1.2 Million-Year-Old Ice Core Retrieved from Antarctica
2025-01-10
An international team of scientists has achieved a groundbreaking feat by drilling nearly 2 miles (2.8 kilometers) into the Antarctic bedrock, retrieving one of the oldest ice cores ever discovered—at least 1.2 million years old. The Beyond EPICA project, coordinated by Italy, involved four years of drilling in average temperatures of -35°C (-25.6°F). Analysis of this ancient ice is expected to reveal crucial information about Earth's atmospheric and climate evolution, shedding light on Ice Age cycles and the impact of atmospheric carbon on climate change. This discovery provides invaluable data for understanding and addressing the current climate crisis.