Get unlimited ad-free access to all Britannica’s trusted content. Earthfill and rockfill dams are usually grouped together as embankment dams because they constitute huge mounds of earth and rock that are assembled into imposing man-made embankments. The development of roller-compacted concrete allowed high-quality concrete to be placed with the type of equipment originally developed to move, distribute, and consolidate earthfill. Concrete is used to build massive gravity dams, thin arch dams, and buttress dams. Although in the past a number of dams were built of jointed masonry, this practice is now largely obsolete and has been supplanted by concrete. In modern dam engineering, the choice of materials is usually between concrete, earthfill, and rockfill. The decision as to which type of dam to build largely depends on the foundation conditions in the valley, the construction materials available, the accessibility of the site to transportation networks, and the experiences of the engineers, financiers, and promoters responsible for the project. In terms of engineering, dams fall into several distinct classes defined by structural type and by building material.
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