Fireproof concrete for bunker construction

Not the most sizzling headline, but may just save you from being sizzled. Ready for public consumption just prior to 2012...

The geopolymer, developed by William Rickard and a team from Curtin University of Technology, can withstand temperatures of over 1600oC for at least an hour - heat that would rip through regular walls.

The super concrete can also defend us from less natural types of fire – its resilience makes it ideal bomb shelter material. In addition to scorching flames, the geopolymer can withstand almost three times more pressure than run-of-the-mill concrete. To put it into perspective, you could stack 8,000 tonnes (that’s about 5,000 Ford Falcons [a large Aussie car]) on a square metre of this stuff and it still wouldn’t crack. There has also been a lot of research to suggest that geopolymers can provide protection from radiation, which will be handy if we ever face nuclear war.

...it will actually be cheaper than regular cement because it’s made from fly ash, a waste product of coal-fired power plants.

If you are leaving bunker construction to the last minute, consider this product. More here:
http://www.sciencealert.com.au/features/20090109-19666.html

DIY Bunker - Not So Difficult After All?

The thing about bunkers and survival shelters is that anything is better than nothing (unless your design causes a cave-in or suffocation...)

Here's a great example of how all you need is a little time, a little cash, some basic skills and a backyard:

• $500 for an old fuel tank
• a hole to sit it in
• pile some dirt on top, add a retaining wall
  
• install a door and steps
• accessorize!

Full story

Rogem Hiri / Gilgal Refaim

I had not heard of this site before today, so I'm guessing a good few of yourselves haven't either. It deserves more recognition, for it has a lot of interesting features:

• as old as Stonehenge
  
• concentric circles, just like Atlantis
• immense size
• astronomical alignments
• a bunker in the middle, perhaps
  

Rogem Hiri ("Mound of the Wild Cat") is the Arabic name for this site, and Gilgal Refaim* ("Wheel of Refaim") is the Hebrew name. It is situated in the Golan Heights (Israeli occupied Syria) , 16 kms east of the Sea of Galilee, in the middle of a large plateau (32.908388°N 35.800581°E). Nearby there are also hundreds of dolmens.

It is made from an estimated 42,000 basalt rocks. There is no mystery as to how they built it, but it would've been quite an effort. The four concentric rings range from 50m in diameter and 1.5m wide for the innermost, to 150m in diameter and 3.2m wide for the outermost ring.

At the very centre is a tomb, although the burial occurred much more recently (roughly 1400BC) than the construction of the site itself (2500-3000BC). And of course, the tomb has been looted, so it is merely presumed someone was buried there...

At the center of the circles is a cairn, an irregular heap of stones. It is 20-25 m. in diameter and preserved to a height of 6 m. The cairn consists of a central mound of stones surrounded by a lower belt, which gives it the appearance of a stepped, truncated cone. A geophysical survey using Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) revealed the pile of stones to be hollow. A built burial chamber, with a narrow corridor leading to it, was discovered there. The chamber is round, roughly 2 m. in diameter, built of large stone plates arranged on top of each other, but slightly slanting inwards. It was covered by two massive slabs of basalt, each weighing over 5.5 tons, which created a semi-corbelled dome over the burial chamber.

Not too different to the "burial chamber" at the centre of the Great Pyramid!


References:

Wikipedia
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Haaretz.com
Rogum Hiri (best aerial pics)

*BTW, the Rephaim of the Hebrew name for this site were giants. Perhaps some deeper investigation could discover if this name comes from presuming only giants could have constructed it, or something more factual. I'm constantly looking for evidence of giants/angels/nephilim/mysterious elders constructing survival bunkers in ancient times. This site seems to fit the bill.

Urkesh Palace Pit = Bunker?

Those who have followed my thoughts probably know that my first instinct when I learn of an ancient subterranean structure is "bunker!". It's not a bad hypothesis, but very hard to prove. The problem is that the use as a bunker perhaps only lasted a few generations, and neglected to leave evidence - whereas subsequent uses may have been for longer, and left more evidence. A bunker that succeeded would most likely be emptied afterwards, and anything not removed, if at all, was likely to be organic or pottery. To put it bluntly, no bones.

Reading Archaeology magazine, July/Aug 2008, page 50, I found this, about a pit found next to Urkesh Palace, a pit that pre-dates the palace:

"unusual stone-lined pit... The pit's large underground room has a square antechamber facing west and a deep circular pit... it was originally covered with a roof and had a single, easily closed entrance facing west... Within the pit they found silver rings, an obsidian blade, clay animal figurines... But it was the mass of animal bones...

Mostly they found the bones of piglets and puppies - dogs were considered unclean by the Hurrians. Sheep, goat and donkey bones were found as well, including the bones of entire animals. Consequently the archaeologists have proposed that the structure was for ritual animal sacrifices.

Fair enough, it was quite likely used for that, long after the pit has served its original purpose. I find it hard to believe that the Hurrians would have built such a quality pit just for animal sacrifices (even considering the related texts mentioning the underworld):




That photo is from the only online article I could find on the pit, entitled “Introduction to the Archaeo-zoology of the abi”

I propose that, ignoring what was found within, and just looking at the structure, and with the understanding that we will never know what the roof consisted of (but may have been a substantial organic mat), that it was a bunker. The thickness of the walls are similar to the plans I have for a bunker... Actually, if all you are doing is tossing animal bones into a pit, why have a tiny entrance and steps? Or to put it another way, if it was important for people to enter the sacrificial pit, why not make the steps a comfortable width? A bunker typically has the smallest entrance possible.

BTW, the ceramics found date to 2300-2100 BC.

"Doomsday Ark" - Planned for the Moon

The seed bunker in Norway has been taken a step further, with plans being laid for an information bank buried on the moon, in 2020 and hopefully sooner (although it seems unlikely to be achieved prior to Dec 2012).

It would contain hard discs holding information such as

- DNA sequences
- instructions for metal smelting
- instructions for planting crops

The clever aspect is that it would transmit the data to Earth - no need for us to go back up there to retrieve it.

More...

Light Source Glows For 12 Years

Litroenergy is a new type of material that will emit light for a half-life of 12 years without needing electricity or sun exposure. The self-luminous micro-particles are called Litrospheres and are said to be non-toxic and inexpensive (although one would assume they are radioactive...). The light is said to be equivalent to a 20 watt incandescent bulb, and would cost a mere 35 cents. Perfect for any bunker!

#1 Most Beautiful Bunker

Forget about your 2012 friends - show this to everyone you know.

Eighth wonder of the world? The stunning temples secretly carved out below ground by 'paranormal' eccentric

For all we know it might be a bunker. If it is, it will surely never be eclipsed in terms of beauty. I would like to shake this gentleman's hand!