Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey will drill 3km through ice sheet to take samples from Lake Ellsworth. Researchers from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) will use a hot-water “drill” to cut through the ice cap to Lake Ellsworth, on the western Antarctic ice sheet. By sampling the contents of the lake, which is liquid because of the extreme pressure of the ice on top of it, they hope to find clues about the evolution of life.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/15/antarctic-mission-sub-glacial-lake