Expedition to probe cavern lake 3km beneath Antarctic ice The UK government has given the go-ahead for a team of British boffins to mount an expedition to a dark, cold lake buried in a cavern three kilometres beneath the ice sheet of Antarctica. The Natural Environment Research Council (Nerc) is funding university researchers and the British Antarctic Survey to explore icy Lake …
Although, in the great tradition of fictional Spanish waiters, I know nothing, would someone please explain how, given that this lake remains liquid only due to the massive pressure of the ice above it, what's going to happen when someone sticks a hole in the ice?
I'm envisaging the creation some kind of massive water geyser as the pressure releases. So much for keeping the lake pristine then.
Anyone with more knowledge about these kind of things willing to correct me?
My recollection is that the Russians were drilling there and got very close to the lake water. But there was concern that their drilling method used something like paraffin to lubricate the drill or something, and that this would contaminate the lake water. There was also concern that even without the hydrocarbons the drill would introduce micro-organisms from the surface that would potentially be very disruptive to a hypothesized ecosystem that had been isolated for millennia. Presumably this new effort will be using technology that's designed to avoid these problems.
As for what they'll find, here's a story about microbes that live under glaciers:
http://www.space.com/searchforlife/glacial_life_000829.html
Have they not seen "The Thing", AVP, "The Seeds of Doom (Dr Who), Happy Feet.
They'll uncover something and, not realising the danger, bring it back to Blighty where it will split open to release something that will eat / infect / absorb everyone.
And the Government and Police will be powerless to do anything because it won't be carrying an ID card!
Now that would set the world to rights and put humanity into perspective, awakening some great old one who has been slumbering in its lake for millenia surrounded by its grotesque minders locked away from hummanity. 3miles of ice is a fair old distance even for a monster of such hideous power, especially once theres been an some kind of surface catastrophy. Why not just go to sleep until a species with the power to dig you out appears.
But yes Mountains of Madness indeed.
"We've got to go on, we can't stop now." As the great old ones psychic influence grows over the party of scientists until they become slavish demi-humans bent to the will of unspeakable evil.
Now that would indeed be an exciting conclusion to our species.
Ahh well, one can dream.
Why is it nobody makes new films now anyway?
For a great recent take on this, may I recommend Charles Stross' "A Colder War", freely available to read right here: http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/colderwar.htm
If you like a bit of ia and fhtagn with your cold war drama it will suit you right down to the ground.
of a "campaign" bumper sticker I saw during the recent unpleasantness which read:
C'thulu in '08 - why settle for the lesser of two evils?
And yes, I know C'thulu's not in the Antarctic - this story just reminded me of the sticker via the HPL Mountains of Madness commentary.
(evil billg because he's probably a C'thulu worshiper)
No need to get sarky, it was a legit question.
No, I didn't expect all the water to come out through the hole and the surface to collapse. However, not having much experience of drilling 3 miles of ice into subterranean lakes I was making the assumption that the effect would be similar to an oil well.
Sarcasm's fine if the answer was obvious but If you can't give a straight answer to a reasonably asked question just fuck off.
You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between a "Penguin Rave" that would involve certain LUGs or a party involving alcohol + various and assorted mind altering substances + our Sphenicidae friends :-). Either one is bound to end up with some weird stuff happening at the end.
<<"a giant naked golden Angelina Jolie" .... hmmmmmm .... y'know., it's so cold down there that everything gets stiff and erect >>
Joking, or what!?!? try a Finnish Sauna a 90 degrees C, then jump with your mates into the avanto (hole in the ice) for a minute. Get out, and you instantly realise "all men are indeed equal". Bu*gger that!
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