Drilling techniques and drill development

At the Centre for Ice and Climate, we have 3 different ice core drills essentially characterized by the depth to which they can drill. The deeper the drill has to go, the greater the drilling system size, weight and complexity.

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  The hand auger
  

  The hand auger is used for collecting 74 mm diameter cores from the top 10 m of the ice cap. It is operated by one person and weighs only 80 kg. Read more

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  The shallow drill

  In the upper 350 m of ice where drilling liquid is not necessary, the shallow drill can be used, producing up to 50 m of 74 mm diameter core per day. Read more

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  The deep drill

  The deep drill can operate at any depth and can be used in liquid-filled holes. It is slower to operate but can retrieve core sections of up to 4 meters. Read more