How to Build an Island
Building an island that stays put and you can live on is not science fiction. Many man-made, inhabited islands exist in the Netherlands, Japan and Dubai. Artificial islands were made centuries ago in Mexico and Scotland. They accommodate growing populations of natives and tourists. It is thought that island building might become the wave of the future, even though it takes years to make one. The following is for fairly shallow water. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Several millions tons of rock and sand
- Fleet of barge ships
- Fleet of dump trucks
- Team of divers
- Weather survey of area
- Engineers
- Dredger boats
Instructions
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I Am A Rock, I Am An Island
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1
Get very detailed reports on projected weather and water circulation patterns for the exact area you want the island to be. You need at least a few months a year of calm weather in order for the new foundation to settle.
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2
Determine where a breakwater should go to protect the island from wave erosion. This is where the engineers come in.
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3
Quarry out a few million metric tons of sand and rock. Rocks must be cut into half-ton or smaller lumps. Transport by dump truck to your ships. Another option is to get dredged sand off the mainland coast, so you don't have to erode the beaches.
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4
Dump one boatload of sand to begin the island. This gives the sand time to settle and become more solid. Repeat as many times as needed to make your island.
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5
Transport the rocks to the breakwater site and drop them into the sea with a hoist and winch.
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6
Dive to the rocks to see that none have fallen out of place or been swept away. Repeat rock inspection with the divers n a couple of months.
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Tips & Warnings
Building artificial islands is also called land reclamation.
Floating islands are easier to make but lack a sound structure. Such floating islands can be seen on Lake Titicaca in Mexico.
It's best to build the breakwater and the island at the same time. Make sure there are gaps in the breakwater to get water circulating and prevent algae build-up.
You need beach sand to make a beach island, as desert sand is too fine and will wash away.
Resources
- Photo Credit Satellite image from Wikimedia Commons
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Comments
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Rockfill works as retaining wall surrounded the designated island and sandfilled at the center to the required level. Ferilized soil filled on top for vegetation plant and residential buildings.
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It is not lake TITICACA, it's lake TEXCOCO. Lake Titicaca is in South America.
