中国长江三峡工程于2003年6月1日正式下闸蓄水，6月7日起突然在湖北省巴东县城北信陵镇沿江一线发生了2000多次密集的小震群，引起了大家的严重关切，在未来的几年内随着二期和三期工程的完工，水位将提高到156m和175m，是否会诱发更大更强的地震？根据地震构造的观点分析了库区东段几条活动断裂的分布、交汇关系和孕震能力，认为巴东和秭归可能为两个潜在震源区，蓄水后有引发5.5级左右的地震可能，地震烈度可达VII°～VIII°；并可能诱发库区内众多滑坡体的复活，导致严重的地质灾害。

The Three-Gorges Hydropower Project on Yangtze River was officially impounded on June 1, 2003. Then, more than two thousand microearthquakes abruptly occurred along the River in Badong County of Hubei Province from June 7, 2003, and attracted great attention. After the completion of the second and third-phase construction of the project, the water level will raise up to 156 m and 175 m, respectively. Could it trigger stronger shock? Seismotectonic analysis of the distribution of several active faults and their intersections and seismogenic capacity in the eastern part of the Three-Gorges Reservoir area suggests that two potential seismic focus zones located in Badong and Xiangxi may be hit by reservoir-induced earthguake of upper-limit magnitude about 5.5, and the seismic intensity in epicentral zone will be Ⅶ°～Ⅷ°. Meanwhile, a large number of landslides will be triggered to move and, hence, heavy geologic hazards will occur.