NASA’s discovery of an underground Cold War city beneath Greenland’s ice cap reveals hidden historical dimensions—what else lies buried under the frozen surface?
At a Glance
- NASA scientists uncovered Camp Century using advanced radar technology.
- This Cold War base was a front for a potential U.S. nuclear missile arsenal.
- The radar technology provided unprecedented visibility into the base’s structure.
- Thousands of gallons of nuclear waste remain buried, posing a climate threat.
A Hidden Historical Marvel
NASA’s technological advances shone a light 100 feet beneath Greenland’s ice to rediscover Camp Century. Developed during the Cold War, Camp Century was initially part of the U.S. Army’s secret “Project Iceworm,” which aimed to store ballistic missiles in the strategic region. Despite its high aspirations, the instability of the ice shelves led to its abandonment by 1967.
The discovery utilized state-of-the-art radar on a NASA Gulfstream III in April. The radar’s primary purpose was mapping ice layers, but it inadvertently led to the resurgence of this Cold War relic. The project, led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, allowed scientists to peer through the dense ice, unveiling the hidden structures of this forgotten base.
NASA discovers underground ‘city’ beneath ice sheet in Greenland https://t.co/EXnZx8yp6v pic.twitter.com/zP6pTK6eD6
— New York Post (@nypost) November 27, 2024
Cold War Ambitions and Technology
Constructed in 1960 with 6,000 tons of materials transported via bobsleds, Camp Century included 21 tunnels stretching 9,800 feet. It housed one of the earliest medium-power nuclear reactors. Originally hidden and explained as scientific research, its true purpose—a system to hold nuclear missiles—remained undisclosed until years later.
“Our goal was to calibrate, validate, and understand the capabilities and limitations of UAVSAR for mapping the ice sheet’s internal layers and the ice-bed interface,” NASA scientist Chad Greene said.
There’s a camp under the ice! 🤯
A new radar image captured by @NASAJPL scientists during UAVSAR instrument tests reveals structural elements of Camp Century, an abandoned U.S. military base that is now buried within the Greenland Ice Sheet. https://t.co/mksKUpXA59 pic.twitter.com/NZszT5PFlI
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) November 26, 2024
Environmental Concerns Amidst Revelations
The forgotten Camp Century also bears an environmental warning. The buried nuclear waste, left behind from the Cold War, has caused concern as the ice sheet continues to melt. Climate models project potential exposure and contamination by 2090. Therefore, experts say the discovery isn’t merely about unearthing the past but underscores the urgent present-day ecological threats.
Climate and glacier scientist at Toronto’s York University William Colgan stated, “They thought it would never be exposed.” He added that, “Back then, in the ‘60s, the term global warming had not even been coined. But the climate is changing, and the question now is whether what’s down there is going to stay down there.”
