Book 18, Question 114
Why Are Some Polar Buildings Built Up on Stilts?
Some polar buildings stand on stilts so they do not melt the ground or get buried! In places with permafrost, a heated building can melt the frozen ground below it. Then it would sink or tilt.
More fun facts
- Some polar buildings sit on stilts because of permafrost.
- Stilt-like legs also let snow blow under a building instead of piling up.
- Antarctica's first permanent building is still kept up by Argentina.
- A building boom came with the International Geophysical Year of 1957 to 1958.
- People built stilt villages long ago too, like one nearly 8,000 years old in the Balkans.
Sources: National Geographic, BBC, Smithsonian Magazine
Questions kids ask
Why does snow blow under buildings on stilts?
Stilt-like legs leave a gap, so snow blows under the building instead of piling up against it.