The Alaska Pipeline's Permafrost Challenge
Clip: Season 18 | 37s
The Alaska Pipeline could not be buried under the Arctic tundra.
The oilmen planned to build the Alaska pipeline the same way they'd built every other pipeline in the world -- dig a ditch and bury it. This would not work in the arctic. Beneath a thin, insulating cover of tundra and vegetation, much of Alaska sits on permanently frozen ground called permafrost. In some places, it's mostly gravel, but in others it's mostly ice.
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The Alaska Pipeline's Permafrost Challenge
Clip: Season 18 | 37s
The oilmen planned to build the Alaska pipeline the same way they'd built every other pipeline in the world -- dig a ditch and bury it. This would not work in the arctic. Beneath a thin, insulating cover of tundra and vegetation, much of Alaska sits on permanently frozen ground called permafrost. In some places, it's mostly gravel, but in others it's mostly ice.
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The Scale and Cost of the Alaska Pipeline
Clip: S18 | 1m 57s | The one thing that was not in short supply was workers hoping to cash in on the project. (1m 57s)
Clip: S18 | 1m 12s | After oil was struck in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, companies agreed to build a pipeline. (1m 12s)
Clip: S18 | 1m 23s | Alyeska suffered its first scandal when a subcontractor falsified weld x-rays. (1m 23s)
Construction Begins on the Alaska Pipeline
Clip: S18 | 40s | Construction of the Alaska Pipeline began on March 27, 1975. (40s)
Building a Supply Road for the Pipeline
Clip: S18 | 1m 9s | On April 29, 1974, construction began on a haul road for transporting pipeline materials. (1m 9s)
Alaska Pipeline: Thompson Pass
Clip: S18 | 2m 53s | One of the biggest challenges in the Alaska Pipeline's construction was Thompson Pass. (2m 53s)
Now PlayingThe Alaska Pipeline's Permafrost Challenge
Clip: S18 | 37s | The Alaska Pipeline could not be buried under the Arctic tundra. (37s)
Clip: S18 | 1m 19s | The last piece of the pipeline was laid at Atigun Pass, the highest point on the line. (1m 19s)
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Video has Closed Captions
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Corporate sponsorship for American Experience is provided by Liberty Mutual Insurance and Carlisle Companies. Major funding by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.