Knowledge ark

A knowledge ark (also known as a doomsday ark or doomsday vault) is a collection of knowledge preserved in such a way that future generations would have access to said knowledge if all other copies of it were lost.

Scenarios where access to information (such as the Internet) would become otherwise impossible could be described as existential risks or extinction-level events. A knowledge ark could take the form of a traditional library or a modern computer database. It could also be pictorial in nature, including photographs of important information, or diagrams of critical processes.

A knowledge ark would have to be resistant to the effects of natural or man-made disasters in order to be viable. Such an ark should include, but would not be limited to, information or material relevant to the survival and prosperity of human civilization.

Other types of knowledge arks might include genetic material, such as in a DNA bank. With the potential for widespread personal DNA sequencing becoming a reality, an individual might agree to store their genetic code in a digital or analog storage format which would enable later retrieval of that code. If a species was sequenced before extinction, its genome would still remain available for study. (Source: Wikipedia)

Potential ideal locations on Earth

Projected durability in the span of hundred thousands of years maximum. They should be far away from zones with disruptive geological activities such as fault lines. The weathers of the ideal locations should be as calm/stable as possible, i.e. no tornados and flash floods. Besides that, the governments in the areas should be stable democracies so as to avoid the risks of political upheavals which threatens the facilities, such as popular uprisings and civil wars.

Australia

• Tunnel Creek
• Nullarbor Plain Underground Caves

Austria

• Salzkammergut Salt Mines

Canada

• Manitoba
• Saskatchewan

Switzerland

• Jura Mountains

United Kingdom

• Boulby Mine, UK
• Worth Village Salt Mine

United States

Alaska

• Ester Mine, Fairbanks
• Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve Mines (May be restricted because of National Preserve status)

Upper Midwest

• Balmoral, South Dakota
• Winner, Minnesota

Others

• Bonne Terre Mine
• Lyons Salt Mine
• Deserts in Nevada and New Mexico

Potential ideal locations in Solar System

Projected durability in the span of millions of years, or perhaps longer.

• Moon (especially lava tubes)

• Mars

• Ceres

• Hilda and Zhongguo asteroid groups

• Saturnian moons Mimas, Tethys, Dione and Iapetus

• Uranian moons Ariel, Umbriel, Miranda, Oberon and Titania

• Pluto and Charon

• Eris and Dysnomia

• Sedna

Types

Locations

• Static

• Mobile

Plans and projects

Biological repositories

• Safeguarding Earth's biodiversity by creating a lunar biorepository (published July 31, 2024)