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I. Microphysical properties, deformation, texture and grain growth, New measurements of ice texture made along the EPICA Dome C ice core, together with a review of previous studies of fabric and microstructure, are presented. Mean grain size increases steadily with age, and so depth. However, sharp decreases are observed contemporary with each climatic termination. These sharp decreases are believed to be mainly driven by the change in dust content between glacial and interglacial periods. C-axes steadily clustered with depth toward a vertical single maximum. However, a sharp clustering of the fabric is observed during termination II (≈ 1750 m), suggesting the presence of shear in the upper part of the core. Moreover, below 2812 m, large variations of the fabric are observed from sample to sample. Migration recrystallization may affect the ice polycrystal for the lowest part of the core.