Last April, a team of scientists flying over Greenland detected a strange signal under the ice sheet. It was Camp Century, an abandoned military base built under the ice by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1959.
The camp was built in harsh conditions: the temperature in this area reaches -57°C and the wind speed exceeds 190 km/h. Despite this, the base could accommodate up to 200 soldiers. In 1967, American troops left Camp Century, and since then the abandoned base has gradually been under a 30-meter snow cover. It is known that 177,914 liters of spent radioactive waste from the nuclear reactor were buried along with the camp.
The recent discovery of the camp was made possible through the use of UAVSAR radar. The radar data made it possible to see the camp’s structures, which were previously hidden under the ice. Scientists tested the radar’s ability to map the inner layers of the ice sheet when they discovered a Cold War-era “easter egg.” A photo of the find was even selected as the November 25, 2024 “Image of the Day” from NASA Earth Observatory.
Scientific value of the find
Although the camp has been abandoned for over half a century, its research still helps to study the history of the Earth. Soil samples taken during the operation of the base are being analyzed using modern techniques to reconstruct the planet’s ancient climate. Millions of years ago, Greenland was a green land with pine forests, mastodons and other animals. These findings help predict future climate change.
Although Camp Century is now hidden beneath a thickness of ice and snow, there is still a risk that the melting of Greenland’s glaciers will no longer cover it with natural protection, exposing dangerous radioactive and biological waste in the open. This find is not only a scientific discovery, but also a reminder for posterity of a sad page of history of the middle of the XX century.
Earlier we reported on how a cave was found under the surface of the moon where astronauts could live.
Provided by popsci.com
