What it's like inside the doomsday vault that stores every known crop on the planet

We've long imagined scenarios in which, because of disaster, climate change, or nuclear war, life as we know it comes to an end, with parts of the earth rendered inhospitable with widespread environmental devastation.

Hidden approximately 400 feet deep inside a mountain on a remote island between mainland Norway and the North Pole, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault is designed to come to our rescue if that happens.

It stores valuable seeds from crops all over the world, and recently, because of the Syrian civil war, it came to humanity's aid for the first time. The vault is not open to the public, but you can see what it's like below:

Svalbard is the northernmost place in the world that still has scheduled flights, according to The Crop Trust, the group in charge of the global seed-bank system.

Google Earth/Tech Insider

Source: The Crop Trust

It's more than 400 feet above sea level, and there's little moisture in the air.

Avatar_023/Shutterstock

Source: The Crop Trust

Since the vault is buried in permafrost, it could stay frozen at least 200 years, even if the power were to go out.

AP Photo/David Keyton

Source: Reuters

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