Vostok Station

The Russian station where Earth’s lowest temperature, −89.2 °C, was recorded in 1983; its drill reached the vast subglacial Lake Vostok.

It lies at the southern Pole of Cold. The lowest reliably measured natural air temperature on Earth, −89.2 °C, was recorded here on 21 July 1983. Beneath the station, under roughly four kilometers of ice, lies Lake Vostok, a huge hidden lake of liquid fresh water.

Life at the station

The station was supplied from Mirny Station on the Antarctic coast. In summer it normally hosts about 30 scientists and engineers, and far fewer stay through the long, dark winter. It has operated year-round for more than 72 years, with only a few short closures. In 2019 Russia began building a new station building to replace the old facilities, and a new wintering complex was commissioned in January 2024.

The lake under the ice

In 1974 British scientists flying radar over the ice noticed strange readings, and later researchers realized a lake lay below. Lake Vostok is about 4,000 meters beneath the surface and covers around 14,000 square kilometers. On 5 February 2012 drillers stopped at a depth of 3,770 meters and reached the lake's surface. The lake has been sealed away from the sky for a very long time, which is why scientists find it so exciting.

On the globe

The model shows a small research station on the vast white ice; look for the buildings on the snowy plateau.