Science Requirements: Next-Generation Blue Ice Drill: Borehole of Large Diameter (BOLD) Drill

IDP has used existing drills in the IDP inventory to drill ice cores in support of COLDEX and other science in blue ice at Allan Hills. While existing drills have successfully drilled shallow ice cores (less than 400 m deep) elsewhere, the scientists and drillers report that Allan Hills shallow core quality has been unsuitable for several types of scientific analysis, due in part to the unusual brittleness of the ice. The existing wide-diameter ice coring drill, the Blue Ice Drill, has received a lot of use but it is aging. Larger-diameter ice cores are preferable for the science community due to the greater amount of ice for analysis. A long-term solution for wide-diameter ice coring in blue ice areas is needed. Relevant to consideration of the longer-term solution is the January 2025 IDP report by Barb Birrittella, “Blue Ice Core Quality Feasibility Study”, which compares and evaluates various approaches to ice core drilling in blue ice areas. In the 2025-26 Antarctic field season at Allan Hills, IDP verified the concept that a drilling fluid could improve core quality at Allan Hills, using a drill that has a 1-meter long version of the Foro 1650 core barrel (98 mm core), combined with the surface equipment and control system from the 700 Drill.
 

The purpose of establishing these science requirements is to identify aspects of a next-generation wide-diameter drill that could provide the quantity and quality of ice needed for scientific analysis, while also minimizing the logistical requirements for the drill, drilling fluid, and ice transport to and from blue ice areas.