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SALT LAKE CITY — Russian scientists recently completed the longest ever ice core drill of 3,768 meters (12,400 feet) and pierced the ice shield of the surface of one of 280 known freshwater lakes on the frozen continent of Antarctica on Feb. 5.
The dark side of the research has been that the Russians used sixty-six tons of lubricant and antifreeze in the process of drilling. It is feared among some environmentalists and scientists that the lubricant and antifreeze may have contaminated portions of the lake. IN order to try and prevent contamination, researchers stopped drilling about 100 meters above where the surface of the lake is thought to be, and let reduced pressure allow lake water to seep up into the drilled hole.
Russian geographer Andrey Kapitsa, from 1959 through 1964, conducted seismic soundings as part of the Soviet Antarctic Expeditions intending to measure the ice thickness. She theorized that there were frozen lakes underneath the ice.
In 1993, Russian and British scientists confirmed the existence of 280 freshwater lakes by using European Remote-Sensing Satellite ERS-1.
Lake Vostok is said to have been sealed over by ice about 15-25 million years ago. It is roughly the same size as Lake Ontario in the Great Lakes system bordering Canada and the United States.
It is believed by scientists and researchers that the lake contains a treasure trove of biological and mineral specimens that may be unknown to the world today. No one knows what has been found except a handful of scientists.
Now the icy continent is locked in the grip of winter. The seasons in the Southern Hemisphere are exactly the opposite of those in the Northern Hemisphere, meaning the scientists there are now cut-off from the rest of the world. It is fair to say that experiments are likely already underway, or in the planning stages, and once the weather improves there may soon be reports about that ongoing research.
Researchers and scientists worldwide have long and eagerly anticipated this moment. They anticipate discovering microscopic life forms that existed during the Ice Age, and even the possibility of potentially unknown or foreign life forms. In addition to whatever they find, scientists hope to get an idea about what could exist in the icy seas on the moons of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.
Valery Lukin, directs the Antarctic Research Institute and is the mission leader. He calls the discovery “monumental for science. I think it’s fair to compare this project to flying to the moon,” he told the Associated Press.
Another fellow researcher, Lev Savatyugin, said, “There is no other place on Earth that has been in isolation for more than 20 million years. It’s a meeting with the unknown.”
Usually it takes months, sometimes even years, before scientists report their findings and experiments.
Mel Borup Chandler writes on science and related topics. His E-mail address is [mbccomentator@roadrunner.com](<mailto: mbccomentator@roadrunner.com>).
