Deep Ice Sheet Coring Drill

The final core – from 3405-meters-depth – of the WAIS Divide deep borehole. Credit: Kristina Slawny

The drill head of the DISC Drill with a core inside the drill barrel. The rotating drill head contains four razor sharp cutters that shave out an annulus of ice, which the drill then slides down into. As the drill slides down into the annulus it slides over the core, which is 122 mm (4.8 inches) in diameter and 2.7 meters long. When a cable pulls up the drill, four cams grab the core and break it free. After the drill is pulled back to the surface it is lowered from a vertical to horizontal orientation so that the ice core can be removed from the drill barrel. Credit: Jay Johnson

Freshly drilled ice core sticking out of the core barrel. Credit: Mark Twickler

Kristina Slawny and Jay Johnson stand next to the DISC Drill. Krissy and Jay are from IDP-Wisconsin and were the lead drillers at WAIS Divide. Credit: Jay Johnson

A run of core with a bottom break sticking out of the DISC Drill. Credit: Peter Neff

The barrel of the DISC drill with a 122 mm diameter ice core inside. Credit: Kristina Slawny