Scientists Drill 2 Miles Deep To Extract 1.2-Million-Year-Old Antarctic Ice Core

An international team of scientists announced that they successfully extracted one of the oldest ice cores ever, reaching nearly 2 miles (2.8 kilometers) to Antarctic bedrock to access ice that is at least 1.2 million years old, Paolo Santalucia and Melina Walling reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Isotope analysis determined the ice to be at least 1.2 million years old. I Photo: National Ice Core Lab

The ancient ice is expected to provide insights into the evolution of Earth’s atmosphere and climate, offering a better understanding of Ice Age cycles and the role of atmospheric carbon in shaping climate change.

“Thanks to the ice core, we will understand what has changed in terms of greenhouse gases, chemicals, and dusts in the atmosphere,” said Carlo Barbante, an Italian glaciologist and coordinator of the Beyond EPICA project.

The team had previously drilled a core dating back 800,000 years. This recent effort involved 16 scientists and support personnel working over four summers in temperatures averaging -35°C (-25.6°F) at a site near Concordia Research Station, called Little Dome C.

Italian researcher Federico Scoto, part of the team, described the moment they reached the bedrock as “great.” Isotope analysis determined the ice to be at least 1.2 million years old.