A happy day for the drillers

Sepp is studying a micro-scan of an ice core sample as it appears on the screen. By studying the physical properties of the interaction of ice crystals with enclosed gases and impurities and with the stress and strain of the ice sheet flow, we gain understanding on how to interpret ice core results and which factors determine how an ice sheet flows.

It was a good day for the drillers as mechanical work over the past few days paid off and the reconstructed winch with a new motor worked well. This and the fact that all groups are successful in their tasks give us all a good feeling.

We are slowly making mental preparations for the bad weather that forecasts warn us about will hit us tomorrow night. Tomorrow we will rig the camp for bad weather, and we have arranged with the PARCA team and their pilots that they will depart NEEM tomorrow and seek shelter on the East coast of Greenland.

What we have done today:
1.  New motor on winch mounted.
2.  Processing NEEM deep core brittle zone, bags 2062-2093 (1133.55m –1151.15m).
3.  CFA measurements.  Measured 25.3 m. Depth 2328.15m
4.  Performing logging experiments in the deep hole.
5.  Sent off the U.S. PARCA team on the Twin Otter for the day and receiving it again in the evening.

Drillers report: Today mounting a new motor on the winch was successful. Using a snowmobile out on the snow as friction anchor, the cable was once again spooled back on the winch. The drill was mounted, and just at the end of the day a trial descent was made with success. Tomorrow we drill again.

Weather: Clear, in the evening broken thin overcast. Temp. - 17 °C to - 26 °C, 8 - 12 knots from S. Visibility mostly unrestricted, in the evening 5km.

FL, J.P. Steffensen 

Activity in the science trench. Here, people are performing electrical measurements on ice cores as well as cutting samples of various sizes. Finally, the remaining core and the samples are packed into crates and shipped to Europe, the U.S. and Asia.