By Presidential Decree of February 26, 2026, the "National Center for Personnel and Scientific Support of the Mineral Resources Complex "Corps of Mining Engineers was established on the basis of Empress Catherine II Saint Petersburg Mining University. Among the tasks assigned to the university are the organization and conduct of scientific research and design work at the Russian Antarctic research station Vostok, as well as scientific research in the field of deep metageology. Why was the role of chief coordinator in these areas entrusted to the country’s first technical university?
The Mining University has been engaged in comprehensive mining and geological research of the White Continent for more than 70 years. Its scientists were among the participants in the 1st Comprehensive Antarctic Expedition organized by the Government of the USSR and have not missed a single season since. Over the years, polar researchers have come a long way — from general geological and glaciological observations to the breakthrough penetration of subglacial Lake Vostok, the search for environmentally safe ice-drilling technologies, and the study of the genesis of the entire continent.
Today, under the leadership of Rector Vladimir Litvinenko, the university is implementing the research project “Comprehensive Geological and Geophysical Studies of the Deep Structure of East Antarctica,” aimed at investigating the deep structure, geological evolution, and fluid-dynamic regime of typical lithospheric structures. This year, as part of the project’s implementation, a field team comprising 11 scientists representing different areas of expertise worked simultaneously at several polar stations.
Among the assigned tasks, particular attention was initially focused on experimental and methodological work related to the field testing of a core drilling method under the mining, geological, and climatic conditions of East Antarctica, specifically in the area of Progress Station. The technology, designed to minimize environmental impact as much as possible, was adapted to glacier conditions in the university’s laboratories by both experienced and young drilling specialists. It was then tested in real conditions during the 71st Russian Antarctic Expedition.
«The past season was at once the most unique and the most challenging in all my Antarctic experience. Its start was preceded by lengthy and painstaking preparation — the formation of the field team, the medical examinations of its members, the drilling and maritime training courses, the procurement of key equipment, the assembly of expedition cargo at the Sablino site, and the loading onto the research expedition vessel Akademik Fedorov. This was followed by a flight to Cape Town and the voyage from Cape Town to Antarctica. In Thala Bay, our extensive ‘baggage’ was unloaded onto the ice — the Burlak all-terrain snow and swamp vehicle, the RS-90 drilling rig in a module mounted on a sled, drilling tools, as well as sled platforms, which the field team assembled on the ice alongside the vessel in order to mount containers carrying all the equipment on them. To understand the scale, it is enough to say that containers usually weigh no more than 5 tonnes in total. This time, the total weight was about 84 tonnes. I would like to note that the equipment set was planned down to the smallest detail and proved fully effective. For example, the availability of our own high-mobility cargo-and-passenger vehicle played an important role in carrying out the seasonal work program. Cargo often had to be transported across highly rugged terrain — wet snow that turned the white desert into a swamp. By the end of the season, the Burlak had covered more than 2,500 kilometers in Antarctica while transporting people, scientific equipment, and household supplies», - noted Alexey Bolshunov, head of the field team.
The team was divided into three groups. One group was stationed in Thala Bay to carry out geological and geophysical work on the Stornes Peninsula. Two other members of the expedition traveled to Vostok Station to conduct scientific research. Finally, the third group arrived at Progress Station and, immediately after the New Year, moved to the drilling site, where they stayed in a field shelter to carry out the drilling program and magnetotelluric sounding (MT) operations.
«I had heard many fascinating stories about Antarctica, but reality exceeded all expectations. I experienced a real emotional shock! Anyone who dreams of visiting Mars — this is the place for you! The monotonous gray-brown palette of mountain slopes, scattered stones, and boulders contrasts with an extraordinarily blue sky and a huge sun. Streams run down the hills and collect in lakes of a vivid blue color. But where is the Ice Continent? After one of the turns on the road from Thala Bay to Progress Station, an endless snowfield suddenly appears. Ahead lies only a white plain gradually rising upward. I have seen the tundra of the northern Arctic, but it is nothing in comparison. Here you truly feel what the ‘white silence’ is that Vysotsky once sang about,” shared the chief driller of the field team, Sergey Yurtaev. “Yet no matter how remarkable the landscape around us may be, the drilling process, wherever it takes place, always consists of the same familiar stages: positioning the equipment, preparing it, connecting all systems, and the drilling itself. The 71st Russian Antarctic Expedition coincided with an unusually hot and short summer. The glacier was literally ‘moving.’ At the drilling site, the RS-90 rig was deployed, the main and auxiliary equipment were installed, and the entire complex was assembled into a single system. The operability of the proposed equipment installation scheme and the viability of the field camp were successfully tested».
Especially vivid emotions are traditionally experienced by those who have reached the southern pole of the Earth for the first time. Yet even seasoned polar researchers pause in awe when stepping ashore from the vessel.
«After a two-year break, I once again found myself in Antarctica. How did I feel? As if I had returned to the most untouched and vulnerable place on our planet. The story of polar researchers usually follows one of two scenarios: you come here, realize that it is not for you, and never return again; or you fall in love with it at first sight and strive to come back every year. During the current expedition, our main task was to conduct experimental and methodological work on glacier drilling. Due to the unusually warm Antarctic summer, we encountered the inability to move the existing rig across the loose glacier — it cut into the surface like a plough. The team was forced to stop at a location where the glacier had the lowest flow velocity but a much greater thickness than originally planned. In other words, beneath us lay about 300 meters of ice, separating us from the underlying bedrock. In general, drilling a ‘warm’ glacier differs dramatically from drilling a ‘cold’ one, such as at Vostok. There are issues such as the sticking of cutting particles with incomplete removal, absorption by the highly permeable snow–firn layer, and tool sticking during retrieval due to changes in the well diameter. All these aspects naturally affect the rate of penetration. We gained invaluable experience in glacier drilling with ice core sampling using a standard drilling rig and tools. The results of the work carried out will be used in preparation for the next season of the Russian Antarctic Expedition, during which we plan to obtain the long-awaited core samples of bedrock», - emphasized Vyacheslav Kadochnikov, research engineer of the Scientific Geological Party SGP “Antarctica”.
A distinctive feature of the season was the almost complete autonomy of the drilling team.
«For two months, we lived 10 kilometers from Progress Station in a specially equipped camp. Life ‘in the field’ differs significantly from living at the station. Every day, we had to replenish supplies of technical and drinking water, cook food, and constantly maintain the operation of the diesel generator to provide heat and electricity. The weather also played its part, frequently testing our endurance. Several times a week, the wind would rise to 25–30 m/s, and snowfall would begin, leading to almost zero visibility. Moving between the technical facilities of the camp became virtually impossible. Due to the fact that the camp was the only obstacle to the wind on the glacier, the main blow always fell on us. One consequence was the tearing of the drilling shelter. After each such storm, armed with shovels, we cleared snow ‘barricades’ up to 2.5 meters high, excavating the technical facilities and the drilling rig both outside and inside. Any small gap or opening in the structure resulted in snowdrifts forming inside the premises, sometimes reaching human height. However, despite all the difficulties encountered, this season provided an unforgettable experience in conducting fieldwork, as well as new data and samples that we will analyze upon our return to Saint Petersburg», - said Artem Zaprudsky, research engineer of the SGP “Antarctica.
«An expedition is always a marker of the quality of the higher engineering education you have received. In our case, that is the Mining University. For example, when it became necessary to modernize the drill bit, we turned to the works of our ‘gurus’ — the ‘pioneers of Soviet Antarctica,’ Boris Kudryashov and Nikolai Vasiliev. When, during tripping operations, the drilling rig’s pipe holder guides were torn off, we recalled the lectures of our professors from the Department of Materials Science and Technology of Artistic Products on welding metal structures. During another blizzard, when the drilling shelter was damaged, we applied our knowledge of theoretical mechanics and strength of materials», - said Vyacheslav Kadochnikov.
Work at the drilling site continued until February 25 and concluded with the conservation of the drilling complex until the next field season.
«During this time, many events occurred related to drilling operations, magnetotelluric sounding, daily life, and weather conditions. The launch of new projects in new territories, alongside the execution of planned work, constantly requires solving unforeseen situations that you may never have encountered before. Now I can confidently say that our team successfully met all the challenges, and I would like to thank all its members for that», - summarized the head of the field team, Alexey Bolshunov.
At present, the team is already on board the research expedition vessel Akademik Fedorov. They are scheduled to approach the stations Molodezhnaya and Novolazarevskaya and, in approximately two to three weeks, begin their return journey home.