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Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology / Re: What is the pressure of the water in lake Ellsworth?
« on: 18/09/2012 14:56:37 »
Hi Tony,
You are absolutely right, but rest assured it has been taken into consideration.
The lake will be at around 300 bar of pressure and there is 3.2km of ice above it. When we drill down to the lake, we aim to keep the drilled hole (borehole) filled with the sterile water used for the drilling operation. If we keep 3000m of water in the borehole, this will equal the pressure in the lake meaning that there will not be any major pressure fluctuations at the point of breaking through. Hence no geyser and no cracking of the surface ice!!!
Hope this helps,
Chris Hill
Programme Manager
Subglacial Lake Ellsworth
You are absolutely right, but rest assured it has been taken into consideration.
The lake will be at around 300 bar of pressure and there is 3.2km of ice above it. When we drill down to the lake, we aim to keep the drilled hole (borehole) filled with the sterile water used for the drilling operation. If we keep 3000m of water in the borehole, this will equal the pressure in the lake meaning that there will not be any major pressure fluctuations at the point of breaking through. Hence no geyser and no cracking of the surface ice!!!
Hope this helps,
Chris Hill
Programme Manager
Subglacial Lake Ellsworth