Under the Glaciers (dynamite used in Antarctic research)
In November 2008, Slawek’s team will continue work begun last year to investigate two lakes, Lake Mercer and Lake Whillans, located under the vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). They will travel to each of their study sites by snowmobile, set up camp, and begin a laborious and explosive process known as “active seismic imaging.” This is a common and time-tested technique, employed by geologists during the 1957–1958 International Geophysical Year, to image layers of ice, water, and sediment using sound waves generated by detonating dynamite. Sounds simple, but it requires serious labor and extreme care. For each survey, Slawek’s...
Original Article: Forum: News/Activism
Tags: Antarctic Ice Sheet, Dynamite, Extreme Care, Geologists, Glaciers, Image Layers, International Geophysical Year, Mercer, Sediment, Seismic Imaging, Slawek, Sound Waves, Sounds, West Antarctic Ice Sheet, X92