DRILLING COMPLETE!

Our target depth (and geologic time window of around 18 million years ago) was reached yesterday. Ours is the 2nd deepest drillhole in Antarctica.

We're now concentrating on writing up our on-ice summaries and readying ourselves to return to the real world.

PRESSURE RIDGES IN THE SEA ICE

The sea ice is dynamic. Where it meets the land, tidal forces and the pressures of ocean currents and glacial movement cause the sea ice to buckle upwards into a series of ridges parallel to shore called pressure ridges. The photo below shows some pressure ridges formed along the point where Discovery Hut is located.


The fractures between ridges can extend all the way down to the water below. Because of this, these areas can be dangerous and are off-limits. However, some extensive pressure ridges form each year in front of Scott Base, the New Zealand station located about 2 miles from McMurdo. These ridges are carefully monitored, and each year the station marks a safe route through the features. Following the route is only allowed with a trained guide, and we were lucky enough to be able to take a tour today.

The photograph below should give you some idea of the size of these features. Shown are my night shift buddies, who also took the tour. The walls of ice in the background are a few feet thick, and have been thrust from horizontal to vertical. You can also see the different types of gear issued by each country. Those in the red jackets and pants are Italians. The red and blue combo at left is worn by a German. The dark blue gear is Kiwi. The Americans are in red jackets and black pants.


At one point we came across this seal, who was resting after a long dive. He/she didn't seem to perturbed by our presence. The seal lay near a hole that had melted through the ice.


There were some amazing ice formations. It was all very surreal.