NASA scientist Chad Greene and his team were conducting a routine scan of the Greenland Ice Sheet when they stumbled upon an unexpected find - an abandoned Cold War-era military base buried deep beneath the ice. Camp Century, also known as the "city under the ice," was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1959 as part of Project Iceworm, a secret initiative aimed at exploring the feasibility of building a missile launch site under the ice during heightened tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.
The base, which was powered by nuclear energy, consisted of a network of tunnels carved into the ice sheet and was abandoned in 1967. Over time, snow and ice accumulation buried Camp Century about 100 feet below the surface, concealing it from view. Despite being picked up by previous radar scans, the recent NASA flight utilized advanced technology that provided a more detailed survey of the structures hidden beneath the ice. The discovery offered researchers a unique glimpse into the well-preserved remnants of this historic site.
In a 2016 study, concerns were raised about the long-term preservation of Camp Century due to the accelerating rate of Arctic ice melting as a result of climate change. However, the unexpected detection of the base during the NASA flight highlighted the potential for new insights into the hidden world beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. The discovery not only sheds light on a fascinating chapter of Cold War history but also serves as a reminder of the environmental challenges posed by ongoing climate change in the Arctic region.