The Antarctic Ice Sheet Is Surprisingly Thick
Not only is 99% of the continent covered in an ice sheet, but that ice sheet is remarkably thick. The average thickness of the ice is one mile. Imagine having to walk 5280 feet in order to reach the bottom of the ice sheet!
The thickness of the ice in Antarctica makes research there somewhat tricky. To find what lies underneath all of the ice, researchers have to drill down a mile, or even more in some places, to get to the bottom of it. That process is dangerous, expensive, and time-consuming, as the instruments can freeze, and the people doing the drilling can very quickly get frostbite.