Camp Century: The Buried Nuclear Base Beneath Greenland’s Ice

Cold War Outpost Beneath the Ice

In 1959, the U.S. Army constructed Camp Century under Greenland’s ice sheet, 240 km from Pituffik. Publicly presented as a scientific base, it secretly supported Project Iceworm—a plan to build a hidden network of nuclear missile launch sites.

Nuclear Power and Collapsing Tunnels

The camp featured a nuclear reactor and 21 ice tunnels spanning 3 km. Designed for a 10-year lifespan, it was abandoned in 1967 due to shifting ice that warped structures. The PM-2A reactor was removed, but fuel, sewage, and waste were left behind.

Secrets and Soil Samples

Construction began without Denmark’s informed consent. In later decades, scientists studying Camp Century’s ice cores discovered evidence that Greenland’s ice sheet may have vanished as recently as 400,000 years ago.

Buried Hazards and Modern Monitoring

Up to 24 million liters of sewage, PCBs, and fuel remain under about 36 meters of ice. Though once feared to be at environmental risk by 2100, a 2021 study showed meltwater had reached only 1.1 meters deep. In 2024, NASA radar detected the buried base beneath the ice cap.

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