China's 41st Antarctic expedition team deploys cutting-edge drill to gather data

A team of researchers from Jilin University, China University of Geosciences and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean poses for a photo in the Antarctic. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)

China's 41st Antarctic expedition team recently utilized an Ice and Bedrock Electromechanical Drill (IBED) to gather critical data about how the Antarctic sheet may evolve in response to future climate change.

The team conducted logging operations using existing boreholes in the Larsemann Hills in East Antarctica. They collected key parameters, including borehole temperature, inclination, azimuth, diameter changes and a comprehensive internal glacier temperature profile.

The College of Construction Engineering and the Institute for Polar Science and Engineering at Jilin University developed the equipment.

A collaborative research team was formed during China's 40th Antarctic expedition, which ran from November 2023 to April 2024. This team included experts from Jilin University, China University of Geosciences and the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean. Their goal was to investigate the subglacial geological environment of the Larsemann Hills.

Using the drill, the team obtained multiple ice core samples and a 0.48-meter rock sample, creating the Ice Underlying Rock Hole No 2.

During the 41st expedition, the joint research team returned to the hole and used the IBED to conduct ice sheet logging operations. Over two months, they gathered data to help understand the environment under the ice and how heat generated within the planet affects the way ice behaves.

The team also recovered approximately seven cubic meters of drilling fluid from the borehole as part of their commitment to environmental protection.

According to the university, the College of Construction Engineering and the Institute for Polar Science and Engineering have participated in 10 Antarctic expeditions and all of China's Antarctic drilling tasks.