The $32 Billion Dam That Shifted the Earth’s Rotation

China built the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze River — one of the largest and most ambitious engineering projects ever attempted. But before this enormous hydroelectric power station could generate electricity, engineers had to solve a much bigger problem: how do you build a massive dam while one of the world's great rivers keeps flowing? The answer involved diverting the Yangtze, constructing enormous concrete structures, controlling massive volumes of water, installing giant hydroelectric turbines, and creating a navigation system capable of moving ships through the project. In this documentary, we break down how China built the Three Gorges Dam and how the entire system works — from the river diversion and concrete construction to the spillways, ship locks and enormous turbines that turn the energy of moving water into electricity.The Three Gorges Dam isn't simply a wall holding back water. It is an enormous engineering system built around one of China's most powerful natural forces. This is SUBSTRATA — exploring how the physical world is built, extracted, made and powered.