Using ground penetrating radar to understand the failure of the Koh Ker Reservoir, Northern Cambodia

New evidence from ground penetrating radar and excavation reveals that the Koh Ker Reservoir, built during the Angkorian period in Cambodia, suffered from a critical design flaw. The spillway's laterite pavement was even less effective at managing water flow than previously estimated, likely contributing to the reservoir's dike failure during its first rainy season after construction. This structural failure may have played a pivotal role in Koh Ker's brief tenure as the political center of the Khmer Empire, highlighting the vulnerability of ancient hydraulic engineering to environmental stresses.

Moffat, I., Klassen, S., Attorre, T., Evans, D., Lustig, T., & Kong, L. (2019). Using ground penetrating radar to understand the failure of the Koh Ker Reservoir, Northern Cambodia. Geoarchaeology, 35(1), 63–71. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21757