Geotechnical and Exploration Drilling in the Polar Regions

This book provides a comprehensive review of drilling technologies in the polar regions, from the portable drilling equipment for shallow sampling and coring, to heavy drilling equipment for deep onshore and offshore drilling. Particular attention is given to safe drilling methods in permafrost. In recent years, interest in drilling in the polar regions has increased under the pressure of the geopolitical “rush” and the undiscovered resource potential. In addition, borehole monitoring of permafrost thermal states is urgently needed to obtain evidence of climate change. The book focuses on the latest drilling technologies but also discusses the historical development of sampling, and drilling tools and devices, over the last 60–70 years providing valuable insights into a way forward and future possibilities.

Dr. Pavel G. Talalay is a Professor at the College of Construction Engineering and Director of the Institute of Polar Science and Engineering at Jilin University, Changchun, China. He holds Drilling Engineer (1984), Ph.D. (1995) and Doc. Eng. (2007) degrees in Exploration Engineering from St. Petersburg Mining University, Russia, where he has worked as Professor and Chair of the Dept. He also worked as a Guest Researcher for the Niels Bohr Institute (Copenhagen University, Denmark) (1998–1999). His research interests are associated with different aspects of drilling and sampling technologies in ice, permafrost and marine sediments; ice properties and dynamics of ice sheets; environmental problems in the polar regions. He has taken part in eight field expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica, and was involved in drilling the deepest hole in ice (3769 m), at Vostok Station, Antarctica. He is the author of more than 250 publications. Currently he leads several drilling projects in theArctic and Antarctica.