The effectandaccuracyofusing theapparentresistivityloggingcurve to identifypermafrostand its influencing factors, such as soil properties, icecontentanddrillingdiameter are discussed.
It is currently drilling a 17.5-inch diameter hole -- smaller than the 28 inches required to rescue the miners -- in an effort to realign after veering off course over the weekend.
Drilling a 2 or 3 foot hole can be done with normal equipment, while drilling a ten, fifty, or one hundred foot diameter vertical hole would require an entirely new invention.