Steam, Hot-Water and Electrical Thermal Drills for Temperate Glaciers

Abstract

The study of temperate glaciers has led to the development of three drilling processes. The steam drill used for ablation stakes is easily portable and its speed is 30–40 m/h for the first 10 m. With the hot-water drill we can drill a fairly large but irregular hole; and reach 100 m depth in less than 5 h. The electro-thermal drill, usable to great depths, is particularly suitable for rapid drilling (15m/h and more) of small diameter holes (25 min) with easily portable equipment.