How Do Eskimos Seal the Igloo?
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The Trick to Sealing the Igloo
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The igloo is a temporary structure built from snow and ice as a shelter during Eskimo hunting trips. Using soft snow as a construction material seems impossible in theory; the snow does in fact melt during and after the igloo is built. But it's the resulting ice from this melting that cements the snow together and seals the igloo from the frigid outside temperatures.
Sealing the Exterior
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Part of the melting is natural. Snowflakes almost immediately melt when they land on the outer dome. With the construction of an igloo taking between 3 and 6 hours, there is plenty of time for snowflakes to pile up and melt. The Eskimo men spend those hours carving blocks of snow that curve inward and stacking them onto each other in a circular shape. As the igloo spirals into shape, the men are shaving off the rough edges to make as smooth an interior as possible. This will be important during the final sealing process. Once the igloo is near completion, a keystone block is dropped into the gap left in the roof. The falling snow has provided much of the material needed to seal off and insulate the exterior of the igloo. But once the igloo is finished, the Eskimos will fill in the remaining gaps with snow, much like grout used in warmer temperatures. This completes sealing the igloo's exterior.
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Finishing the Inside
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The Eskimo woman is then called over to finish the interior. She lights a whale blubber lamp burning at maximum strength and hurries out of the structure. The entrance is sealed off with a block of ice to trap as much heat as possible. Over time, the snow on the roof begins to melt and run down the sloped sides of the igloo. When the blocks are soaked with water, the Eskimo woman returns and removes the lamp. The rush of cold air from the removed block freezes the water and transform the igloo into a hardened structure. In this state, it can withstand the warmth of one or two blubber lamps, along with its occupants' body heat and even small cooking fires. By morning a human, or even a polar bear, could stand on the igloo's dome. Running a hand over the inside will keep the inside smooth and prevent most dripping. The entrance should be kept open, but creating an L-shaped opening will keep most snow and wind from directly blowing into the igloo.
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