US ITASE Logo

 

2007

Date: December 17, 2007
Location: East Antarctic Plateau, Drill site 4
Latitude: 88 degrees, 30 minutes, 34.308 seconds South
Longitude: 178 degrees, 31 minutes, 50.844 seconds East
Temperature: −29°C ( −20°F)
Wind Speed: 6 knots
Wind Chill: −38°C (−37°F)
Elevation: 3125 meters (10253 feet)
Kilometers Traveled: 1076
Ice Core Drilled: 273 meters
Written by: Nicky

We start our day a bit later than usual with a breakfast of eggs and bacon at 9:00 am. Then we begin the business of unloading all the necessary equipment from the science sled. Today there is a certain immediacy to this task, as Josh and Luke plan to take the entire train with them to get the fuel barrels and ice core boxes that were deposited nearby prior to our arrival. Once all the equipment is unloaded, it is re-loaded (2–4 pieces at a time) onto the banana sleds or the little Siglin sled and pulled by hand through the soft snow to the drill site. In my opinion, the first morning at each of the drill sites is the most tiring work!

The drill site is set up and ready to go shortly after lunch and we find that the drilling is incredibly easy. The firn here is so different from the other three sites. Unlike the other sites, there is very little change in the grain size with depth and the large crumbly hoar layers that have given us so much trouble in the past aren't present either. Thanks to these differences, we have the highest first day 3" core total (26m) than at any of the other sites! Gordon and Dan B. have an excellent day with the 2" drill as well. Brian spends the day setting up a series of GPS waypoints for tomorrow’s planned radar expedition and Luci does the all–important task of melting snow for drinking water.

In other exciting news, we began to alert NSF and Raytheon officials about our imminent arrival at the South Pole! We also make calls to the travel office in McMurdo to arrange our return tickets to both Christchurch and the United States!

 

Date: December 18, 2007
Location: East Antarctic Plateau, Drill site 4
Latitude: 88 degrees, 30 minutes, 34.308 seconds South
Longitude: 178 degrees, 31 minutes, 50.844 seconds East
Temperature: −30°C ( −22°F)
Wind Speed: 8 knots
Wind Chill: −41°C (−42°F)
Elevation: 3125 meters (10253 feet)
Kilometers Traveled: 1076
Ice Core Drilled: 327 meters
Written by: Nicky

Drilling continued today at a pace never before established this season. Gone are the days of organized tea breaks and leisurely lunches. We are all about work...and we should be; we are that close to finishing. We aim to drill 100–120 meters at this site and by the end of the day we are well on our way. Sharon has made a lovely addition to our team. In Paul's absence (more about that momentarily) she has become the new core pusher. Mike, Dan D., Elena, and I maintain our previously established positions. We are like a well oiled machine (which is excellent, because if we were a leaky machine, we would have to call the McMurdo Firehouse and report a spill).

Brian, Paul, and Josh headed out early this morning with the PB and Brian's radar sled to conduct a deep radar survey of the surrounding area. If you've read previous logs you know that typically this is a two person job. However, the goal this time is to collect data both on the way out and on the way back, so Paul will watch the crevasse radar and take turns driving with Josh, while Brian rides in the radar sled thus ensuring that data is collected continuously. They drive out about 35km, hop over 1 km and drive back parallel to their original route. They tell us that the scenery was spectacular (flat and white if you know what I mean)! This endeavor takes all day. They leave shortly after breakfast and return an hour before dinner.

Gordon and Dan B. spend the day skipping between the Blue Room and the Drill Site. While in the Blue Room, they work to ensure that MADGE will be ready for her season premier tomorrow. While at the Drill Site they labor to produce an 18m core with the 2" drill. The core will be scanned through MADGE, and the borehole logging device (finally, at least tentatively, named MABLE for Mostly Automated Borehole Logging Equipment) will be sent down the hole when it is finished.

Luke and Luci spend the day making water and taking turns cooking for the crew (eggrolls and soup for lunch, grilled sausage and polenta for dinner).