Welcome to another Chest of Mysteries!
Today we've come to a very interesting subject that pleases all that love series: Game of Thrones!
Certainly, whoever has seen the series, knows the famous wall of ice. So here's the big question: What if this wall existed in real life? Let's dig it in!
The Structure
Anyone of us can imagine a giant structure of ice, about 200 meters high, almost 500 kilometers long and wide enough for several riders to pass from one side to the other.
Well, this wall exists in Game of Thrones, and it is there to protect Westeros from some invaders. George R. R. Martin really knows how to make a good story :D
Any fan should have thought how a construction of such a size would be possible in our world. Unfortunately, I have an answer that will not please everyone: A wall of this size will only be possible in fiction - according to some studies at the University of Alaska.
According to the studies, the problem was not the size, but the material, since the ice would eventually melt after some time.
Some calculations
The university then decided to do some calculations and found that a 200-meter wall would generate about 1.8 megapascals, equivalent to almost 120 pounds per square meter of pressure at the base! If only 0.1 megapascal the ice begins to melt and to break, you can imagine what happened with 1.8 megapascals, right?
But not only that, the time that the ice would take to form the base, would also depend on the average air temperature. For example, in the series, we know that there are forests in the region of the wall, so the air is not so cold. The temperature is equivalent to minus 10 degrees. So, according to the University of Alaska, it would take months for the wall to fall. And even if there was an average temperature, it would take a few years for the result to be the same.
Everything indicates then that if Westeros existed in our world, we would have to find another way to increase the defense of the wall, much less chilled, preferably.
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