It’s human nature to be curious about places where we’re forbidden from going. But there are often good reasons for keeping us out.
From sites housing deadly materials to the locations of precious artefacts, here’s the science behind some of the most restricted areas on Earth.
The elephant’s foot
Famed as one of the most radioactive objects in history, the Elephant’s Foot is a two-tonne lump of melted material beneath Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.
It’s made of a rare material called ‘corium’ – a mixture of nuclear fuel and the melted reactor core.
When it was discovered in 1986, eight months after the Chernobyl nuclear accident, it was so radioactive that standing near it would kill you in just three minutes.
Radioactive decay means the risk decreases over time, but you still wouldn’t want to be near it for long. Massive steel and concrete structures were assembled around the derelict power plant to contain the radiation, and site access is restricted.
Svalbard Global Seed Vault
This secure, underground vault is home to some of the most important biological samples on Earth.
Buried below permafrost in the side of a mountain on Spitsbergen Island in Svalbard, the Global Seed Vault houses more than a million seeds, kept behind lock and key.
Its purpose is to protect the genetic material of our crops, cultivated plants and wild species, providing a backup in case other seed stores around the world are damaged by equipment failure, war, disease or natural disaster.
Lascaux Caves
In southern France lies an archaeological site so precious that only a few authorised people are allowed to visit. Within the Lascaux Caves are over 600 rock paintings that date to the Upper Palaeolithic, around 17,000 years ago.
The cave network was initially open to the public, but the thousands of daily visitors had a devastating effect on the prehistoric art.
Their breath increased carbon dioxide levels in the air, and their bodies warmed the caves’ interior, creating the perfect environment for fungi and lichen.
In 1963, the caves were closed to the public and preservationists installed air conditioning to protect what remains of the rock art.
Zone Rouge
Covering more than 1,200km2 (463 square miles) in northeastern France, ‘Zone Rouge’ has been closed off since the First World War.
These former battlefields are littered with unexploded ammunition, and the soils have been polluted by mercury and arsenic leaching from discarded weaponry.
In the worst-affected areas, the soil contains up to 300 shells per hectare. The site’s dedicated clean-up team estimates that it’ll take at least 300 years to clear completely.
Surtsey island
Only a handful of scientists are authorised to set foot on this uninhabited island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Situated south of Iceland, it formed in 1963 when a submarine volcano erupted, and it’s been studied closely ever since. That’s because it represents a unique natural experiment on biocolonisation.
Scientists have recorded the arrival of hundreds of species of plants and animals, and the experiment continues to this day.
This article is an answer to the question (asked by Reva Lanka, Birmingham) 'What's the most secret place that scientists have locked away?'
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