Million Year Ice Core Project
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Million Year Ice Core Project
@millionyearice.bsky.social
240 followers 1 following 74 posts
Information about the Australian Antarctic Program's Million Year Ice Core Project.
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millionyearice.bsky.social
Activity at the Dome C North station is fully underway with the final placement of camp infrastructure and science drilling commencing. The first drilling task will be installation of 120 metres of casing in the upper borehole. 📷 J. Pedro /1
Photo of the Dome C North Station.
November 26, 2025 at 8:33 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
And for those who might not have seen it, here’s the journey the traverse has completed:
A map of a sector of East Antarctica that extending inland from Casey Station to the drilling site at Dome C North. The map shows the route taken by the traverse.
November 21, 2025 at 7:56 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
MYIC drilling team landed at Dome C earlier today. We are one day behind schedule, which in the face of logistical and weather challenges of operating in Antarctica is a big WIN!!

Two months ahead of us for deep drill set up and ice coring. Bring it on!!
November 21, 2025 at 5:54 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Home for the next two months for the Traverse and MYIC teams.
📸 Damien Beloin
November 21, 2025 at 5:45 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Home for the next two months for the Traverse and MYIC teams.
📸 Damien Beloin
November 21, 2025 at 5:45 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Australian Antarctic Program Traverse team rolls into Dome C North! The 1168 km journey was completed in 17 days 🚜⚡️. A superb result so early in the season.. months of teamwork and planning!

A moment to celebrate before we move to setting up our ice core drill system!
📸 D. Harvie, A. Doherty,
November 19, 2025 at 10:25 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Touchdown on ice.. three MYIC science and drilling team members arrived to Casey Station yesterday after ride in the big jet with other incoming Casey Station crew. Thanks ADF!
#AusAntarctic 📸 JP
L to R: MYIC team members Joel Pedro, Lenneke Jong and Julius Rix arrive to Wilkins runway. Terra bus in the background for the 3hr ride over ice sheet from Wilkins to Casey Station. ADF Operation Southern Discovery first C17 flight for season to Wilkins. Delivering Expeditioners and cargo to support the Aus Antarctic Program.
November 16, 2025 at 6:47 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Traverse is making excellent progress more about this and some great picutres at www.facebook.com/share/p/1Fxr...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:52 PM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Our season is now well and truly underway with the traverse climbing toward the drill site on the plateau. www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2025/lo...
Long haul for science begins – Australian Antarctic Program (News 2025)
Australia’s Antarctic tractor-traverse team is making its way up the Antarctic plateau to deliver scientific equipment, fuel and food to the site of the Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) drilling project.
www.antarctica.gov.au
November 7, 2025 at 2:11 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
While the field teams are already in action, preparing to traverse to the drill site, things in the MYIC labs are moving forward. Daniel and Andy made the first serious gas sublimation measurement using our system with some known-composition Law Dome core. 📷 Joel Pedro
Ice sample being sublimated with infrared light under a vacuum - to the extract the air content from the bubbles. Andy and Daniel overseeing the gas extraction.
October 31, 2025 at 7:39 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
This picture shows two complete AAD deep drill sondes (electronics assembly, motor and transmission) ready to be sealed inside pressure housings to drive deep drilling at Dome C North this summer. Photo: Derryn Harvie
Picture showing two drill sondes standing side by side, ready to be installed inside their pressure housings.
September 4, 2025 at 4:18 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Preparations are in full swing for the coming season’s fieldwork. This will see the start of drilling with the large drill built by AAD to core to around 3 km depth.
September 4, 2025 at 4:15 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Some nice coverage of last season’s progress. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06...
Scientists analyse first samples from ancient Antarctic ice core
Australian scientists have started analysing the first batch of samples from the "Million Year Ice Core" project.
www.abc.net.au
June 29, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Reposted by Million Year Ice Core Project
antarctic.bsky.social
🚨 WORK WITH US at @utas.edu.au IN HOBART!

🧊 Research Associate – Ice Core Atmospheric Sciences

🫧 Play a lead role in interpreting gas records from the Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) @millionyearice.bsky.social project

✍️ Applications close 13 July 2025

▶️ aappartnership.org.au/vacancies/#i...
June 11, 2025 at 5:40 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2025/hi...
Antarctic ice cores returned to Australia – Australian Antarctic Program (News 2025)
The first 150 metres of a planned 3000 metre-long Antarctic ice core has been safely returned to Australia after a successful drilling season for the Million Year Ice Core (MYIC) project.
www.antarctica.gov.au
May 12, 2025 at 10:45 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Yesterday, the cores arrived back in Hobart ready for analysis.
Insulated Terra-vac box with ice core boxes inside safely back in our Hobart warehouse
March 3, 2025 at 2:43 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Yesterday the traverse team arrived back at Casey Station with the precious ice cores drilled this season. They will be kept refrigerated and flown to Australia in the coming weeks. 📷 Chris Wilkinson/AAD (see ALT text).
Traverse vehicles flying the Austrian flag coming downhill toward the coast of Law Dome. 📷 credit Chris Wilkinson Picture in the rear view mirror of a tractor towing fuel and empty sleds. 📷 credit Chris Wilkinson The Terravac insulated transport container with 32 boxes of 1 metre lengths of ice cores drilled this season. Two people standing beside the open container loaded and ready to close up. 📷 credit AAD
February 11, 2025 at 7:36 PM
millionyearice.bsky.social
The view down the borehole shows the “blue of time” www.the-tls.co.uk/science-tech... - now sealed under the trap door until next season.
Etienne and Joel reamed the final short segment ready for the casing next season; and the camp is readied for traverse to depart soon. 📷 Pedro; McLeod (aerial 📷)
Looking down the borehole, blue light is seen welling up from the walls around the central darkness. Etienne and Joel after the final reaming run. Standing in the drill shelter with the reamer/drill. The reamer enters the hole for the last run. Aerial view of the fully populated MYIC-DCN camp at the end of season one. Several tractors and snow groomers are seen toward the top near the traverse sleds and vans. The tents seen centre and bottom and vans for sleeping and mess will remain ready for next season. The large drill tent is at the bottom of the picture.
January 26, 2025 at 2:54 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Welcome to a number of new followers. Just a recap: this has been the first of several drilling seasons that will take us to about 3100 m depth and hopefully well over a million years of earth history. The link below is a good place to start, and our posts this season will fill out the story.
January 24, 2025 at 9:59 PM
millionyearice.bsky.social
It's done!
MYIC DCN 2024-25 team. Back row from left: Mark Cook, Etienne Gros, Chris Plummer, Daniel Baggenstos, Tim Harris, Derryn Harvie, Dave Holley, Chris Wilkinson, Jack McLeod(📷), Rob Teasdale. Front row: Chris Gallagher, Chelsea Long, Nate Payne, Joel Pedro, Liv Grover-Johnson, Damien Beloin.
Group photograph of the MYIC-DCN team - 17 people as named in main post. Photo is set in the drilling tent. Australian and old style ANARE flags in the background with large reamer.
January 24, 2025 at 8:18 PM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Yesterday the third and final reaming pass started and reached 47 m before drill faults intervened. This required replacement of the motor and a transmission seal. It’s literally “down to the wire” now to complete the work to a logical phase, taking care to avoid pitfalls.
Large reamer (see alt).
The modified drill sonde is lowered into the hole. The large diameter reamer can be seen entering the hole. The upper anti-torque skates can be seen - configured to provide traction against the now widened borehole.
January 23, 2025 at 9:38 PM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Here’s a good broad look at various aspects the MYIC project, from AAD:

❄Learn more about the Million Year Ice Core project in our interactive feature ‘Secrets of the Ice’.
www.antarctica.gov.au/news/explore...
Secrets of the Ice – Australian Antarctic Program
Drilling has begun in Australia’s quest for the oldest, continuous ice core record of Earth’s climate, dating back more than one million years. Australian Antarctic Program scientists are on location ...
www.antarctica.gov.au
January 23, 2025 at 9:29 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
Yesterday, 22/1, another step on the way was reached with the second reaming pass completed to target depth of 125 m, widening the hole to 209 mm. This leaves the third pass to go, which will widen to final diameter of 260 mm down to 120 m. Derryn, Daniel and Chelsea pictured (📷D.Harvie).
Three people pictured inside the drill shelter with the reaming drill. Derryn Harvie (📷)
January 22, 2025 at 11:58 PM
millionyearice.bsky.social
You can now follow along with the more detailed drilling field diary for MYIC available below, and we will continue posting summary snippets here at bluesky.
www.antarctica.gov.au/science/clim...
Ice core drilling team diary – Australian Antarctic Program
www.antarctica.gov.au
January 22, 2025 at 1:26 AM
millionyearice.bsky.social
The season is drawing to a close as the short high plateau summer recedes and harsher weather approaches. Over the next week, the science team will fly out, camp will close and traverse depart. Winterising is already underway.
January 21, 2025 at 11:02 PM