In the news:
Originally published February 6, 2012 at 7:42 PM | Page modified February 6, 2012 at 9:05 PM
Russians drill into lake 2.2 miles beneath ice in Antarctica
It has taken the Russians more than 20 years to drill into the lake.
Russian scientists have drilled into the vast, dark and never-before-touched Lake Vostok 2.2 miles below the surface of Antarctica, the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti said Monday.
It has taken the Russians more than 20 years to drill into the lake, and the reported accomplishment comes just as the Antarctic summer ends and the cold becomes so great that machinery can't be operated and airplanes can't come in or go out.
The effort has created scientific excitement about potentially learning some of the long-held secrets of the largest subglacial lake in Antarctica, a body of water that wasn't discovered until the mid-1990s and is the world's third-largest lake by volume. The lake hasn't felt the wind for more than 20 million years and may be home to previously unknown life forms.
Some of the chemicals and techniques used in drilling have raised fears it could be contaminated by kerosene, Freon and other materials.
