NASA Finds Hidden Cold War Base Under Greenland Ice
A NASA scientist has discovered an abandoned Cold War military base buried deep under Greenland’s ice sheet.
Chad Greene, a cryospheric scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL),
was flying over the glacier in April 2024 when radar picked up something unexpected beneath the ice.
What initially appeared as a faint signal turned out to be Camp Century, a U.S. military base built in 1959 and abandoned in 1967.
The camp, located about 150 miles east of Pituffik Space Base, had 21 tunnels spanning nearly 10,000 feet. It was part of Project Iceworm, a secret plan to create nuclear missile launch sites targeting the Soviet Union. However, the project was abandoned due to the instability of the ice. Today, the base lies buried under 100 feet of ice.
NASA’s UAVSAR
Greene’s radar system, NASA’s UAVSAR, provided detailed 3D images of the base’s structures, revealing them more clearly than ever before.
Previous radar surveys had only captured 2D images, offering limited detail.
Camp Century was originally promoted as a research station and a model for affordable icecap military bases.
Its true purpose was revealed after it was decommissioned, and the Danish Government was informed of Project Iceworm’s intentions.
The camp was one of the first to use a portable nuclear reactor for power,
but when it was shut down, hazardous waste was left behind and buried under the ice.
This discovery helps scientists better understand the melting ice sheet and its impact on revealing any biological, chemical, or radioactive waste from the base.
The research also improves our ability to predict ice sheet behavior and rising sea levels as the climate warms.
