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What’s in the ice?

The composition of the Myrovsky Glaciotectonic Shelf includes:

The Glaciotectonic Mélange

A chaotic assemblage of displaced sedimentary blocks, till, and sheared strata, formed by glacial thrusting and folding. These upper layers are heavily deformed.

Permafrost Zone

A thick zone of cryotic ground with ice cemented sands and gravels.

Sedimentary Bedrock

Layers of precambrian gneiss and granite. Many of these layers contain metamorphic inclusions that indicate ancient faulting or rifting activity.

Fossil-bearing Strata

Magnetite-rich strata that was named for the supposed fossilized remains discovered back in 19■■. However, further exploration has determined that there is nothing to be found here but rock.

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Glaciological Phenomena and Psychological Response in Polar Environments [Excerpt]

Dr. James Whitaker, Department of Environmental Psychiatry, University of Washington - Journal of Polar Research and Human Behavior, Vol. 27, No. 1 (19■■)

ABSTRACT

The Antarctic continent is host to a unique combination of environmental extremes, including sustained daylight during the austral summer. This phenomenon, commonly known as the midnight sun, has been extensively documented for its impact on circadian rhythms. However, its effects on perception have received comparatively little scholarly attention.

SECTION I: OPTICAL DISTORTIONS UNDER CONTINUOUS DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS

During the summer months, the sun remains above the horizon for periods of up to 24 hours, casting continuous low-angle light across vast, reflective surfaces of ice and snow. These conditions create frequent optical phenomena, including:

○ Sun dogs (parhelia)

○ Ice halos and mirror mirages (Fata Morgana)

○ Prolonged afterimages

○ Shifts in depth perception due to uniform contrast

Of particular interest are reports of transient visual distortions provided by personnel exposed to uninterrupted daylight conditions. Subjects described these experiences as fleeting and difficult to reproduce under observation, often occurring in peripheral vision or at points of extreme glare.

Common reports include:

○ Apparent motion in flat snowfields

○ Brief impressions of reflective “structures” at the horizon that vanish upon approach

○ Human-like figures glimpsed at the edge of vision, always stationary and always distant

○ Observed reflections in windows or equipment surfaces that do not correspond to any known source

○ A phenomenon described in multiple field journals as “anticipatory movement”—the sensation that one’s reflection or shadow is a moment out of sync

While many of these effects can be attributed to glare, surface refraction, and sleep deprivation, recent studies suggest a potential link between continuous ambient light and semantic intrusion—a cognitive event in which the brain attempts to assign meaning or identity to shifting light patterns.

Though no direct correlation has been established between the midnight sun and hallucination, prolonged exposure to uninterrupted daylight has been shown to gradually erode the brain’s ability to distinguish between sensory data and expectation. In extreme environments where light never leaves, and silence persists, the mind may begin to see what it fears—or remembers—most vividly.

Further research is recommended regarding long-term perception stability in expedition personnel, particularly those operating in isolated, reflective, or structurally recursive spaces for durations exceeding 21 days.

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[During recovery operations, a number of personal items and belongings were found. The journal pictured above was found waterlogged and barely legible. The entry has been transcribed to plain text for readability.]

EVELYN MARROW

PERSONAL JOURNAL

January 3rd, 19■■

Finally got everything unpacked. It was, in a word, chaos. You'd think that a team of highly educated and professional individuals would have thought to label their luggage, but here we are. Twenty-four hours and three arguments later, almost everything is accounted for. All the important equipment, that is. Greaves somehow forgot his damn toothbrush. Fortunately, Lavalle thought to bring a spare. The angel of mercy descends from the heavens to spare the dental hygiene of a man whose wife probably still packs his lunches.

Since that narrowly-avoided catastrophe, the others have been chatting away. They're excited about the project. I probably should be, too, but something about being stuck in an isolated facility hundreds of miles from human contact seems to numb my sense of adventure. I'm here to do my job, and that's it.

Speaking of my job, it's strange being called “doctor” again. Sure, everyone has their PhDs and research specialties and prestigious fellowships, but I'm the only one here allowed to slap a bandage on someone if they give themselves a papercut. A practical application of education instead of a purely academic one.

Perez hasn't said much since we arrived. Ironic for a communications specialist. Greaves and Bell more than compensate for it, though. I'm thankful that we're merely in the Antarctic and not in a submerged or orbital station somewhere, because if we had limited oxygen, they'd go through it in an hour. It's nothing short of a miracle that anyone can get a word in edgewise

Lavalle's quiet, too. Not like Perez, though. With Lavalle, it's deliberate. She listens when no one thinks she is. Watches people like she's collecting data, even when there's nothing to write down. I caught her staring at the ice through the observation window this morning. Didn’t say anything. Just stood there, still as death. She didn’t blink until I called her name.

When I asked her what she was looking at, she said, “I thought I saw something shift.” She laughed after, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

The thing is, I’d been looking out that same window not ten minutes before.

And I thought the same damn thing.

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i think there might be something in the ice

There is nothing in the ice.

Excerpt from Polar Geosciences: Foundations and Frontiers, 19■■ Edition

Chapter 11: Glaciotectonic Formations and Subsurface Studies

The Myrovsky Expedition and the Glaciotectonic Shelf

Named for Dr. Sergei Alekseyevich Myrovsky, a senior geophysicist with the Soviet Antarctic Research Program, the Myrovsky Glaciotectonic Shelf remains one of the most thoroughly studied formations on the Antarctic continent. Between 1965 and 1969, Dr. Myrovsky and his team conducted a series of deep-core sampling operations, seismic resonance tests, and magnetic anomaly scans in the region now bearing his name.

While initial results prompted speculation regarding subsurface voids or unusual density readings, subsequent analysis attributed these anomalies to natural shifts in permafrost strata and glacial compression artifacts.

The findings were consistent with established models of glaciotectonic behavior and showed no evidence of biologically relevant material, artificial constructs, or geothermal irregularities.

Dr. Myrovsky himself famously stated during a 1973 lecture in Leningrad: “Beneath the ice, there is only pressure, memory, and time.”

His remarks were later misquoted and sensationalized in non-academic circles, but official documentation affirms the scientific consensus: the Myrovsky Shelf is geologically interesting, but ultimately unremarkable in terms of unexplained phenomena.

Further drilling has since been deemed unnecessary.

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[Archived camera footage from Vostok-12. Date unknown.]

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.-..*OEDS INTERNAL COMMUNICATION*..

TO: All Vostok-12 Personnel

FROM: Administration

DATE: January 1, 19■■

SUBJECT: Welcome!

On behalf of the Office of Experimental Defense Systems, we would like to personally welcome you to the Vostok-12 Polar Research Facility. You have each been selected for your contributions to your respective fields. Your work here will play a critical role in expanding our understanding of the meteor impact event and its effects on the surrounding subglacial environment.

We recognize the challenges of working in such a remote location, and we’ve outfitted the facility accordingly with top-of-the-line accommodations, personal effects storage, and a shared recreation module stocked with books, films, and board games.

A few reminders:

All scientific documentation must be logged to the shared mainframe daily at 2300 hours.

External communications are subject to review per Article 7 of the Threshold Protocol.

Observation Windows A-1 through A-4 are to remain clear at all times. Do not obstruct or modify the glass.

The interior perimeter should be patrolled twice daily by designated maintenance staff. If you notice any structural discrepancies, log them in Form R-17. Do not attempt to realign doors or panels manually.

Your safety, focus, and professionalism are essential to the success of this mission. Should you experience disorientation, headaches, or audiovisual hallucinations during your deployment, report immediately to Medical. These symptoms are not uncommon during acclimatization to the Antarctic environment.

Here’s to a productive and enlightening winter. We’re proud to have you on the team.

.*Office of Experimental Defense Systems* "We are the last gate." ...

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PRAVDA — YOUNG PIONEERS PAGE

Issue No. 17 | February 17th, 19■■

“WHAT’S UNDER THE ICE?” — A Special Report for Curious Comrades

By Lidiya Arkhipova, Special Correspondent for Youth Science

[The following has been translated from the original Slavic text.]

The Soviet Union is the largest and most scientifically advanced nation on Earth—and that includes the coldest parts of it!

Far below the glittering frost and howling winds of Antarctica, a whole new world waits to be understood. Our scientists call it the subglacial zone, and it may be one of the last great frontiers of discovery. It’s like a time capsule from the planet’s youth—quiet, untouched, and perfectly preserved for people like you to explore one day!

Did you know? Some of the ice in Antarctica is more than one million years old!

The Soviet Union operates many proud research stations across the Antarctic continent. Our brave geologists, meteorologists, and glaciologists spend months in the cold to learn what lies beneath—ice cores, ancient sediments, trapped gases, and even microbial life that may have lived before the first fish ever swam.

But sometimes, they find more than they expected.

“There are places the ice moves differently,” says Dr. Myrovsky, senior glaciologist at Komsomol-21 Station. “Places that breathe. Places that dream. We must not be afraid of the Earth remembering us.”

The West may fear the deep unknown. But the Soviet scientist does not. We are explorers of the natural order, not invaders. With discipline, courage, and rational thought, even the longest-frozen mysteries can be understood.

We do not run from the dark. We bring the light of knowledge to it.

So next time you see frost on your window, imagine what lies far below—whispers in the oldest ice, waiting for someone brave enough to listen.

FACT CORNER — For Young Comrades!

◇ Ice in the interior of Antarctica can be over 4,000 meters thick!

◇ Some research stations are built directly into the glacier itself.

◇ Soviet scientists are the first to reach Sublevel Stratum 9—where unique magnetic patterns have been observed!

◇ A full team of geologists and support personnel will be returning this spring from a months-long expedition near the Myrovsky Glaciotectonic Shelf! Stay tuned for updates!

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TRANSCRIPT: DEBRIEF SESSION 03

SUBJECT: Dr. Clara Lavalle (Biochemistry Lead, Project Aleph)

INTERVIEWER: Director Lenore Song, OEDS Oversight Division

DATE: March 19, 19■■

LOCATION: Site 7, Quarantine Room 4B

CLEARANCE LEVEL: ZAYIN-5

[BEGIN RECORDING]

SONG: This is Director Song, conducting the third post-incident interview with Dr. Clara Lavalle. Dr. Lavalle, please confirm that you understand this session is being recorded.

LAVALLE: I understand.

SONG: Please describe your role with Project Aleph.

LAVALLE: I was assigned to the project for biochemical analysis. Environmental samples. Microbiota. Wildlife. My job was to search for any traces of… foreign contaminants at the site.

SONG: Such as?

LAVALLE: The Department believed that the meteor had deposited biological matter onto the ice shelf. They were looking for extremophiles, possibly amino structures with off-world chirality. Something that could–how did they put it?–”justify the budget”.

SONG: And what did you find?

[Lavalle does not respond.]

SONG: Doctor?

LAVALLE: Look, you already asked me about this. I'm not going to give you a different answer. Please, let me leave. I have a family to get back to–

[Lavalle goes silent. After about ten seconds, she sighs and continues.]

LAVALLE: At first? Nothing out of the ordinary. Just sterile ice cores, the usual sediment layers. Nothing to warrant a red flag. For the first week, we were poking at a giant, gravel-filled ice cube. Then, one day, Greaves got excited. He said that one of the sediment samples had a high concentration of cobalt and iridium. He was certain we were getting close to the impact site.

SONG: Did you find fragments of the meteor?

LAVALLE: Eventually, yes. A few metallic shards embedded deep in the borehole wall, fused with the surrounding ice. Unusual, certainly, but nothing unheard of. Everything we saw tracked with previous research into meteoric impact sites.

SONG: What was the composition of these shards?

LAVALLE: Cobalt, iridium, trace vanadium, and teeth.

SONG: Teeth?

LAVALLE: Molars, mostly. An incisor here and there. They were warped. Unfinished. Like they had started growing before the idea of a mouth was fully formed.

SONG: What sort of–

LAVALLE: Can I see my husband? Please. He must be worried sick about me. I want him to know I'm okay.

SONG: [beat] Clara… you've never been married.

[END RECORDING]

[Note: Transcript verified. Original audio file flagged for internal review—artifacts can be heard throughout the recording at irregular intervals. Audio logs of Debrief Sessions 01 and 02 were later found to be affected by the same distortion, to the point of being completely unintelligible. The fourth debriefing has been scheduled for March 30th.]

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THE WASHINGTON GAZETTE -JULY 23, 19■■

“HOTTEST SUMMER IN A CENTURY, EXPERTS SAY”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With sweltering highs across the country and a string of heat advisories issued in 34 states, the National Weather Service has officially declared the summer of 19■■ the hottest on record since 1884, citing unusual solar activity as the source of the heat wave.

Temperatures in several Midwestern cities have soared into the triple digits for more than two consecutive weeks, straining local infrastructure. In Kansas City, a new local record was set Wednesday with a high of 108°F.

Federal officials are urging citizens to stay indoors during peak daylight hours and to limit use of non-essential electricity during rolling blackouts, which have already affected portions of Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.

“We’re seeing a pattern of thermal acceleration that doesn’t match what we’ve historically seen this time of year,” said Dr. Sarah Meyer, climate researcher at NOAA. “This isn’t just heat—it’s heat arriving too quickly, and staying too long.”

Despite persistent rumors on AM radio and independent newsletters about government weather-modification experiments, NOAA reiterated in a press briefing that the event is entirely natural in origin.

The heat wave is expected to continue into mid-August.

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[Napkin recovered from a garbage can outside Susan’s Bar and Grill, Camden, NJ. Approximate date: September 19■■. The text was scribbled hastily with what appears to be ballpoint pen.]

Suze-

I quit. I'd say it's been a pleasure, but then we'd both be liars. I know you've been looking for a reason to kick me to the curb, so I figured I’d save you the trouble. I'm keeping the apron, though. Maybe I'll use it to mop up the mess I've made of my career.

-Evie

Also, don't bother mailing my last paycheck. I don't want it. If you don't know what to do with it, you can go ahead and shove it up your [unintelligible].

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FILE NO: 83-294-A

HARVARD UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCES Cambridge, MA 02138

August 11, 19■■

To the Faculty Review Committee,

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to formally request a leave of absence, effective October 1st, to pursue a temporary research opportunity outside of the university.

The project in question is being coordinated through a private-sector contractor in collaboration with the Department of Energy. I am currently under a non-disclosure agreement and cannot elaborate on specifics, but the work involves field analysis of geothermal activity in extreme climates, with possible implications for long-term energy sustainability and climate modeling.

The assignment will take place in a remote, government-controlled site. Due to the nature of the environment, I anticipate being out of communication for extended periods and will be unable to maintain my teaching or administrative responsibilities during that time.

This leave is not taken lightly. I remain fully committed to my students and to the academic community at Harvard. However, I believe this opportunity will offer valuable insights that I hope to bring back into the classroom upon my return.

I intend to resume my duties by next fall. Should circumstances change, I will notify the department as soon as communication allows.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely, Dr. Rowan M. Greaves Associate Professor, Geoscience Harvard University

[Handwritten postscript:] “Tell Nadia not to worry. It’s just ice and rocks.”

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