Antarctica, the frozen continent, is one of the most remote regions on the planet. The wonders of the icy plains have always captivated scientists and researchers with their intrigue and adventures. One such unique and rather scary phenomenon is the Blood Waterfalls. Imagine a red waterfall flowing endlessly through the white landscape. Sounds like the glaciers are on their period! Read on to know the fascinating discovery behind the mysterious ‘Blood Falls’ of Antarctica.
Discovered over a century ago, the Blood Waterfall of Antarctica is a bright red, actually crimson, colored water flowing from the Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney. It was first discovered in 1911 by Australian geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor as a part of the Terra Nova expedition. Due to its bright blood-red color, the waterfall is a striking feature against the icy white landscape of the glacier. The geoscientist Taylor, who discovered this phenomenon over 110 years ago, decided to give his name to both the glacier and the valley it flows into. At first, it was believed that the waterfall derives its color from the red algae content in the water. In several other parts of the world, this algae often turns the water red. However, this theory was proved incorrect after scientists conducted further research, and the real reason was found to be far more complex and intriguing.
In the early 2000s, new research discovered that the mysterious red color of the waterfall is caused by the iron content and not the algae in the water. The researchers explained that the waterfall is rich in iron and when the water emerges from the glacier, it comes in contact with the air and reacts with the oxygen ‘staining’ itself in a bloody crimson color. But what’s even more baffling? Despite the -19 degrees Celcius temperature, the red waterfall is not frozen solid! The water is actually running and it seems scary with some recent pictures going viral on the Internet.
While the original existence of the waterfall delves back into history as old as 1.5 million years ago, it was only in 2003 that the flowy state of the waterfall was explained. Perhaps, the water has an extremely high salt content besides the bacteria residing in the harsh conditions of the subglacial environment. The high salt content is almost double the level as in the seawater prevailing in the region. This pushes the freezing point of the water keeping it in a liquid state. Thus, the pressure at the base of the glacier, combined with the high salt content, enables it to flow despite the freezing temperatures.
Despite all the theories and discoveries, Antarctica’s Blood Falls remains one of the most mysterious and captivating natural wonders on the globe. The social media is full of several fascinating pictures of the waterfall which have left netizens awestruck!
