High quality cores and very shallow drilling

 Today the science trench team Olivia, Catherine, Yoshinori, Bo, and Antje went 2 km west of town to drill a 12 m core with the hand auger

Good news from the drilling tent today: After the liquid level of the bore hole had been raised by some 30 meters yesterday night the cores that were drilled this morning were without breaks and cracks. This means that a relatively high liquid level is necessary in order to keep a high core quality in the present type of ice. The bad news is that we do not have enough drill liquid in camp to keep the liquid level high all the way to 420m depth. Also, the hole is meant to be free of drill liquid for another experiment later this season. The science trench had run out of work in the trenches and went 2 km W of camp get some fresh air and to drill a 12 m long 3-inch core with the hand auger. The weather was perfect for surface drilling: Cold, but not too cold, not too windy, and not too sunny. The core quality is as good as it gets for this type of core and it is likely to cover the last 25 years or so.

What we have done today:
1. NEEM S1 drilling depth 300.88 m
2. CFA of deep brittle zone: bag 2274 – 2330 (1250.15 - 1281.5 m) 22 m analyzed. 71%
3. Drilling 12 m 3-inch 2011 S1A core 2 km W of camp (77°26’657’’N; 51°05’010’’E)
4. Continued AWI radar grid measurements
5. Removing snow around dome
6. Celebrated Martins birthday and Iceland’s national day with cake and singing

Ad. 2: Today analysis of the deepest CFA brittle zone section was terminated and analysis of the shallowest section will be initiated tonight.

Weather: Overcast in the morning and blue sky afternoon and evening. Temp. -8 °C to -16 °C, wind 4 - 10 knots from E and later S.

FL, Anders Svensson


Work is done and ice is packed in boxes: Coffee time!