Dome A is the highest ice feature in Antarctica, at over 4000 m a.s.l., and overlies the Gamburtsev mountains. It is believed that deep ice-core drilling in this area may reveal the oldest ice in Antarctica, providing an unparalleled paleoclimate record in excess of 1 Ma, and perhaps going back as far as 1.2 Ma (Xiao and others, 2008). However, little is known about this area because its height and distance from the coast and scientific stations makes access difficult.

High-pressure die-casting (HPDC) AZ91 tensile specimens were used to investigate characteristics of gas pores and their effects on mechanical properties of HPDC AZ91 magnesium (Mg) alloy. Combining the stereoscopic morphology of gas pores obtained from a three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction technique with the experimental data from uniaxial tensile testing, we worked on finite element simulation to find the relationship between gas pores and the mechanical properties of HPDC AZ91 Mg alloy. Results indicate that the 2D metallography images have one-sidedness. Moreover, gas pores >100 µm in the center region have a remarkable negative influence on the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation. With an increase in the size of large gas pores in the center region, the UTS and elongation of the material decreases. In addition, the distribution of gas pores in the specimens and the areal fraction of gas pores >100 µm on cross sections can also affect the UTS and elongation to some extent.