Borehole multi-functional logger for geophysical high-precision monitoring in Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets and glaciers

Aleksey Markov,Pavel Talalay,Mikhail Sysoev,Alexander Cherepakhin,Andrey Miller

doi:10.1017/aog.2021.17

Aleksey Markov, Pavel Talalay + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2021.17

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Abstract

AbstractThis article presents the main aspects of the design solutions (based on the application of sensors MEMS and cantilevers), testing and applying of the multi-functional borehole logger ANTTIC (Antarctic Thermo-barometer, Inclinometer, Caliper) for geophysical high-precision monitoring (when simultaneous registering of temperature, pressure, axis inclination angle and radii of borehole cross-sections at 12 points), which is designed specifically for ultra-low temperatures and ultra-high pressures, and to determine an elliptical borehole shape and registration anisotropy factor in deep ice boreholes in the central region of Eastern Antarctica, in the areas of dome A at the Kunlun station (China) and/or of lake Vostok at the Vostok station (Russia).

Highlights

Borehole logging in the ice sheets and glaciers represents an important source of information about the physical situation in the hole and facilitates two main tasks: (1) to monitor the technical condition of the borehole, and (2) to study ice structure, composition and dynamics for scientific purposes
Conventional geological borehole loggers are hardly suitable for geophysical surveys in glaciers and ice sheets because of unavailability for low-temperature applications and poor measurement accuracy
We present the design and results of laboratory and field tests of the new state-of-the-art borehole logger for geophysical surveys in glaciers and ice sheets

Summary

Introduction

Borehole logging in the ice sheets and glaciers represents an important source of information about the physical situation in the hole and facilitates two main tasks: (1) to monitor the technical condition of the borehole, and (2) to study ice structure, composition and dynamics for scientific purposes. Conventional geological borehole loggers are hardly suitable for geophysical surveys in glaciers and ice sheets because of unavailability for low-temperature applications and poor measurement accuracy For this reason, several borehole loggers were designed especially for glaciological investigations (Naruse and others, 1985; Gundestrup and others, 1994; Lefebvre and others, 2002; Clow, 2008). The eight-arm caliper sounding yields the shape of the cross-section of the borehole – regression circles and ellipses This is only the first obvious hypothesis to be tested and the results presented in this work are not sufficient in all cases to confirm the hypothesis that boreholes can deform elliptically. We gave a conditional name to the logger ANTTIC – Antarctic Thermo-barometer, Inclinometer, Caliper

General design

Module A: thermometer and pressure logger

Module B: inclinometer and oriented caliper logger

The results of applying and testing

Some aspects of the observation correctness