Can someone explain the panama canal locks?

[Rob M.]

Can someone explain why they don't just dig the canal really really deep so that the ships can just sail through it freely?

[sceneisle]

I think it has something to do with the variance in elevation between the Atlantic & Pacific & the artificial lakes in the canal (Lake Gatun & Miraflores). I think I read somewhere that the Chagres River, which crosses the canal several times, is prone to flooding which made a sea level canal unworkable.

Xpedition - 06/2005
Oosterdam - 10/2005
Ryndam - 12/2004

I am in the process of reading the Path Between the Seas by McCullough--it's a really fat book but quite engrossing .It explains the construction difficulties & a whole lot more--quite a bit of history that accompanies the Panama Canal story I rec. the book highly! I als hear there's a video of the same name or similar

[lougee1043]

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/general/...rks/index.html

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