Substantiation of optimal range of geophysical surveys to study deep structure of the Lake Vostok area

This article discusses the current issues and prospects of exploration of the Lake Vostok—the largest subglacial water cave in Antarctica. The study of deep structure of this area is extremely important for understanding the history of its geological evolution and of the continent generally. When the research object is hidden from direct geological investigations by a thick ice cover, geophysical methods play a key role in its study. The paper analyzes and systematizes the results of previously conducted geophysical research in the specified area and within the boundaries of Antarctica. The existing hypotheses on deep structure and genesis of graben of the Lake Vostok are discussed. The promising directions of the planned studies include: identification of the Earth crust structure features; determination of the thickness and character of occurrence of the Lake Vostok bottom sedimentary strata. The solution of these problems can enable setting location of new well drilling for the purpose of sampling water and bottom sediments. The optimal range of geophysical methods necessary for solving the set tasks includes magnetotelluric, seismic and radar surveys. For each method, the features of implementation and the problems that can arise in Antarctic conditions are presented, as well as the methods and engineering solutions are presented: for seismic measurements, it is necessary to determine the optimum charge depth; for magnetotelluric observations, it is important to develop preamplifiers for measuring equipment and to take into account natural factors which can negatively affect the result of measurements; radar sounding involves the development of an ice locator. The research was carried out within the state assignment of Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation (FSRW-2024-0003).