Deep Drilling at Base Roi Baudouin, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

A drilling operation and core investigations at Base Roi. Baudouin (lat. 70° 25′ 5″ S., long. 24° 18′ 38″ E.) in January 1961 are discussed. The drilling, undertaken with light equipment, attained a depth of 115.72 m. From the start serious difficulties were encountered so that it was decided to use a SIPRE auger driven by the mechanism of the drilling machine. Core recovery was close to 100 per cent. Below a depth of 43.70 m., since the drill had reached the zone of high ice density (0.85 g./cm.³), a 3 m. double core barrel was used with air circulation. A depth of 79.33 m. was reached with a core yield close to 100 per cent. From this level downwards to the final depth of 115.72 in. the core yield was only 55 per cent.

Preliminary observations were made at the site. A stratigraphie profile of the first 43 m. showed an alternaion of coarse-grained summer layers with ice formation and fine-grained winter deposits. From the seasonal alternations of the last six years, an average annual accumulation of 38.3 cm. of water was calculated. No coloured or dust layers were observed. Between 9 and 16 m. and between 41 and 44 m. an intense formation of ice was noticed. The depth-density curve is similar to those found by the. Norwegian-British-Swedish Antarctic Expedition at Maudheim and by the Americans at Little America V. If an average annual accumulation of 38 cm. of water is assumed, the whole depth drilled corresponds to approximately 240 yr. Temperature measurements could not he carried out b;rcause of the limited time available.

Detailed stratigraphie and morphological studies of the cores, which are stored at −15°C. in Brussels, are planned, as well as chemical and isotopic investigations.