This is a list of ice cores drilled for scientific purposes. Note that many of these locations are on moving ice sheets, and the latitude and longitude given is as of the date of drilling.
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lewis Glacier 1, Kenya | University of East Anglia | 0°9′S37°18′E / 0.150°S 37.300°E | 4880 | 1975 | 6 | [1] |
Lewis Glacier 1, Kenya | University of East Anglia | 0°10′S37°19′E / 0.167°S 37.317°E | 4880 | 1977 | 11 | [1] |
Lewis Glacier 1, Kenya | IPS | 0°10′S37°19′E / 0.167°S 37.317°E | c. 4980 | 1978 | 13 | [2] [1] |
Lewis Glacier 2, Kenya | IPS | 0°10′S37°19′E / 0.167°S 37.317°E | c. 4980 | 1978 | 12 | [2] [1] |
NIF1 (Northern Ice Field, Kilimandjaro, Tanzania) | Ohio State University | 3°04′S37°21′E / 3.067°S 37.350°E | c. 5893 | 2000 | 50.9 | |
NIF2 (Northern Ice Field, Kilimandjaro, Tanzania) | Ohio State University | 3°04′S37°21′E / 3.067°S 37.350°E | c. 5893 | 2000 | 50.8 | |
NIF3 (Northern Ice Field, Kilimandjaro, Tanzania) | Ohio State University | 3°04′S37°21′E / 3.067°S 37.350°E | c. 5893 | 2000 | 49.0 | |
FWG (Furtwängler Glacier, Kilimandjaro, Tanzania) | Ohio State University | 3°04′S37°21′E / 3.067°S 37.350°E | c. 5893 | 2000 | 9.5 | |
SIF1 (Southern Ice Field, Kilimandjaro, Tanzania) | Ohio State University | 3°04′S37°21′E / 3.067°S 37.350°E | c. 5893 | 2000 | 18.5 | |
SIF2 (Southern Ice Field, Kilimandjaro, Tanzania) | Ohio State University | 3°04′S37°21′E / 3.067°S 37.350°E | c. 5893 | 2000 | 22.3 |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Shokalsky Glacier | AARI | 76°30′N62°0′E / 76.500°N 62.000°E | c. 1000 | 1957 | 30 | [65] |
Elbrus, Caucasus | USSR Academy of Science | c. 44°12′N44°8′E / 44.200°N 44.133°E | c. 4000 | 1963 | 200 | [65] |
Alaty | USSR Academy of Science | c. 50°0′N87°30′E / 50.000°N 87.500°E | c. 4000 | 1965 | 200 | [65] |
Taisetsu Mountains | ILTS | c. 43°30′N143°0′E / 43.500°N 143.000°E | 1730 | 1966 | 24 | [65] |
Besengi Glacier | USSR Academy of Science | c. 44°12′N42°40′E / 44.200°N 42.667°E | 2700 | 1966 | 150 | [65] |
Rongbuk Glacier | IGSNRR | 28°5′N86°52′E / 28.083°N 86.867°E | 5400 | 1966 | 12 | [65] |
Abramov Glacier | CAHM, USSR | c. 39°0′N72°0′E / 39.000°N 72.000°E | 4400 | 1972 | 110 | [39] [65] |
Abramov Glacier | c. 39°0′N72°0′E / 39.000°N 72.000°E | 4400 | 1973 | 50 | [39] [65] | |
Abramov Glacier | c. 39°0′N72°0′E / 39.000°N 72.000°E | 4400 | 1974 | 106 | [39] [65] | |
Pamir Mountains | CAHM, USSR | c. 39°0′N72°0′E / 39.000°N 72.000°E | c. 3000 | 1974 | 137 | [39] [65] [note 32] |
Obruchev Glacier, Polar Urals | AARI | c. 65°0′N60°0′E / 65.000°N 60.000°E | c. 600 | 1974 | 87 | [39] [65] |
Obruchev Glacier, Polar Urals | AARI | c. 65°0′N60°0′E / 65.000°N 60.000°E | c. 600 | 1974 | 64 | [39] [65] |
North Pole 19 | AARI | Various | c. 5 | 1974 | 34 | [65] [note 33] |
North Pole 19 | AARI | Various | c. 10 | 1974 | 11 | [65] [note 33] |
Vavilov Ice Cap | 1975, 1976 | 150-560 (6 holes) | [39] [note 34] | |||
Vavilov Dome | c. 80°0′N96°0′E / 80.000°N 96.000°E | c. 780 | 1978 | 450 | [65] | |
Vavilov Dome | c. 80°0′N96°0′E / 80.000°N 96.000°E | c. 780 | 1978 | 459 | [65] | |
Akademiay Nayk | 700 | 1986-1987 | 560, 761 | [39] | ||
Elbrus, Caucasus | 4100 | 1987 | 72, 72 | [39] | ||
Guliya Ice Cap, China | 6200 | 1992 | 308 | [39] | ||
Windy Dome, Franz Josef Land | 500 | 1997 | 36, 315 | [39] | ||
Belukha, Altai | Research Institute for Humanity and Nature in Kyoto, Japan | 4499 | 2003 | 171 | ||
Belukha, Altai (1) | Ice Memory Project (University of Grenoble Alpes Foundation) | <4506 | 2018 | 160 | ||
Belukha, Altai (2) | Ice Memory Project (University of Grenoble Alpes Foundation) | <4506 | 2018 | 106 | ||
Elbrus, Caucasus (1) | Ice Memory Project (University of Grenoble Alpes Foundation) | c. 5100 | 2018 | 150 | ||
Elbrus, Caucasus (2) | Ice Memory Project (University of Grenoble Alpes Foundation) | c. 5100 | 2018 | 120 | ||
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Meren A | AUENG | c. 4°6′S137°20′E / 4.100°S 137.333°E | 4470 | 1972 | 9 | [1] |
Meren B | AUENG | c. 4°6′S137°20′E / 4.100°S 137.333°E | 4523 | 1972 | 10 | [1] |
Meren D | AUENG | c. 4°6′S137°20′E / 4.100°S 137.333°E | 4365 | 1972 | 10 | [1] |
Meren E | AUENG | c. 4°6′S137°20′E / 4.100°S 137.333°E | 4417 | 1972 | 10 | [1] |
Meren X | AUENG | c. 4°6′S137°20′E / 4.100°S 137.333°E | 4595 | 1972 | 10 | [1] |
Carstensz K | AUENG | c. 4°4′S137°20′E / 4.067°S 137.333°E | 4495 | 1973 | c. 10 | [1] |
Carstensz L | AUENG | c. 4°4′S137°20′E / 4.067°S 137.333°E | 4536 | 1973 | c. 10 | [1] |
Carstensz M | AUENG | c. 4°4′S137°20′E / 4.067°S 137.333°E | 4595 | 1974 | c. 10 | [1] |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vallée Blanche | CNRS | c. 45°53′N6°56′E / 45.883°N 6.933°E | c. 3550 | 1963 | 55 | [66] |
Vallée Blanche | CNRS | c. 45°53′N6°56′E / 45.883°N 6.933°E | c. 3550 | 1966 | 36 | [66] |
L 67 | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | 3240 | 1967 | 17 | [66] |
J I | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3489 | 1967 | 8 | [66] |
J II | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3489 | 1967 | 8 | [66] |
JZ I | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3471 | 1968 | 7 | [66] |
JZ II | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3472 | 1968 | 6 | [66] |
JZ III | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3470 | 1968 | 5 | [66] |
JZ IV | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3473 | 1968 | 8 | [66] |
JZ V | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3480 | 1968 | 10 | [66] |
JZ VI | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3487 | 1968 | 9 | [66] |
JZ VII | University of Innsbruck | 46°33′N7°58′E / 46.550°N 7.967°E | 3471 | 1968 | 5 | [66] |
Saint Sorlin | CNRS | 45°11′N6°10′E / 45.183°N 6.167°E | 2800 | 1968 | 60 | [66] [note 35] |
Saint Sorlin | CNRS | 45°11′N6°10′E / 45.183°N 6.167°E | 2800 | 1968 | 67 | [66] [28] [note 35] |
Saint Sorlin | CNRS | 45°11′N6°10′E / 45.183°N 6.167°E | 2800 | 1969 | 72 | [66] [28] [note 35] |
K I | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | c. 3350 | 1970 | 13 | [66] |
K II | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | c. 3285 | 1970 | 15 | [66] |
K III | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | c. 3275 | 1970 | 15 | [66] |
K IV | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | c. 3225 | 1970 | 16 | [66] |
K V | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | c. 3175 | 1970 | 16 | [66] |
K S | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | c. 3125 | 1970 | 11 | [66] |
K VII | University of Innsbruck | c. 46°50′N10°47′E / 46.833°N 10.783°E | c. 3082 | 1970 | 7 | [66] |
Vallée Blanche | CNRS | c. 45°53′N6°56′E / 45.883°N 6.933°E | c. 3550 | 1970 | 33 | [66] |
Vallée Blanche | CNRS | 45°53′N6°56′E / 45.883°N 6.933°E | 3500 | 1971 | 40 | [66] |
Vallée Blanche | CNRS | 45°53′N6°56′E / 45.883°N 6.933°E | 3500 | 1971 | 40 | [66] |
Vallée Blanche | CNRS | 45°53′N6°56′E / 45.883°N 6.933°E | 3500 | 1971 | 187 | [66] |
P 1 | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°0′E / 46.550°N 8.000°E | 3470 | 1972 | c. 9 | [66] |
P 2 | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°0′E / 46.550°N 8.000°E | 3470 | 1972 | c. 10 | [66] |
Col du Dôme | CNRS | c. 45°50′N7°0′E / 45.833°N 7.000°E | 4280 | 1973 | 25 | [66] |
Col du Dôme | CNRS | 45°50′N7°8′E / 45.833°N 7.133°E | 4785 | 1973 | 17 | [66] |
PM 1 | University of Bern | c. 46°24′N7°32′E / 46.400°N 7.533°E | 2750 | 1974 | 4 | [66] |
PM 2 | University of Bern | c. 46°24′N7°32′E / 46.400°N 7.533°E | 2750 | 1974 | 2 | [66] |
PM 3 | University of Bern | c. 46°24′N7°32′E / 46.400°N 7.533°E | 2750 | 1974 | 2 | [66] |
P3 | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°0′E / 46.550°N 8.000°E | 3470 | 1974 | c. 19 | [66] |
Col du Dôme | CNRS | c. 45°50′N7°8′E / 45.833°N 7.133°E | 4250 | 1976 | 31 | [66] |
Colle Gnifetti | University of Bern | 45°56′N7°46′E / 45.933°N 7.767°E | 4450 | 1976 | 33 | [66] |
Ewigsch-Neefeld | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°3′E / 46.550°N 8.050°E | 3370 | 1976 | 29 | [66] |
Ewigsch-Neefeld | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°3′E / 46.550°N 8.050°E | 3370 | 1977 | 35 | [66] |
Ewigsch-Neefeld | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°3′E / 46.550°N 8.050°E | 3410 | 1977 | 36 | [66] |
Ewigsch-Neefeld | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°3′E / 46.550°N 8.050°E | 3440 | 1977 | 39 | [66] |
Ewigsch-Neefeld | University of Bern | c. 46°33′N8°3′E / 46.550°N 8.050°E | 3440 | 1977 | 35 | [66] |
Colle Gnifetti | University of Bern | 45°56′N7°46′E / 45.933°N 7.767°E | 4450 | 1977 | 55 | [66] |
Colle Gnifetti | University of Bern | 45°56′N7°46′E / 45.933°N 7.767°E | 4450 | 1977 | 65 | [66] |
Col du Dôme (1) | Ice Memory Project (University of Grenoble Alpes Foundation) | c. 4300 | 2016 | 126 | ||
Col du Dôme (2) | Ice Memory Project (University of Grenoble Alpes Foundation) | c. 4300 | 2016 | 128 | ||
Col du Dôme (3) | Ice Memory Project (University of Grenoble Alpes Foundation) | c. 4300 | 2016 | 129 |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Langjökull | University of Iceland | c. 64°40′N20°10′W / 64.667°N 20.167°W | 1968 | 30 | [67] | |
Bárðarbunga | University of Iceland | c. 64°36′N17°36′W / 64.600°N 17.600°W | 1800 | 1968 | 42 | [67] |
Bárðarbunga | University of Iceland | c. 64°36′N17°36′W / 64.600°N 17.600°W | 2000 | 1969 | 104 | [67] |
Bárðarbunga | University of Iceland | c. 64°36′N17°36′W / 64.600°N 17.600°W | 1800 | 1970 | 27 | [67] |
Bárðarbunga | University of Iceland | c. 64°36′N17°36′W / 64.600°N 17.600°W | 2000 | 1972 | 415 | [67] |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Svartisen | Cambridge University | c. 66°40′N14°0′E / 66.667°N 14.000°E | 1368 | 1964 | 17 | [68] |
Svartisen | Cambridge University | c. 66°40′N14°0′E / 66.667°N 14.000°E | 1322 | 1964 | 8 | [68] |
Svartisen | Cambridge University | c. 66°40′N14°0′E / 66.667°N 14.000°E | 1121 | 1964 | 17 | [68] |
Tarfala | University of Stockholm | c. 67°25′N18°20′E / 67.417°N 18.333°E | 1973 | 20 | [68] |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ice Divide | AARI | c. 78°30′N14°25′E / 78.500°N 14.417°E | 450 | 1967 | 8 | [67] |
Ice Divide | AARI | c. 78°30′N14°25′E / 78.500°N 14.417°E | 450 | 1975 | 211 | [67] |
Ice Divide | AARI | c. 78°30′N14°25′E / 78.500°N 14.417°E | 450 | 1975 | 10 | [67] |
West Spitzbergen | USSR Academy of Science | 1976 | 211 | [67] | ||
Lomonosov Glacier | USSR Academy of Science | 1977 | 210 | [67] | ||
Spitzbergen | 1975-1987 | 114-567 (9 holes) | [39] [note 36] |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taku Glacier | AGS | 58°33′N134°8′W / 58.550°N 134.133°W | 1110 | 1950 | 91 | [98] |
Mount Wrangell | University of Alaska | c. 62°0′N144°0′W / 62.000°N 144.000°W | c. 4200 | 1961 | 10 | [98] |
Mount Wrangell | University of Alaska | c. 62°0′N144°0′W / 62.000°N 144.000°W | c. 4200 | 1961 | 10 | [98] |
Mount Wrangell | University of Alaska | c. 62°0′N144°0′W / 62.000°N 144.000°W | c. 4200 | 1961 | 10 | [98] |
Mount Wrangell | University of Alaska | c. 62°0′N144°0′W / 62.000°N 144.000°W | c. 4200 | 1961 | 10 | [98] |
Blue Glacier | University of California | 47°49′N123°41′W / 47.817°N 123.683°W | c. 1325 | 1962 | 137 | [98] |
Blue Glacier | University of Washington | 47°49′N123°41′W / 47.817°N 123.683°W | c. 1325 | 1971 | 40 | [98] |
Blue Glacier | University of Washington | 47°49′N123°41′W / 47.817°N 123.683°W | c. 1325 | 1971 | 90 | [98] |
Mount Wrangell | 62°0′N144°0′W / 62.000°N 144.000°W | 4000 | 1982 | 46 | [99] [note 43] |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tasman Glacier | NZGS | c. 43°30′S170°15′E / 43.500°S 170.250°E | 2340 | 1970 | 12 | [100] |
Core | Institution or project | Coords | Altitude (metres) | Drill dates | Depth (metres) | Sources |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summit | IPS | 13°56′S70°50′W / 13.933°S 70.833°W | 5650 | 1976 | 7 | [100] |
Middle Dome | IPS | 13°56′S70°50′W / 13.933°S 70.833°W | 5650 | 1976 | 15 | [100] |
South Dome | IPS | 13°56′S70°50′W / 13.933°S 70.833°W | 5650 | 1976 | 16 | [100] |
Summit | IPS | 13°56′S70°50′W / 13.933°S 70.833°W | 5650 | 1976 | 15 | [100] |
Huascaran | 6048 | 1993 | 160, 166 | [39] |
Lake Vostok is the largest of Antarctica's almost 400 known subglacial lakes. Lake Vostok is located at the southern Pole of Cold, beneath Russia's Vostok Station under the surface of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is at 3,488 m (11,444 ft) above mean sea level. The surface of this fresh water lake is approximately 4,000 m (13,100 ft) under the surface of the ice, which places it at approximately 500 m (1,600 ft) below sea level.
An ice core is a core sample that is typically removed from an ice sheet or a high mountain glacier. Since the ice forms from the incremental buildup of annual layers of snow, lower layers are older than upper ones, and an ice core contains ice formed over a range of years. Cores are drilled with hand augers or powered drills; they can reach depths of over two miles (3.2 km), and contain ice up to 800,000 years old.
Dansgaard–Oeschger events, named after palaeoclimatologists Willi Dansgaard and Hans Oeschger, are rapid climate fluctuations that occurred 25 times during the last glacial period. Some scientists say that the events occur quasi-periodically with a recurrence time being a multiple of 1,470 years, but this is debated. The comparable climate cyclicity during the Holocene is referred to as Bond events.
Roosevelt Island is the second largest ice rise of Antarctica and world-wide, after Berkner Island. Despite its name, it is not an island, since the bedrock below the ice at its highest part is below sea level. It is about 130 km (81 mi) long in a NW-SE direction, 65 km (40 mi) wide and about 7,500 km2 (2,896 sq mi) in area, lying under the eastern part of the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica. Its central ridge rises to about 550 m (1,804 ft) above sea level, but this and all other elevations of the ice rise are completely covered by ice, so that it is invisible at ground level.
Berkner Island is an Antarctic ice rise, where bedrock below sea level has caused the surrounding ice sheet to create a dome. If the ice cap were removed, the island would be underwater. Berkner Island is completely ice-covered and is about 320 kilometres (200 mi) long and 150 kilometres (93 mi) wide, with an area of 44,000 km2 (17,000 sq mi). It is surrounded by the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf. The northernmost point of the Berkner is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the open sea. It lies in the overlapping portion of the Argentine and the British Antarctic territorial claims.
A micrometeorite is a micrometeoroid that has survived entry through the Earth's atmosphere. Usually found on Earth's surface, micrometeorites differ from meteorites in that they are smaller in size, more abundant, and different in composition. The IAU officially defines meteorites as 30 micrometers to 1 meter; micrometeorites are the small end of the range (~submillimeter). They are a subset of cosmic dust, which also includes the smaller interplanetary dust particles (IDPs).
Mount Takahe is a 3,460-metre-high (11,350 ft) snow-covered shield volcano in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the Amundsen Sea. It is a c. 30-kilometre-wide (19 mi) mountain with parasitic vents and a caldera up to 8 kilometres (5 mi) wide. Most of the volcano is formed by trachytic lava flows, but hyaloclastite is also found. Snow, ice, and glaciers cover most of Mount Takahe. With a volume of 780 km3 (200 cu mi), it is a massive volcano; the parts of the edifice that are buried underneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet are probably even larger. It is part of the West Antarctic Rift System along with eighteen other known volcanoes.
The global temperature record shows the fluctuations of the temperature of the atmosphere and the oceans through various spans of time. There are numerous estimates of temperatures since the end of the Pleistocene glaciation, particularly during the current Holocene epoch. Some temperature information is available through geologic evidence, going back millions of years. More recently, information from ice cores covers the period from 800,000 years before the present time until now. A study of the paleoclimate covers the time period from 12,000 years ago to the present. Tree rings and measurements from ice cores can give evidence about the global temperature from 1,000-2,000 years before the present until now. The most detailed information exists since 1850, when methodical thermometer-based records began. Modifications on the Stevenson-type screen were made for uniform instrument measurements around 1880.
The Greenland Ice Sheet Project (GISP) was a decade-long project to drill ice cores in Greenland that involved scientists and funding agencies from Denmark, Switzerland and the United States. Besides the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), funding was provided by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Danish Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland. The ice cores provide a proxy archive of temperature and atmospheric constituents that help to understand past climate variations.
A subglacial lake is a lake that is found under a glacier, typically beneath an ice cap or ice sheet. Subglacial lakes form at the boundary between ice and the underlying bedrock, where gravitational pressure decreases the pressure melting point of ice. Over time, the overlying ice gradually melts at a rate of a few millimeters per year. Meltwater flows from regions of high to low hydraulic pressure under the ice and pools, creating a body of liquid water that can be isolated from the external environment for millions of years.
Radioglaciology is the study of glaciers, ice sheets, ice caps and icy moons using ice penetrating radar. It employs a geophysical method similar to ground-penetrating radar and typically operates at frequencies in the MF, HF, VHF and UHF portions of the radio spectrum. This technique is also commonly referred to as "Ice Penetrating Radar (IPR)" or "Radio Echo Sounding (RES)".
Dome Fuji, also called Dome F or Valkyrie Dome, is an Antarctic base located in the eastern part of Queen Maud Land at 77°30′S37°30′E. With an altitude of 3,810 metres (12,500 ft) above sea level, it is the second-highest summit or ice dome of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and represents an ice divide. Dome F is the site of Dome Fuji Station, a research station operated by Japan.
Jean-Robert Petit studied chemistry and physics at the University of Grenoble and received a PhD in 1984 in paleoclimatology on the study of the aeolian dust record from Antarctic ice cores.
Dye 3 is an ice core site and previously part of the DYE section of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line, located at in Greenland. As a DEW line base, it was disbanded in years 1990/1991.
The WAIS Divide is the ice flow divide on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) which is a linear boundary that separates the region where the ice flows to the Ross Sea, from the region where the ice flows to the Weddell Sea. It is similar to a continental hydrographic divide.
Fletcher Ice Rise, or Fletcher Promontory, is a large ice rise, 100 miles (160 km) long and 40 miles (64 km) wide, at the southwest side of the Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica. The feature is completely ice covered and rises between Rutford Ice Stream and Carlson Inlet. The ice rise was observed, photographed and roughly sketched by Lieutenant Ronald F. Carlson, U.S. Navy, in the course of a C-130 aircraft flight of December 14–15, 1961 from McMurdo Sound to this vicinity and returning. It was mapped in detail by the U.S. Geological Survey from Landsat imagery taken 1973–74, and was named by the Advisory Committee on Antarctic Names for Joseph O. Fletcher, director of the Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, 1971–74.
Siple Dome is an ice dome approximately 100 km wide and 100 km long, located 130 km east of Siple Coast in Antarctica. Charles Bentley and Robert Thomas established a "strain rosette" on this feature to determine ice movement in 1973–74. They referred to the feature as Siple Dome because of its proximity to Siple Coast.
The Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition refers to a series of Japanese Antarctic expeditions for scientific research.
Ice drilling allows scientists studying glaciers and ice sheets to gain access to what is beneath the ice, to take measurements along the interior of the ice, and to retrieve samples. Instruments can be placed in the drilled holes to record temperature, pressure, speed, direction of movement, and for other scientific research, such as neutrino detection.
Scientific ice drilling began in 1840, when Louis Agassiz attempted to drill through the Unteraargletscher in the Alps. Rotary drills were first used to drill in ice in the 1890s, and thermal drilling, with a heated drillhead, began to be used in the 1940s. Ice coring began in the 1950s, with the International Geophysical Year at the end of the decade bringing increased ice drilling activity. In 1966, the Greenland ice sheet was penetrated for the first time with a 1,388 m hole reaching bedrock, using a combination of thermal and electromechanical drilling. Major projects over the following decades brought cores from deep holes in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.