In a outstanding discovery all through an April 2024 flyover of Greenland, NASA scientists exposed the remnants of a hidden town buried deep underneath the ice.
Referred to as Camp Century, this Chilly Warfare-era U.S. army base lies buried beneath 100 toes of the Greenland Ice Sheet. NASA’s Chad Greene, aboard a Gulfstream III airplane, captured a placing radar symbol revealing the web page.
“We have been searching for the mattress of the ice and out pops Camp Century,” mentioned Alex Gardner, a NASA cryospheric scientist. “We didn’t know what it was once to start with.”
This eerie discovery is a part of an effort to map Greenland’s ice the use of complicated radar era, even though uncovering an deserted base wasn’t at the schedule. In-built 1959 by way of the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers, Camp Century as soon as stretched throughout 21 underground tunnels spanning 9,800 toes.
The name of the game venture of Camp Century
Camp Century was once no atypical base. Built in probably the most planet’s most harsh climates—with temperatures plunging to -70°F (-57°C) and winds exceeding 120 mph (193 kph)—the bottom housed 200 infantrymen.
Formally a analysis facility, it additionally hid “Mission Iceworm,” a covert plan to retailer nuclear missiles in ice tunnels for doable moves at the Soviet Union.
On the other hand, the dynamic and risky ice made the venture unworkable. Via 1967, the bottom was once decommissioned, leaving in the back of hazardous fabrics, together with 47,000 gallons of radioactive waste. Consistent with the Atomic Heritage Basis, this waste and the remnants of Camp Century stay entombed underneath the ice.
The bottom additionally featured the PM-2A, probably the most first moveable nuclear reactors, which powered the web page. Whilst its objective has lengthy since pale, Camp Century continues to intrigue scientists and historians alike.
Medical discoveries and environmental issues
Camp Century’s legacy extends past Chilly Warfare historical past. Soil cores recovered all through its operation were worthwhile in working out Earth’s historic local weather. Studied with trendy ways, those cores disclose that Greenland was once as soon as a lush, verdant area house to mastodons, forests, and numerous flora and fauna.
“Within the new information, person buildings in the name of the game town are visual in some way that they’ve by no means been observed prior to,” mentioned Chad Greene. The use of NASA’s complicated radar era, the April 2024 survey introduced unparalleled readability of Camp Century’s structure.
The era, referred to as Uninhabited Aerial Automobile Artificial Aperture Radar (UAVSAR), is designed to map the interior layers of ice sheets and the bedrock beneath. It purposes in a similar way to lidar, which is continuously used to discover hidden buildings like historic Maya ruins.
On the other hand, as an alternative of laser gentle, UAVSAR makes use of radio waves to penetrate dense surfaces and generate detailed pictures of what lies underneath.
Camp Century stays frozen for now, however there are issues about Greenland’s melting ice probably exposing its buried waste. This waste comprises radioactive and organic fabrics, which pose environmental dangers. For now, the rediscovery gives an enchanting glimpse into army historical past. It additionally serves as a reminder of the long-lasting penalties of Chilly Warfare-era actions.
As scientists proceed to discover the icy depths of Greenland, Camp Century reminds us of human creativity and engineering talents. It additionally highlights the sudden results of daring tasks from the previous.
