In the distant and harsh Antarctica, in the middle of lifeless ice fields, the most terrible waterfall on the planet flows. Scarlet streams of liquid make their way through the thickness of the centuries-old snow of the Taylor Glacier, terrifying and bewitching with their appearance anyone who manages to get here.
Bloody Falls was discovered in 1911 by Australian explorer and geologist Griffith Taylor in the McMurdo Sound region (eastern Antarctica). It is noteworthy that this waterfall cannot always be seen. As Antarctica plunges into the icy silence of winter, the bloody waterfall also freezes. But even in summer, a red waterfall is a rarity: its flow is not constant.
The first version of why the water flow has such an unusual appearance was expressed immediately after the discovery of the bloody waterfall. Griffith Taylor himself suggested that the culprit was algae - tiny microorganisms that are red in color. According to the scientist, for some reason they could have been preserved in the glacier and, when melting, colored the waters bright red.
But due to the severity of the climate, the inaccessibility of the study area and the instability of the waterfall itself, scientists for a long time were unable to study the mysterious water body in more detail. Until American experts, led by microbiologist Jill Mikutsky, found out that the red color of the waterfall is given by ordinary rust, and algae have nothing to do with it.
It turned out that the chemical composition of the water flowing from the Taylor Glacier is very unusual. A large amount of dissolved salts were found in the waterfall, which lead to the fact that the water does not freeze for a long time with the onset of cold weather, and the waterfall continues to flow even at minus 10 degrees. This led scientists to the idea that the waterfall is not a consequence of the melting glacier, but has a different origin.
It was soon discovered that the water stream flows from a salt lake that was formed several million years ago. When the level of the World Ocean was higher than today, the lake was part of the sea area. But as the water level dropped on the mainland, a lake formed, which later turned out to be covered with ice.
The answer to Taylor's bloody waterfall lies in the unusual lake. The thing is that, despite its subglacial location and high salinity (4 times higher than ocean water), the lake is not devoid of life. The microorganisms living in it, and these are as many as 17 species, have perfectly adapted to life in the dark. The source of energy in such an ecosystem is not sunlight, as in terrestrial communities, but the energy of chemical bonds. Bottom rocks are rich in iron compounds. During their life, chemosynthetic bacteria convert these substances, and iron compounds are released into the water, coloring it red.
But the mysteries of the bloody waterfall do not end there. It is still not clear why water flows out of the lake. Presumably this occurs when the glacial shell advances on the lake and water under pressure flows out through a crack in the body of the glacier. But no convincing evidence of this process has been found, and the bloody waterfall is not so easy to find in place to conduct additional research.
In Antarctica, in one of the hidden cavities, hermetically sealed with a 400-meter layer of ice, bacteria have been living quietly for two million years. Without access to light and in the complete absence of oxygen. The discovery will help researchers take a fresh look at the adaptability of life to extreme conditions, in particular those that happened in the distant past of our planet, and at the same time at the possibility of the existence of microorganisms on Mars or Europe.
Sensational news was brought by Jill Mikucki from Dartmouth College and her colleagues from a number of other institutes and universities, who spent more than one season studying the “Blood Falls”. This relatively small release of liquid brine through a crack leading deep beneath the Taylor Glacier gets its name from its reddish-tan color, the origin of which is due to the fact that water raises living microorganisms from the depths of the earth that were locked in hidden the reservoir is 1.5-2 million years old.
Scientists have been speculating about the existence of life in the subglacial lakes of Antarctica since the 1960s, but the need to drill hundreds of meters of ice and concerns about the contamination of unique closed ecosystems by “external” bacteria have prevented the precise establishment of this fact.
Blood Falls provided biologists with a unique opportunity to obtain water samples from great depths without the risk of contaminating a “secret” oasis hidden in one of the dry valleys of Antarctica. And now several discoveries have been announced at once. Genetic analysis has shown that under the Taylor Glacier, in the absence of oxygen dissolved in the water, 17 different species of microorganisms live, which are related to known bacteria that use sulfate for respiration. But isotope analysis of the oxygen in sulfate (which was also present in abundance in the water from Bloody Falls) led scientists to the conclusion that under-ice microorganisms do not breathe. What then? The answer was suggested by the color of the waterfall.
Rust is responsible for the red tint: the water coming out of the ice crack into the light of day turned out to be extremely rich in soluble divalent iron, which immediately oxidizes, combining with oxygen in the air. And divalent iron could appear there only if it was supplied by microorganisms, converting it from trivalent iron, which is insoluble in water.
Thus, a harmonious picture was formed: 1.5-2 million years ago there was a fjord in this place. When glaciation began, sea levels dropped and a relatively small body of water on the continent was sealed from above by a powerful glacier. The microbes that fell into the trap “were not at a loss.” All this time they lived by processing the remains of organic matter locked with them, and they breathed iron from the surrounding rocks (instead of oxygen) with the assistance of sulfate as a catalyst.
The exact size of the hidden reservoir is unknown. But it is assumed that it is hidden from the sun by almost half a kilometer of ice, and stretches for a distance of almost four kilometers.
Did you know that a stream of blood-red liquid flows out of the Taylor Glacier, which is located in Antarctica, called the “Bloody Falls”? Ask the question, why this particular color and what is it connected with? The answer is simple – the water contains a large amount of iron oxide. So, more about this amazing miracle...
Scientists have discovered that from a small crack, salty water containing iron occasionally enters the Taylor Glacier. Regarding the source of water for “ Blood Falls”, then it is considered a lake covered with a glacier, the thickness of which reaches up to 400 m. This lake is located a short distance from the waterfall itself.
This source was formed after the retreat of sea water surrounding the Dry Valleys, as well as the melting of ice. It is worth noting that the level of the world's oceans about 5 million years ago was much higher compared to now.
The most unusual fact is that the water in the waterfall does not freeze even at sub-zero temperatures. This is explained by the fact that the lake’s water salinity is four times higher than the salty waters of the world’s oceans.
Bloody Falls in Antarctica was founded in 1911. For a long time, the opinion of the first explorers of this continent was correct that the bloody liquid has such a color due to red algae growing in the water.
But later it was proven that due to the content of a large amount of iron oxide as a result of the metabolism of rare microorganisms, the aqueous solution has a reddish color.
Having thoroughly studied the chemical composition of the water from the waterfall, scientists discovered that the lake is simply rich in these microorganisms.
Their uniqueness lay in the fact that in the absence of sunlight, as well as the nutritional components necessary for the process of photosynthesis, they are able to grow and develop due to the reduction of dissolved sulfates in water, converting them into sulfites.
Moreover, the subsequent oxidation of sulfites occurs with the help of ferric ions, which enter the aqueous solution from the soil.
We can say that the final product of the metabolism of these microorganisms is ferrous ions. They come out of the crack with the flow of water and already in the Taylor Glacier combine with oxygen, giving the waterfall an original and unusual color.
The video entitled “Bloody Falls in Antarctica” is not so easy to find on the World Wide Web. The fact is that not many tourists have the desire and opportunity to visit this continent, especially since the eruption of a unique red stream of water does not occur often, which can only be seen near the glacier or on it itself.
A strange and frightening natural phenomenon can be seen in the Taylor Valley located in East Antarctica. Here is one of the most amazing natural attractions of these harsh places covered with eternal ice - Bloody Waterfall.
Those who come to the Taylor Glacier for the first time are in for a terrible surprise - “bloody” streams flow down the snow-white ice and spill over the nearby rocks. This is the famous Bloody.
Despite its terrifying appearance, the unusual natural phenomenon is explained quite simply. Its blood-red color is given by an increased concentration of iron oxide. The source of the waterfall is located in a lake hidden under a 400-meter layer of ice, which is located several kilometers away.
The subglacial lake with red water was discovered by Australian geologist Taylor in 1911. At first, scientists attributed its unusual color to the presence of red algae. Subsequent studies of the composition of the water showed that this is the result of the activity of microorganisms inhabiting the lake, which, in order to maintain their vital activity in the absence of sunlight, process sulfates into sulfites. Further oxidation by iron ions found in the bottom soil gives the water a bloody color.
The Red Lake in Antarctica was formed millions of years ago. Then the dry ice was flooded by the sea, and when the water receded, the lake remained completely covered with a glacial shell. Since the salt concentration in the lake is 4 times higher than the oceanic one, even at a temperature of -10 it does not freeze.
Now the Bloody Falls has become one of the amazing attractions of Antarctica and almost all travelers visiting these places strive to see it. For scientists, the presence of living beings in such harsh conditions has its own special significance, because this fact gives a considerable probability of the presence of life under the ice of Mars.
Calle Ljung invites us to do something fascinating, who did the most beautiful thing during his twenty-day expedition to this amazing world of eternal ice.
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For millions of years, not a drop of water has remained on this earth. Protected by majestic mountains, the valleys are free of snow. There is almost no life in this cold, lifeless region. Strong winds reach 320 km/h, evaporating random moisture. The glacier, which occupies the rest of the cold and harsh continent, rises 400 m and does not extend further, only spewing out a bloody stream that does not freeze even at ten degrees below zero. This is not a description of the fantastic landscape of another planet, although this is where NASA vehicles were tested. This description is about the McMurdo Dry Valleys, where rust-colored water sometimes breaks through the ice - a bloody waterfall in Antarctica. What are the reasons for such a situation that has turned a section of the frozen continent itself into a lifeless desert?
The nature of the formation of an unusual waterfall in the driest place on Earth
Antarctic oases are located west of McMurdo Sound in Victoria Land. Unlike those found in hot deserts, they greet tourists and scientists with ice-free, lifeless spaces. The strongest winds on our planet, called katabatic, that is, falling, accelerate to 320 km/h, leaving no chance for liquid in the valleys.
In rare areas where moisture lingers, researchers have discovered primitive plant organisms adapted to live in such harsh conditions. However, if there really is no riot of life here, where did the “blood” waterfall, discovered in 1911 by Australian geologist Thomas Taylor near the glacier named after him, come from?
Anaerobic life in the absence of light and other food sources found a way out, and the result of the processes of interaction between sulfur and iron that had not yet been fully studied was the phenomenon observed in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.
Significance of Blood Falls for Exoplanet Research
Mention was made of tests conducted by NASA in this area of Antarctica, which is so similar to the Martian landscape. The discovery of life forms even in such a harsh region indicates the possibility of its existence in similar conditions on other planets. By studying the metabolism of microorganisms in a subglacial lake, humanity is one step closer to studying exoplanets. What awaits researchers under the polar caps of Mars and on the mysterious satellites of Jupiter?
The existence of primitive life on other planets is no longer a flashy headline for the tabloids, but an almost settled question, thanks to tiny organisms that have survived under a glacier near the McMurdo Dry Valleys for millions upon millions of years.
Bloody Falls - an object of expensive tourism
Getting to this unusual natural phenomenon is not so easy. Not many people are able to please themselves with a beautiful sight: they fly here by helicopter or sail on a cruise ship from Argentina, and the cost of the trip runs into hundreds of thousands of rubles. But this is a truly rare sight.
A distant corner of the globe warmly welcomes guests in a special tent camp, which is never empty, because in addition to a waterfall with scarlet water, it offers stunning views of the highest peak of the Antarctic - Elbrus.
The sixth continent has not yet revealed all its mysteries to man. While science fiction writers look into the future, melt glaciers and populate empty lands with people, the bloody waterfall in Antarctica remains part of protected public areas where scientific research is carried out and the flow of tourists does not stop. What other secrets this phenomenon hides will be revealed later. Now all that remains is to do our best to preserve the unique ecosystem of the red subglacial lake. Future space explorers have yet to discover bloody ones filled with life, but on other planets.
