Marathon Dam, Gravity dam in Marathon, Greece.
The Marathon Dam is a 54 m high, 285 m long gravity dam on the Charadros River, with a crest 4.5 m wide and a base 28 m wide. Its downstream face is stepped in pale grey and beige concrete bands, and a paved road with a low stone parapet runs along the crest. The visible structure is clad in Pentelic marble, the same stone used for the Parthenon.
Construction started in 1926 to meet water demands after refugee populations arrived in the region following a regional conflict. The project represented a major effort to ensure adequate supply for the expanding population.
At the dam's base stands a replica of the Athenian Treasury at Delphi, built to mark the link between the 1920s project and the Athenian victory at Marathon. Its plaque states that the building commemorates a victory in wrestling life-giving water from nature for the citizens of Athens.
The dam lies 8 km west of Marathon and 45 km northeast of Athens, where the Charadros River meets the Varnavas Stream. A paved road runs along the 4.5 m wide crest, bordered by a low stone parapet, so the reservoir and the stepped downstream face can be viewed from above. The spillway sits near the southern abutment.
The structure became the first documented example of earthquakes triggered by reservoir filling, with noticeable tremors recorded during the 1930s. These observations helped scientists understand the connection between water pressure and ground movement.
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