Million Year Ice Core Project

The support and tilt of the drill is managed with a large tower that will be constructed next, in time for the arrival of the drill. /end

To manage the handling and recovery of Estisol, drip trays have been installed and connected so as to return fluid to the borehole. 📷 JP /..

It, and its winch are arriving in coming days courtesy of the IPEV French traverse and the French Program who shipped the drill from Hobart to Antarctica. /..

The borehole can now take the Estisol 140 drilling fluid that is essential to keep the deeper borehole from closing and provide good quality core.

With the casing complete, attention has turned to preparation for installing the big drill. /..

The end of a casing section being warmed above the trench before being lowered.

The final bit of vertical travel confirmed that the casing was no longer free to turn as its chamfered bottom seated into the ice that was reamed last season to match.
📷 JP. /..

View from below in the trench of casing being lowered.

View from above showing casing suspended in the borehole.

The process involves connecting each section that is lowered to the suspended casing already in the borehole. Joints are sealed with o-rings and connected with locking wires. The casing ends are heated and o-rings kept warm until needed.
Casing being lowered into the trench. 📷 J. Pedro /..

View inside the drilling tent with a large four legged support frame centred over the borehole.

Science activity has seen the successful installation of borehole casing to a depth of just over 120 metres.
The casing is assembled in sections, suspended from a “quad pod” and progressively lowered into the borehole.
Quad pod centred over the borehole 📷 J. Pedro /..

MYIC DCN camp, aerial view. Traverse vehicles and vans are seen alongside vans for amenities and sleeping and the new kitchen and mess shelter. The large drill tent is seen at the far right.

The past week has been busy as the station infrastructure is installed, providing kitchen and amenities buildings independent of the traverse facilities. Camp with newly constructed kitchen and mess in the centre. 📷 D. Beloin /..

Borehole reamer being lowered into the hole with a disc of ice attached.

Before casing, the team confirmed the hole diameter was sufficient - no significant closure since last season.
This was done by lowering a disc of ice of appropriate diameter down the hole. A prudent check which allowed a graceful "failure" if the disc got stuck as it could be broken. 📷 J. Pedro

Photo of the Dome C North Station.

Activity at the Dome C North station is fully underway with the final placement of camp infrastructure and science drilling commencing. The first drilling task will be installation of 120 metres of casing in the upper borehole. 📷 J. Pedro /1

A map of a sector of East Antarctica that extending inland from Casey Station to the drilling site at Dome C North. The map shows the route taken by the traverse.

And for those who might not have seen it, here’s the journey the traverse has completed:

📸D. Beloin

MYIC drilling team landed at Dome C earlier today. We are one day behind schedule, which in the face of logistical and weather challenges of operating in Antarctica is a big WIN!!

Two months ahead of us for deep drill set up and ice coring. Bring it on!!

Home for the next two months for the Traverse and MYIC teams.
📸 Damien Beloin

Home for the next two months for the Traverse and MYIC teams.
📸 Damien Beloin

The camp looks in great shape after the cold and lonely winter. Some drifts outside but no snow inside the shelters.

Ice coring team members are standing by at Casey Station to fly in via Concordia as soon as weather permits. Stay tuned!

📸 D. Harvie

Australian Antarctic Program Traverse team rolls into Dome C North! The 1168 km journey was completed in 17 days 🚜⚡️. A superb result so early in the season.. months of teamwork and planning!

A moment to celebrate before we move to setting up our ice core drill system!
📸 D. Harvie, A. Doherty,

Traverse sustainment train en-route to Dome C North. Photo Damien Beloin

Meanwhile traverse is making excellent progress toward the drill site at Dome C North. As of this morning, they have reached 3080 m altitude and have 269 km to go.

The science and drilling team will fly by Basler to Concordia Station to meet traverse team and set up our deep ice core drill.

L to R: MYIC team members Joel Pedro, Lenneke Jong and Julius Rix arrive to Wilkins runway. Terra bus in the background for the 3hr ride over ice sheet from Wilkins to Casey Station.

ADF Operation Southern Discovery first C17 flight for season to Wilkins. Delivering Expeditioners and cargo to support the Aus Antarctic Program.

Touchdown on ice.. three MYIC science and drilling team members arrived to Casey Station yesterday after ride in the big jet with other incoming Casey Station crew. Thanks ADF!
#AusAntarctic 📸 JP

Traverse is making excellent progress more about this and some great picutres at www.facebook.com/share/p/1Fxr...

Long haul for science begins – Australian Antarctic Program (News 2025) Australia’s Antarctic tractor-traverse team is making its way up the Antarctic plateau to deliver scientific equipment, fuel and food to the site of the Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) drilling project.

Our season is now well and truly underway with the traverse climbing toward the drill site on the plateau. www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2025/lo...

Ice sample being sublimated with infrared light under a vacuum - to the extract the air content from the bubbles.

Andy and Daniel overseeing the gas extraction.

While the field teams are already in action, preparing to traverse to the drill site, things in the MYIC labs are moving forward. Daniel and Andy made the first serious gas sublimation measurement using our system with some known-composition Law Dome core. 📷 Joel Pedro

A picture of a metal cylinder standing on the floor with the drill sondes inside.

And here we see one sonde inside its housing. 📷 Joel Pedro.

Picture showing two drill sondes standing side by side, ready to be installed inside their pressure housings.

This picture shows two complete AAD deep drill sondes (electronics assembly, motor and transmission) ready to be sealed inside pressure housings to drive deep drilling at Dome C North this summer. Photo: Derryn Harvie

Preparations are in full swing for the coming season’s fieldwork. This will see the start of drilling with the large drill built by AAD to core to around 3 km depth.

Scientists analyse first samples from ancient Antarctic ice core Australian scientists have started analysing the first batch of samples from the "Million Year Ice Core" project.

Some nice coverage of last season’s progress. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...

🚨 WORK WITH US at @utas.edu.au IN HOBART!

🧊 Research Associate – Ice Core Atmospheric Sciences

🫧 Play a lead role in interpreting gas records from the Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) @millionyearice.bsky.social project

✍️ Applications close 13 July 2025

▶️ aappartnership.org.au/vacancies/#i...

Antarctic ice cores returned to Australia – Australian Antarctic Program (News 2025) The first 150 metres of a planned 3000 metre-long Antarctic ice core has been safely returned to Australia after a successful drilling season for the Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) project.

www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2025/hi...

Cores transported thanks to our Program and Operation Southern Discovery. www.facebook.com/share/v/1XGg...

Insulated Terra-vac box with ice core boxes inside safely back in our Hobart warehouse

Yesterday, the cores arrived back in Hobart ready for analysis.