BREAKDOWN IN LAKE DRILLING

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33384, 16 November 1973, Page 8

BREAKDOWN IN LAKE DRILLING

New Zealand drillers have succeeded in boring through to the sediment at the bottom of Lake Vanda without disturbing the clarity of the lake.

But drilling stopped later [ because of a breakdown in I the drilling equipment, the 1 Press Association reported. The breakdow occurred i when the outer casing I around the drill rod broke 1 off 70 feet above the bottom | of the lake. The superintendent of the Antarctic division of the I D.S.I.R. (Mr R. B. Thomson) I said yesterday that three < metres of sediment core had been obtained. The tricky part of the ] drilling — going through ;i surface ice and through cas-[ ings in the water so as ton prevent pollution of the lake: —was over when the casing l broke. The drilling into Lake: Vanda is part of the three-(: ■ year dry valley drilling pro-i

gramme which involves New; Zealand, Japan, and the; United States. Project officials say that; new sections of casing will ; be flown to Lake Vanda by: helicopter when the weather! permits. Mr Thomson said that New! Zealand’s Vanda Station, in; the Wright Valley, had some-; thing of a population explosion yesterday. “Because of bad weather; in the area two United States ■ Navy helicopters were forced? ;to land at Vanda Station so !we had a total of 23 personsl (sitting waiting for the storm; to clear,’’ he said. The two machines were 1 ferrying men and equipment: Tor the drilling programme (as well as putting people in: (the field, he said.