Ice cores believed to be over 1.2 million years old have been discovered in Antarctica. It was reported that the ice cores were sent to Europe for examination as part of the “Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice” project supported by the European Commission.

An announcement on the website of the “Beyond EPICA – Oldest Ice” project supported by the European Commission stated that scientists aim to shed light on Earth’s climate history exceeding 1.2 million years by recording the atmospheric gases, dust, and isotopic compositions during the formation of ice cores. It was mentioned that the ice cores extracted from about 2,800 meters depth in Antarctica were transported to Europe in containers maintained at minus 50 degrees Celsius on research vessels.

WILL BE DIVIDED INTO SMALL PIECES IN ITALY The ice cores are expected to reach Italy around April 22, and from there, they will be sent to Germany to be divided into small pieces and distributed to the laboratories of research institutions involved in the project. In the statement, Carlo Barbante, the coordinator of the Beyond EPICA project, expressed, “A significant success was achieved during the last drilling season. In the past few days, we have planned analyses that will reveal the climate history of the past 1.2 million years and maybe even earlier. We are looking forward to collecting the samples soon.”