont, il muro d'acqua che ha ucciso Longarone" (http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cron

19. 4 Longarone anno zero (1963) (https://patrimonio.archivio.senato.it/inventario/scheda/vajont-iv-leg/IT-

20. "Mattolinimusic.com" (http://www.mattolinimusic.com/vajont/nove.htm) . Mattolinimusic.com.

21. "La rabbia e la speranza" (http://www.tinamerlin.it/OPERE/La%20rabbia%20_11-5.aspx) . Tinamerlin.it.

22. "Vajont, Due Volte Tragedia" (http://www.sopravvissutivajont.org/images2/Secondovajont.htm) .

23. La Discussione at Italian Wiki (temp ref)

24. L'Unità, 24 October 1963

29. Towns wiped out in night of horror (https://vimeo.com/76140299) (Newsreel). MCA/Universal

30. History Television, Vajont Dam Collapse (http://www.history.ca/ontv/titledetails.aspx?titleid=79111) .

31. "Mega Disasters – Mountain Tsunami" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0HgamKIp0U) . 7 June

32. Cycling News, Giro d'Italia 2013 Stage 11 (http://www.cyclingnews.com/giro-ditalia/stage-11)