The CRREL South Pole Tunneling System
MICHAEL R. WALSH
Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory
INTRODUCTION
(CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, proposed
There are few places on Earth with an environ-
to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S.
ment as harsh as the U.S. AmundsenScott South
Government entity with responsibility for the U.S.
Pole Station in Antarctica. At an elevation of over
Antarctic Program, that the construction and use
2,830 m and with a mean temperature of almost
of unlined tunnels at the South Pole Station may
50 C, field operations are difficult at best. Even
be a feasible concept for the safe and secure trans-
in the austral summer, the mean temperature for
port of personnel and utilities between the vari-
the warmest month is only 28 C, and with wind
ous structures that have grown up around the cen-
speeds gusting to as high as 24 m/s, wind chills
tral dome. With the need for a new, expanded
can be brutal. As the station is located at the Pole,
station being advocated by NSF, the construction
where the atmosphere thins, the physiological el-
and use of the tunnels will allow the old station to
evation can reach 4,250 m, resulting in shortness
be connected to the new facility without the prob-
of breath, fatigue, and sometimes altitude sickness.
lems generated by surface structures and utilities.
The Antarctic Plateau is a featureless, barren
Seeing the merit of such a concept, NSF tasked
plain with snow accumulation of only about 8 cm
CRREL to design, build, test, and deploy a tun-
(water equivalent) per year (Mosely-Thompson et
neling system for use at the South Pole Station.
al. 1995). The South Pole Station is the only sig-
nificant feature on the plateau for thousands of
kilometers and, as such, is plagued by the accu-
BACKGROUND
mulation of drifting snow (Fig. 1). At one time,
drifting snow threatened to overrun the 16-m-high
Tunnels of various forms and construction are
geodesic dome that is the landmark of the U.S. sta-
neither new nor uncommon in extreme cold re-
tion. The station has already accumulated over 8
gions. Their advantages are several: protection
m of snow, and it is only through the diligent ef-
from the elements, a stable environment, elimina-
forts of the operators of two large snow dozers
tion of drift accumulation, and ready access to
that the station has not been overwhelmed.
utilities are just a few. The U.S. Army investigated
Facilities construction and maintenance at the
tunneling concepts in ice and snow in the 1950s
South Pole Station are obviously a major challenge.
and 1960s when it was deeply involved in research
The drifting snow makes surface placement prob-
in northern Greenland. Work at Camp Tuto, Camp
lematic, as any item placed on the surface quickly
Century, and the Distant Early Warning (DEW) ice
drifts in and disappears. The low temperatures
cap radar stations all involved tunnels.
and high winds make construction and mainte-
At Camp Tuto, near Thule AFB, tunnels were
nance both difficult and dangerous, especially
bored into the edge of the ice cap in 1957 using
during the winter months when little or no day-
modified hard-rock mining equipment and explo-
light is available. Compounding these problems
sives (Fig. 2). These tunnels were constructed pri-
is the utter isolation of the station during the "win-
marily in ice. The tunnels were instrumented and
ter" season, which stretches for over 250 days. If a
snow and ice measurements taken to characterize
critical facilities function fails in this time span,
the parameters of the material. These tunnels were
the station and its 28 inhabitants are in serious
unlined and, for the most part, unbraced. A small
jeopardy.
electric mining train ran through the tunnels and
In 1991, engineers from the U.S. Army Cold
was used for removal of the mining debris. Work
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