PARIS, Jan. 15 -- Scientists have inaugurated the world's first ice sanctuary in Antarctica, designed to preserve ancient glacial ice and safeguard records of Earth's climate for centuries. The facility, located at Concordia Station at 3,200 metres above sea level, aims to house ice cores from glaciers around the globe, providing a unique archive for future research even after glaciers themselves have melted.

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The first ice cores stored in the sanctuary come from Europe's Alps, including Mont Blanc and Grand Combine. These samples were placed in a purpose-built snow cave, 35 metres long and five metres high and wide, dug about 10 metres below the surface into compact snow. Th...