Ends of the Earth: Journeys to the Polar Regions in Search of Life, the Cosmos, and Our Future

by Neil Shubin

In Vostok, drilling takes decades and is fraught with potential contamination issues, logistic challenges, and political entanglements. Priscu’s idea was to identify subglacial lakes that were not as deep as Lake Vostok, that were more easily accessible logistically, and where he could deploy sterile drilling technologies. Subglacial Lake Whillans fit the bill. This lake sits 300 miles from the South Pole and is within a two-week tractor drive over the ice from McMurdo Station. Supplies could be ferried there much more easily than to Vostok. Moreover, radar and seismic studies revealed that Whillans is buried under only an estimated 1,800 feet of ice.