Preserve the ice memory for future generations

Objectives and key results

Number of ice cores drilled: 2
Drilling depth: 137 m and 134 m
Climate record retrieved: Up to 18,000 years

In June 2017, two deep ice cores were successfully extracted from the Illimani glacier in Bolivia, preserving one of the longest continuous tropical climate records available.

• 1 core dedicated to scientific analysis
• 1 core designated as the heritage core for long-term preservation

These cores contain nearly 18,000 years of climate and environmental history, spanning from the last Ice Age to the present.

Why this site?

Illimani rises above 6,400 m and overlooks La Paz, Bolivia, at the boundary between:

• The humid Amazon Basin
• The arid Bolivian Altiplano

This unique geographical position makes it a key site for understanding:

• Past rainfall variability
• Wildfire activity on the Amazon side
• Urban and anthropogenic pollution from the Altiplano
• Long-range atmospheric transport

With a depth of nearly 140 m and relatively low glacier flow, Illimani preserves a continuous archive extending back 18,000 years — to a time when prehistoric humans were creating cave paintings and long before the rise of written civilizations.

The expedition

Period: June 2017
Altitude: Over 6,400 m

An international team of 14 scientists from France, Bolivia, Russia and Brazil conducted the drilling campaign.
Although a third ice core was initially planned, drilling was limited to two cores to ensure team safety and respect time constraints at high altitude.

The Team

The mission was led by Patrick Ginot (Grenoble Institute of Environmental Geosciences – IGE).
International team members included:

• Romain Biron, IRD (France)
• Pierre Vincent, IRD (France)
• Thomas Condom, IRD (France)
• Bruno Jourdain, UGA (France)
• Christian Vincent, CNRS (France)
• Nicolas Caillon, CNRS (France)
• Luc Piard, CNRS (France)
• Xavier Faïn, CNRS (France)
• Joël Savarino, CNRS (France)
• Vladimir Mikhalenko, Institute of Geography (Moscow)
• Stanislav Kutuzov, Institute of Geography (Moscow)
• Filipe Gaudie Ley Lindau, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil)
• Alvaro Soruco, University Mayor San Andres, La Paz (Bolivia)
• Sarah Del Ben, Wild-Touch Film Director (France)

Scientific analysis and heritage

The ice cores were transported by ship from Chile and arrived in Grenoble in August 2017, where they were temporarily stored at the Institute of Environmental Geosciences (IGE).

• The reference core has been analyzed at IGE since Autumn 2019.
• The heritage core was designated for transfer to Concordia Station in Antarctica as part of the Ice Memory initiative. ⇒ lien vers page Sanctuaire

Illimani represents a cornerstone mission in Ice Memory’s global effort to preserve endangered climate archives.