Situation Report #12, 31. December 2019

Little Dome C - Beyond EPICA Drilling Site (75.29917 degS, 122.44516 degE)

Personnel: Saverio Panichi (ENEA), Michele Scalet (ENEA), Luc Piard (CNRS), Jakob Schwander (unibe),Thomas Stocker (unibe), Remo Walther (unibe), Massimo Frezzotti (U Roma 3), Riccardo Devescovi (Armi)

Weather at 8 am: sunny, clouds moving in from the north

The BELDC drill trench is now finished and covered with floor doors. It is ready for the next season when the drilling tower will be installed. Good luck for the BeyondEPICA drilling team in 2020!

Over night the hydraulic tube of Radix was maintained at positive degrees which has dissolved the clogs in the hose by the morning. In order to clean the tube we have cycled about 300 l of silicone oil through the tube and eliminated the remaining very fine ice crystals from the liquid. The highpressure pump was running smoothly at about 60 bar. As a final preparation for the start of the Radix drilling tomorrow, on the first day of the new decade, we have filled the casing with silicone oil for thermal equilibration over night.

At 9.30 am Saverio, Michele, Riccardo and Luc headed to Dome Concordia Station by Caterpillar and Pistenbully to participate in the New Year party and to receive the hull of the BELDC drilling tent and three weather ports that has arrived by traverse from Dumond d'Urville today. Therefore, tonight the Radix Team celebrates the entry to the new decade with Massimo who takes good care of all of us. It seems we are the smallest New Year's Eve party on this continent!

To all readers, our best wishes for a healthy, prosperous and exciting New Year!

LDC, 31.12.2019