Scientists have developed a project for ultra-deep drilling in Antarctica, planning to create two wells there, Russian newspaper Izvestia reported yesterday. According to TASS’s Press Review for May 16, the first of them will be drilled near Lake Vostok where it will reach the surface of the subglacial lake to ensure constant access to it. The other well will be drilled in Dome B, one of the highest points on the ice sheet where scientists believe 1.5 million years of sediment may have been preserved in chronological order. Their research aims to shed light on the origins of life on Earth and the reasons behind climate change.
“The lake has been isolated from the outside world for millions of years. Therefore, it may contain important information about planet Earth’s prehistoric past, including sediment samples, if any can be obtained, that will enable us to learn more about the geology of Antarctica, changes in its climate and glaciation over the past 3-5 million years. Or even more. Also, an in-depth study of the lake will make it possible to identify microorganisms that are believed to inhabit it and its surroundings,” Vladimir Lipenkov, who helped spearhead the project and is a leading researcher who heads the Laboratory of Climate and Environmental Change at the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI), told Izvestia.
