NZ Intermediate Ice Core Drill

The New Zealand Intermediate Depth Ice Core Drilling System is built by the Antarctic Research Centre's Science Drilling Office. The drilling system is based on the Danish Haus Tausen drilling system design and has a reach of up 1,000 m depth.

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RICE Ice Core Drilling Video

Video Credit: Skylar Haines 

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Field Season Overviews

2010/11 Field Season 
·       Staging of equipment fuel
·       Set up of AWS
·       Sampling of snow pits
·       Shallow firn drilling
·       Radar and GPS mass balance surveys
·       Defining drill site
·       Winterise cargo

2012/13 Field Season
·       Completion of drilling to bedrock – 764m
·       Shallow firn cores and snow pit samples
·       Snow precipitation samples
·       Radar and GPS mass balance surveys
·       Maintenance of AWS
·       Decommission drill trench and camp

2011/12 Field Season
·       Set up of drill trench and core storage
·       Drill to 130m depth
·       Case drill hole to 60m
·       Shallow firn cores and snow pit samples
·       Snow precipitation samples
·       Radar and GPS mass balance surveys
·       Maintenance of AWS
·       Winterise camp, drill trench, and cargo
·       Return core to NZ

2013/14 Field Season
·       Radar and GPS mass balance surveys
·       Borehole measurements
·       Decommission AWS
·       Return cargo to McMurdo Station and Scott Base
·       Winterise fuel cash