The one lake is called "90°E" because it lies along that longitude (and is now the second biggest subglacial lake in Antarctica), while the other is named after the Russian station above the lake called Sovetskaya. These lakes were known of before but his is the first time that scientists have been able to assess their size using satellites and ground penetrating radar equipment.

The latest analysis using ice penetrating radar equipment as well as an analysis of the earth's gravitational fields locally seem to indicate that the two lakes lie 4 km below the surface.

Scientists at Vostok station have drilled to within 120M of the surface of Lake Vostok and have reportely found evidence of microbes trapped in the ice.