All Eyes on Lake Vostok...To Be Breached Today!!! | |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 06:51 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | what is the nearest station to the lake? And, maybe stupid question, any webcams in the area for this drilling Quoting: TryToGetTheTruth For Russia its here: [link to www.newzeal.com] Don't know about web cams, something to look into. |
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Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 06:55 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | This story seems weird to me. I don't pretend to know anything about drilling at those depths but why does it take 24 hours to drill down just 2 meters in ice? I guess I could see if it were solid rock or something like that but ice? Heck my little ice auger can cut an 8" hole through 24 inches of ice in under a minute. Also, at those depths, why wouldn't the water pressure break the remaining ice at the bottom of the hole? Quoting: Hawgzilla Anyone know the answers to these questions? The water pressure will eventually help break the ice remaining at the bottom. In fact, the pressure being released has been discussed amongst the scientist who are working on this and other drillings happening in antarctica. They have hypthosiezed that pressure being released could throw off the balance of the ice sheet creating "unknown damage." Lake Vostok is not an isolated lake. There is a massive network of subterranean lakes including Vostok. But anyway.. at the end of Lake Vostok is what’s known as a gigantic masscon—a mass concentration of metal, very similar to the masscons they discovered on the Moon — a gigantic, circular-shaped, metallic object deep under the ice at the end of Lake Vostok. So between the "unknown damage" this could create and the masscon there has been quite a few delays in the prusuit of this objective. -- But it is our opinion that what they are doing now, right now, is rushed. The objectives a few are prusuing may have direct consequences to the many. The Russians have been drilling for years at that location. Think they will think twice now? Doubtful, I sure hope they have covered all scenarios! |
El Quisqueyano User ID: 9030729 United States 01/18/2012 06:59 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | This week, a Russian team drilling into Lake Vostok in the center of the Antarctic continent is likely to break through the ice to water. It will be the first time that a subglacial lake has been breached. These modern-day explorers hope to discover whether Vostok, which at 5000 km 3 is the third largest lake on the planet, is teeming with hidden, cold-loving life that could have evolved separately from the rest of the world for hundreds of thousands of years. Quoting: RazorX 1378340 Microbiologist John Priscu of Montana State University in Bozeman, who was one of the original planners of the Vostok mission, has been getting regular updates from the Russian team. As of 13 January, they had reached a depth of 3737.5 meters, about 15 meters away from liquid water. With three teams drilling around the clock and making progress at an average of 2 meters per day, Priscu says they're on track to break through within the week. "This is an epic event. I really wish them luck," he says. "I wish I was out there with them." After drilling 3720 meters last February, time ran out for the team and the project was stymied just 29.5 meters from its destination as winter set in. Over the summer, they modified their drill bits and now the team is back at work with plenty of time to spare. They had left the large hole filled with antifreeze, so it was ready and waiting for them. It will remain open for years to come, Priscu says, potentially allowing other teams to sample the waters in the future. It's a nerve-wracking moment for the drillers, however. The lake water is under immense pressure, making it imperative that the team's calculations are correct. In the worst case scenario, Priscu says, "water could come up the hole and degas explosively, blowing out the whole borehole." [link to news.sciencemag.org] Obviously, this is uncharted territory, a first for mankind. sounds like many things could go wrong. I wish them all the best! This is incredible news! For 14 millian years it has been sealed under the ice. If life exists in Lake Vostok it will further the evidence that life can exist elsewhere in the cosmos, such as Jupiter's moon Europa and beyond. If the Russians stay on schedule, they should breach the lake by tomorrow! I can't wait to hear about their findings. RazorX Will they do a Live stream? |
Madame X User ID: 1442220 Canada 01/18/2012 06:59 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
El Quisqueyano User ID: 9030729 United States 01/18/2012 07:01 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:09 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | This week, a Russian team drilling into Lake Vostok in the center of the Antarctic continent is likely to break through the ice to water. It will be the first time that a subglacial lake has been breached. These modern-day explorers hope to discover whether Vostok, which at 5000 km 3 is the third largest lake on the planet, is teeming with hidden, cold-loving life that could have evolved separately from the rest of the world for hundreds of thousands of years. Quoting: RazorX 1378340 Microbiologist John Priscu of Montana State University in Bozeman, who was one of the original planners of the Vostok mission, has been getting regular updates from the Russian team. As of 13 January, they had reached a depth of 3737.5 meters, about 15 meters away from liquid water. With three teams drilling around the clock and making progress at an average of 2 meters per day, Priscu says they're on track to break through within the week. "This is an epic event. I really wish them luck," he says. "I wish I was out there with them." After drilling 3720 meters last February, time ran out for the team and the project was stymied just 29.5 meters from its destination as winter set in. Over the summer, they modified their drill bits and now the team is back at work with plenty of time to spare. They had left the large hole filled with antifreeze, so it was ready and waiting for them. It will remain open for years to come, Priscu says, potentially allowing other teams to sample the waters in the future. It's a nerve-wracking moment for the drillers, however. The lake water is under immense pressure, making it imperative that the team's calculations are correct. In the worst case scenario, Priscu says, "water could come up the hole and degas explosively, blowing out the whole borehole." [link to news.sciencemag.org] Obviously, this is uncharted territory, a first for mankind. sounds like many things could go wrong. I wish them all the best! This is incredible news! For 14 millian years it has been sealed under the ice. If life exists in Lake Vostok it will further the evidence that life can exist elsewhere in the cosmos, such as Jupiter's moon Europa and beyond. If the Russians stay on schedule, they should breach the lake by tomorrow! I can't wait to hear about their findings. RazorX Will they do a Live stream? I haven't heard of any live stream, but there will be a live Q&A with some scientists from Antarctica tomorrow @ 3:00pm EST. [link to news.sciencemag.org] |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 3722011 United States 01/18/2012 07:11 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | This story seems weird to me. I don't pretend to know anything about drilling at those depths but why does it take 24 hours to drill down just 2 meters in ice? I guess I could see if it were solid rock or something like that but ice? Heck my little ice auger can cut an 8" hole through 24 inches of ice in under a minute. Also, at those depths, why wouldn't the water pressure break the remaining ice at the bottom of the hole? Quoting: Hawgzilla Anyone know the answers to these questions? The water pressure will eventually help break the ice remaining at the bottom. In fact, the pressure being released has been discussed amongst the scientist who are working on this and other drillings happening in antarctica. They have hypthosiezed that pressure being released could throw off the balance of the ice sheet creating "unknown damage." Lake Vostok is not an isolated lake. There is a massive network of subterranean lakes including Vostok. But anyway.. at the end of Lake Vostok is what’s known as a gigantic masscon—a mass concentration of metal, very similar to the masscons they discovered on the Moon — a gigantic, circular-shaped, metallic object deep under the ice at the end of Lake Vostok. So between the "unknown damage" this could create and the masscon there has been quite a few delays in the prusuit of this objective. -- But it is our opinion that what they are doing now, right now, is rushed. The objectives a few are prusuing may have direct consequences to the many. For those, like me, who want to know what the hell a Mascon is, see the link. Basically, its an impact crater. [link to www.universetoday.com] Sorry thought I was clear. thanks for the link |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:11 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 9095228 United Kingdom 01/18/2012 07:14 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | It's awesome that the first thing this isolated piece of water will experience is a grand deluge of antifreeze into its virgin waters. Quoting: TheBiss exacly humans really know how to screw up a good thing. can't ever leave well enough alone. You haven't read the linked article have you,children? |
Fire & Ice User ID: 1343684 United States 01/18/2012 07:15 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | This story seems weird to me. I don't pretend to know anything about drilling at those depths but why does it take 24 hours to drill down just 2 meters in ice? I guess I could see if it were solid rock or something like that but ice? Heck my little ice auger can cut an 8" hole through 24 inches of ice in under a minute. Also, at those depths, why wouldn't the water pressure break the remaining ice at the bottom of the hole? Quoting: Hawgzilla Anyone know the answers to these questions? The water pressure will eventually help break the ice remaining at the bottom. In fact, the pressure being released has been discussed amongst the scientist who are working on this and other drillings happening in antarctica. They have hypthosiezed that pressure being released could throw off the balance of the ice sheet creating "unknown damage." Lake Vostok is not an isolated lake. There is a massive network of subterranean lakes including Vostok. But anyway.. at the end of Lake Vostok is what’s known as a gigantic masscon—a mass concentration of metal, very similar to the masscons they discovered on the Moon — a gigantic, circular-shaped, metallic object deep under the ice at the end of Lake Vostok. So between the "unknown damage" this could create and the masscon there has been quite a few delays in the prusuit of this objective. -- But it is our opinion that what they are doing now, right now, is rushed. The objectives a few are prusuing may have direct consequences to the many. For those, like me, who want to know what the hell a Mascon is, see the link. Basically, its an impact crater. [link to www.universetoday.com] Sorry thought I was clear. thanks for the link By the description above, all I could see was a giant man hole cover, and finding that extremely odd, I just had to google it. Proud to be deplorable The only constant is change The winds of anger, blows out the candle of intelligence "Slowly, like moisture entering the dying tree trunk, slowly filling and rotting it, so did the world and inertia creep into his soul; it slowly filled his soul, made it heavy, made it tired, sent it to sleep" "One must find the source within one's own Self, one must possess it" |
lionheart User ID: 4677495 United States 01/18/2012 07:20 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Imagine if all that ice is acting like a plug on an explosive volcano. What then? I think they would know if it was a "plug on an explosive volcano" But what about a life viable world, seperate from ours for millions of years? Probably not that intelligent, but still...Sci-Fi movies are made from stuff like this, But this is real.. |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:22 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Professor DeLaurier’s paper discussed the existence of a structure so vast that it defied imagination—a quasi-cylindrical loaf of an object measuring 65 miles long by 65 miles thick at a staggering depth of 80 miles. The huge structure had been detected by seismic equipment located at Alert, one of the U.S.-Canadian Distant Early Warning (DEW) stations in the Arctic wilderness. Studies showed that the object, which straddled the earth’s mantle and crust, was the source of some sort of disturbance—similar to the situation encountered at Lake Vostok 30-odd years later—affecting the magnetic field at the Alert facility and “inducing a strong flow of electricity.” I haven't had any luck finding this "paper". Someone have the time to try and find it? It could fill a big gap in this story. |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:23 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Imagine if all that ice is acting like a plug on an explosive volcano. What then? I think they would know if it was a "plug on an explosive volcano" But what about a life viable world, seperate from ours for millions of years? Probably not that intelligent, but still...Sci-Fi movies are made from stuff like this, But this is real.. If the water temperature is as warm as they speculate it is, anything goes. and...if there is volcanic activity that far below the surface, there must be oxygen? There could be a Jurassic park down there! |
Anonymous Coward 01/18/2012 07:26 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Thread: Tell me what you know about Antarctica. [link to greyfalcon.us] Quoting: Mister Obvious "However, the most intriguing news coming out of Antarctica had to do with the extremely powerful “magnetic anomaly” located in the northern end of the lake’s coast: a discovery which would give rise to a number of conjectures and would be compared with the fictional TMA-1 (Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-1) in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey." |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 9096813 United States 01/18/2012 07:29 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I am a hollow earth believer. This is an interesting development! [link to hollowplanet.blogspot.com] |
Kori User ID: 3722011 United States 01/18/2012 07:30 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | This story seems weird to me. I don't pretend to know anything about drilling at those depths but why does it take 24 hours to drill down just 2 meters in ice? I guess I could see if it were solid rock or something like that but ice? Heck my little ice auger can cut an 8" hole through 24 inches of ice in under a minute. Also, at those depths, why wouldn't the water pressure break the remaining ice at the bottom of the hole? Quoting: Hawgzilla Anyone know the answers to these questions? The water pressure will eventually help break the ice remaining at the bottom. In fact, the pressure being released has been discussed amongst the scientist who are working on this and other drillings happening in antarctica. They have hypthosiezed that pressure being released could throw off the balance of the ice sheet creating "unknown damage." Lake Vostok is not an isolated lake. There is a massive network of subterranean lakes including Vostok. But anyway.. at the end of Lake Vostok is what’s known as a gigantic masscon—a mass concentration of metal, very similar to the masscons they discovered on the Moon — a gigantic, circular-shaped, metallic object deep under the ice at the end of Lake Vostok. So between the "unknown damage" this could create and the masscon there has been quite a few delays in the prusuit of this objective. -- But it is our opinion that what they are doing now, right now, is rushed. The objectives a few are prusuing may have direct consequences to the many. The Russians have been drilling for years at that location. Think they will think twice now? Doubtful, I sure hope they have covered all scenarios! they are in the dark. [link to www.bbc.co.uk] From article: "We don't know what awaits us down there," he said, adding that personnel at the station have been working shifts, drilling 24 hours a day. Overlaid by nearly 4km of ice, it has been isolated from the rest of the world for millions of years. Some scientists think the ice cap above and at the edges has created a hydrostatic seal with the surface, preventing lake water from escaping or anything else from getting inside. >>>>> It was at the Vostok station that the coldest temperature ever found on Earth (-89°C) was recorded on 21 July 1983. Normally, water in such extreme conditions exists only in one state: ice. And when, in the 1970s British scientists in Antarctica received strange radar readings at the site, the presence of a liquid, freshwater lake below the ice did not instantly spring to mind. >>>> Up until three km down, drilling is usually relatively easy - it has been done in Greenland and here in Antarctica. But after three km and as we near the bottom [of the ice sheet], the ice temperature gets very close to the ice melting point, and all sorts of problems begin," said Dr Ekaikin. >>> But the Russians working in Antarctica believe that the risks are virtually non existent and that the possibility of a great discovery makes it entirely worthwhile. In 2006, researchers reported evidence for a network of rivers under the ice which connect Antarctica's sub-glacial lakes. Some scientists think this could spell trouble for the prospects of finding microbial life that has evolved "independently". ------- They are doing not thinking.. surprised? Imagine if the earth was sentient being, we are poking away at the last sacred untouched spot in the name of DISCOVERY. |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:33 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Thread: Tell me what you know about Antarctica. Quoting: Mister Obvious [link to greyfalcon.us] Quoting: Mister Obvious "However, the most intriguing news coming out of Antarctica had to do with the extremely powerful “magnetic anomaly” located in the northern end of the lake’s coast: a discovery which would give rise to a number of conjectures and would be compared with the fictional TMA-1 (Tycho Magnetic Anomaly-1) in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey." From the link: Research conducted by Russian scientist Ian Toskovoi—who vanished near the Vostok station in March 2000—on “geothermal upboiling” also hinted at an alternative means of purification and replenishment for the subterranean lake’s atmosphere. Toskovoi’s geothermal upboils were located in the so-called “ice dunes,” which appear to be formed by thousands of bubbles of air measuring between several feet to several hundred feet. Still reading, thanks MO! |
iamalive User ID: 1265054 United States 01/18/2012 07:33 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Future Viewer User ID: 1344660 United States 01/18/2012 07:35 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | This week, a Russian team drilling into Lake Vostok in the center of the Antarctic continent is likely to break through the ice to water. It will be the first time that a subglacial lake has been breached. These modern-day explorers hope to discover whether Vostok, which at 5000 km 3 is the third largest lake on the planet, is teeming with hidden, cold-loving life that could have evolved separately from the rest of the world for hundreds of thousands of years. Quoting: RazorX 1378340 Microbiologist John Priscu of Montana State University in Bozeman, who was one of the original planners of the Vostok mission, has been getting regular updates from the Russian team. As of 13 January, they had reached a depth of 3737.5 meters, about 15 meters away from liquid water. With three teams drilling around the clock and making progress at an average of 2 meters per day, Priscu says they're on track to break through within the week. "This is an epic event. I really wish them luck," he says. "I wish I was out there with them." After drilling 3720 meters last February, time ran out for the team and the project was stymied just 29.5 meters from its destination as winter set in. Over the summer, they modified their drill bits and now the team is back at work with plenty of time to spare. They had left the large hole filled with antifreeze, so it was ready and waiting for them. It will remain open for years to come, Priscu says, potentially allowing other teams to sample the waters in the future. It's a nerve-wracking moment for the drillers, however. The lake water is under immense pressure, making it imperative that the team's calculations are correct. In the worst case scenario, Priscu says, "water could come up the hole and degas explosively, blowing out the whole borehole." [link to news.sciencemag.org] Obviously, this is uncharted territory, a first for mankind. sounds like many things could go wrong. I wish them all the best! This is incredible news! For 14 millian years it has been sealed under the ice. If life exists in Lake Vostok it will further the evidence that life can exist elsewhere in the cosmos, such as Jupiter's moon Europa and beyond. If the Russians stay on schedule, they should breach the lake by tomorrow! I can't wait to hear about their findings. RazorX Love to get fresh water from there.. (probably the cleanest water in the World) |
Kori User ID: 3722011 United States 01/18/2012 07:36 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | ... Quoting: Kori 3722011 The water pressure will eventually help break the ice remaining at the bottom. In fact, the pressure being released has been discussed amongst the scientist who are working on this and other drillings happening in antarctica. They have hypthosiezed that pressure being released could throw off the balance of the ice sheet creating "unknown damage." Lake Vostok is not an isolated lake. There is a massive network of subterranean lakes including Vostok. But anyway.. at the end of Lake Vostok is what’s known as a gigantic masscon—a mass concentration of metal, very similar to the masscons they discovered on the Moon — a gigantic, circular-shaped, metallic object deep under the ice at the end of Lake Vostok. So between the "unknown damage" this could create and the masscon there has been quite a few delays in the prusuit of this objective. -- But it is our opinion that what they are doing now, right now, is rushed. The objectives a few are prusuing may have direct consequences to the many. For those, like me, who want to know what the hell a Mascon is, see the link. Basically, its an impact crater. [link to www.universetoday.com] Sorry thought I was clear. thanks for the link By the description above, all I could see was a giant man hole cover, and finding that extremely odd, I just had to google it. Hah well played sir |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 9096813 United States 01/18/2012 07:38 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | |
Anonymous Coward User ID: 1311324 United States 01/18/2012 07:38 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hmmmm....filling the hole with antifreeze? Quoting: iamalive 1265054 that doesn't help the sub-zero wildlife, ...or does it? perhaps fish that can breathe antifreeze. what i read said they filled the hole with anti-freeze when they had to stop drilling last year. i would imagine that they would have pumped it out to start digging this year. anyway, leave that giant metal object alone. it's cthulu's holding pen. |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:40 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | I am a hollow earth believer. This is an interesting development! Quoting: Anonymous Coward 9096813 [link to hollowplanet.blogspot.com] I'm on the fence about the hollow earth theory, but this could further the cause or prove it wrong. It depends how forth-write they are about their findings. I'm skeptical that they will release everything. |
GeekOfTheWeek User ID: 8795702 United States 01/18/2012 07:40 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Antarctica is also the biggest Meteoroid impact on the planet. The rings from the impact go almost up to the equator... All realized from Radar in space. :-) So maybe aliens will climb out of the hole and say "thanks man, we've been trapped there for like forever". LOL I love physics. It bonds us eternally, it's what makes our computers work, it's what's in my morning cup of coffee, it's the thing that keeps the universe from vanishing due to lack of belief... |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:42 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | hmmmm....filling the hole with antifreeze? Quoting: iamalive 1265054 that doesn't help the sub-zero wildlife, ...or does it? perhaps fish that can breathe antifreeze. what i read said they filled the hole with anti-freeze when they had to stop drilling last year. i would imagine that they would have pumped it out to start digging this year. anyway, leave that giant metal object alone. it's cthulu's holding pen. They never breached the lake so the anti-freeze never reach the water. |
lionheart User ID: 4677495 United States 01/18/2012 07:44 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Reminds me of the movie 'The Abyss' (great movie) where we go poking into the unknown and distant places of the earth. Why does it seem easier for man to go to the moon, than find all the secrects of our own planet..It does seem easier somehow. ?? |
Anonymous Coward (OP) User ID: 1378340 United States 01/18/2012 07:46 PM Report Abusive Post Report Copyright Violation | Antarctica is also the biggest Meteoroid impact on the planet. The rings from the impact go almost up to the equator... All realized from Radar in space. :-) Quoting: GeekOfTheWeek So maybe aliens will climb out of the hole and say "thanks man, we've been trapped there for like forever". LOL Them aliens like to get us from the underside. |