+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 1 of 1

Thread: Drill Close to Reaching 14-Million-Year-Old Antarctic Lake

  1. Link to Post #1
    Ireland Avalon Member irishspirit's Avatar
    Join Date
    22nd March 2010
    Location
    Ireland
    Age
    44
    Posts
    1,400
    Thanks
    156
    Thanked 1,720 times in 462 posts

    Default Drill Close to Reaching 14-Million-Year-Old Antarctic Lake

    Lake Vostok, which has been sealed off from the world for 14 million years, is about to be penetrated by a Russian drill bit.
    The lake, which lies 2.5 miles below the icy surface of Antarctica, is unique in that it’s been completely isolated from the other 150 subglacial lakes on the continent for such a long time. It’s also oligotropic, meaning that it’s supersaturated with oxygen: Levels of the element are 50 times higher than those found in most typical freshwater lakes.


    Since 1990, the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St. Petersburg in Russia has been drilling through the ice to reach the lake, but fears of contamination of the ecosystem in the lake have stopped the process multiple times, most notably in 1998 when the drills were turned off for almost eight years.



    Now, the team has satisfied the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which safeguards the continent’s environment, that it’s come up with a technique to sample the lake without contaminating it. Valery Lukin told New Scientist: “Once the lake is reached, the water pressure will push the working body and the drilling fluid upwards in the borehole, and then freeze again.” The next season, the team will bore into that frozen water to recover a sample whose contents can then be analysed.

    http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...ok-antarctica/
    Open your eyes and you will see, open your heart and your will feel.

  2. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to irishspirit For This Post:

    000 (16th January 2011), Dennis Leahy (16th January 2011), grannyfranny100 (17th January 2011), John Parslow (16th January 2011), meeradas (16th January 2011), selinam (16th January 2011)

+ Reply to Thread

Similar Threads

  1. The Indian Lake Project
    By Mluck in forum General Discussion
    Replies: 35
    Last Post: 17th February 2013, 17:02
  2. Replies: 5
    Last Post: 14th January 2011, 16:39
  3. 120 Million Year Old Map Found - Proof Of Ancient Civilization
    By irishspirit in forum News and Updates
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 8th January 2011, 03:27
  4. M 5.0, Lake Victoria region, Kenya
    By EMSC in forum Earthquakes, Latest reports and discussions
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 13th June 2010, 13:00

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts