Unveiling Antarctica’s Blood Falls: Is This Mysterious Glacier Hiding a Dark Secret?
Imagine stumbling upon a glacier that appears to be bleeding crimson—what would you think? Alien horror movie? Some wild climate change side effect? Nah, it turns out it took scientists a whole stinkin’ century to crack the case behind Antarctica’s eerie Blood Falls. Back in 1911, during the British Terra Nova Expedition, geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor found this freaky red waterfall oozing from the Taylor Glacier. At first, folks guessed it was red algae throwing a wild party under the ice. But nope—the real culprit was iron-rich, hypersaline water squirting out like some frozen vampire’s sweat. The mystery of why this glacier gushed red liquid and didn’t just freeze solid? Well, that’s a story of salty secrets, underground briny rivers, and even microbial life partying in the coldest, gloomiest corners of Earth. Buckle up, because Blood Falls is way more than just a freaky red stain on the ice. LEARN MORE.
It took a century for scientists to figure out the reason for Blood Falls’ crimson water — and how it flows out of the glacier.
Peter Rejcek, National Science FoundationThe blood-colored waterfall of Blood Falls on Taylor Glacier.
During the British Terra Nova Expedition in 1911, geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor came across a terrifying sight. While exploring what is now known as Taylor Glacier in Taylor Valley, both located in East Antarctica, Taylor discovered a vivid red outflow seeping from the terminus of the glacier. Taylor named the curious crimson waterfall “Blood Falls.”
Despite looking like something out of H. P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, however, Blood Falls’ eerie redness has a perfectly logical explanation. At the time, Taylor and his contemporaries theorized that the red coloration could be the result of red algae, but later research found that the hue was the result of iron-rich, hypersaline water.
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