Russian scientists reach buried Antarctic Lake Vostok

foxnews.com ^ | 2/6/12 | foxnews

[ColdOne]

A group of Russian scientists in Antarctica has succeeded in drilling to a lake buried two miles beneath the icy landmass, the state-run Russian news service Ria Novosti reported -- following a week of radio silence from the team that had some scratching their heads.

“Yesterday, our scientists stopped drilling at the depth of 3,768 meters and reached the surface of the sub-glacial lake,” the source reportedly said in a story posted Monday, Feb. 6.

An unnamed source with Russia's Federal Service for Hydrometeorology confirmed the news as well, Russian business newspaper The View reported.

John Priscu, a microbiologist with Montana State University who has worked on a similar Antarctic exploration program, hopes Vostok and other subglacial lakes buried beneath the continent may offer a glimpse of extreme new forms of life.

"If they were successful, their efforts will transform the way we do science in Antarctica and provide us with an entirely new view of what exists under the vast Antarctic ice sheet," he told FoxNews.com.

[cripplecreek]

As I suspected.

Out of radio contact just doesn’t sell papers the way “Missing!” does.

[PetroniusMaximus]

"...hopes Vostok and other subglacial lakes buried beneath the continent may offer a glimpse of extreme new forms of life. "



Famous last words...

[GraceG]

Beat me to it

[Texas Fossil]

Is it odd they are not in communication with the crew?

One speculated on another thread that they might have hit Hydrogen Sulfide gas above the water. Really bad stuff. Some of it is present in wells in West Texas.

Heavier than air gas which acts on humans like carbon monoxide.

[fieldmarshaldj]

I’m surprised Michelle Zero allowed her picture to be taken getting up in the morning.

[COBOL2Java]

The first images from the lake proved very interesting...

[mosesdapoet]

So that’s the reason this download took a little longer

[BenLurkin]

First photos coming in now...

[varmintman]

Try a google search on ‘lake vostok’ and ‘magnetic anomaly’. The thing which normally pegs a magnetometer is a (modern) city, with lots of steel structure...

[UCANSEE2]

Some interesting facts:

Lake Vostok is the THIRD LARGEST LAKE in the world (by volume).

There are at least 370 underground lakes in the Antarctic.

There is also a Large Magnetic Anomaly at one end of the lake.

[UCANSEE2]

Real photos coming in now...

[UCANSEE2]

There are many magnetic anomalies, all over the world.

Huge one at the North Pole.
Some around the equator.

[BenLurkin]

You mean...they went to Antatrica and found...ice?

[Talisker]

Out of radio contact just doesn’t sell papers the way “Missing!” does.

What's a "paper"?

[cripplecreek]

Iron rich areas play hell with magnets too.

[Hot Tabasco]

"If they were successful,

If they drilled thru 3 thousand meters of ice just to get to the bottom of a frozen over lake, something tells me all they're going to hit is dirt........

[Talisker]

You mean...they went to Antatrica and found...ice?

No, they went to Antarctica and found... water.

Two miles down inside the... ice.

Next to... something.

[Dixie Yooper]

You mean...they went to Antatrica and found...ice? No, they went to Antarctica and found... water. Two miles down inside the... ice. Next to... something.

Mud?

[JRios1968]

I know why they were incommunicado...