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A fiberglass-fish spotted in 81m depth in the drill fluid of the GRIP borehole. Cruising through these depths with a camera was almost like diving in the ocean.

July 8: Breakthrough!

Today the drillers finally succeeded to get through the various blockages in the casing, enter the drill liquid and lower a modified version of the drill to 125m depth. Driller’s report:

‘We have just managed to lower the drill (consisting of 2x Anti-torques (AT), the Motor section, 15.5m Kovacs extensions) down to 125m. We hit the liquid level at around 74m (zero being the bottom of the inclined trench, approx. 4m below the tent surface). This is a great success, as it shows that the borehole is accessible all the way to the bottom of the casing.

Later, we deployed the drill again (1 AT, Motor section and conical reamer/Arnold) to see if we can easily get down to the same depth again. Unfortunately, the hole is very devious and we got stuck underneath a plug or blockage or piece of fiberglass that broke off at 75m. Pulling with 900kg and some speed got us back up.

This means, we can get to the end of the casing, but the way there is full of obstacles and surprises.

We have very clear images of the borehole with the GoPro down to around 71.5m, where we hit liquid and a blockage and cannot get further. Liquid levels vary due to pieces being moved around in the borehole.

We thus have a pretty good idea of the casing by now and this puts us in a good position for planning next season.’

 

Also today, a shallow core was drilled at the PFAS site 15 km SE of camp. In addition to the 31m drilled as a climate record, another 4.4 m were drilled as a ‘museum core’, as this ice will make part of the permanent exposition at Ilulissat Icefjord Center. The cores will be submerged in transparent, cooled silica oil, so that the center visitors can see what an ice core looks like. Outreach, in particular in Greenland, is an important aspect of our work. Back in camp, the packing down mode continues with removal of temporary electrical cables, documentation of electrical equipment and frozen food for next year that is stored in the underground departments.

 

What we did this Wednesday:

 

  1. Reached 125m depth in the deep borehole
  2. Shallow drilling to 31m at PFAS site for dating
  3. Additional drilling of 4.4 m for Ilulissat Icefjord Center
  4. Installed automatic borehole temperature logger in 2x PFAS 30m holes
  5. Mega trench sampling to late hours
  6. Digging out and removing electric cable to large trench
  7. Detached battery sledge from solar panel cable bundle
  8. Documenting electrical equipment in camp

 

Ad. 2: Location of PFAS 30m core: N 72.494039 W 37.333285 Elev: 3225 m

 

Weather: A warm day with overcast. Wind 2-8 kt from NW turning SW. Temp -12C to -6C. Fresh snow morning and evening. A bit on the warm side for shallow drilling.

FL, Anders Svensson

The six drillers late in the evening, after a long, eventful and successful day of drilling.
The setup at the PFAS drilling site on this warm and white day.
Time for a break at the PFAS drilling site.
This is what the ice core exhibition at the Ilulissat Icefjord Center looked like some years ago, and what it will look like again, when the cores drilled today will be installed (https://kangia.gl/besoeg-isfjorden/isfjordscenteret).
Here in camp, we all have our own holes now. Chantal has made the most beautiful of all, a double pit in which we can see all the intricate layers of snow.