In April 2024, scientists flying over Greenland made a surprising discovery. While flying over the ice, they detected a strange signal on their plane's instruments, WP writes.
The signal pointed to something buried beneath the ice. What they found was the remains of a long-forgotten military base.
The base, known as Camp Century, was built by the U.S. Army in 1959 and is now buried 30 meters under the ice.
The scientists flying in the Gulfstream III plane were initially unsure about what they had found. Alex Gardner, a NASA cryo scientist, was one of the people involved in the flyby.
He explained that they didn’t know what the structure was at first, but the signal made it clear there was something significant under the ice.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that the strange signal came from Camp Century, which had been abandoned decades ago.
Camp Century was located in a region of Greenland where temperatures can drop as low as -50°C. It seems unlikely that a human base would be built in such harsh conditions.
However, the U.S. Army constructed this base in the 1950s to house about 200 soldiers. The base was originally built above the ice but has since been buried by decades of snowfall.
Over the years, the ice and snow have gradually buried the base deeper, and by 2024, it sits 30 meters beneath the surface.
Although Camp Century was abandoned long ago, it still holds scientific importance. The Atomic Heritage Foundation reports that the base contains nearly 180,000 liters of radioactive waste.
This waste, left over from a nearby nuclear reactor, has been buried in the ice for nearly 60 years. Today, scientists continue to study the area.
Soil samples from the region help researchers understand the Earth’s ancient climate. Scientists believe that Greenland’s climate was much different millions of years ago, with lush greenery and abundant life.
Studying these soil fragments may help predict the future of the planet's climate.
