Statistical processing of the results of microstructural analysis of ice cores from deep boreholes at Vostok station (Central Antarctica)
- Research assistant G.V. Plekhanov Saint Petersburg Mining University
Abstract
Original measurements of the optic axis orientation from 84 ice horizons in the depth range of 104-3516 m at the Vostok Polar Station covering more than 400 thousand years of ice formation have been analyzed for the first time in the history. Presence of significant textural anisotropies is shown. Statistical characteristics of spatial distribution density of the axes revealing the degree of the girdle fabric and single maximum fabric development are calculated. The resulting curves conform to the previous data and show different regimes of ice deformation depending on various depths. A significant role of the polygonization process in formation processes is also observed. The giant-crystal ice at the lowest horizons is probably a pegmatoid formation.