Uploaded June 2017 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, pristine glaciers are marred in one spot by a striking feature: a crimson stain on the white cliffs, looking not unlike a gaping wound in the ice. The five-story gash goes by the unnerving name of Blood Falls, although the color is not at all organic in nature.
The salty water that seeps from the glacier is actually stained red by its rich iron content, and harbors a community of extremophile microbes. How that water came to be there, and how it continues to flow even in conditions well below freezing has puzzled scientists ever since the falls was discovered in 1911.
Now, using high frequency radio waves, a team of researchers has mapped the streams that feed the waterfall, tracing them back through channels in the ice and finding evidence to support the theory that such streams exist all over Antarctica.
Read the full story here: discovermagazine.com/environment/uncovering-the-secrets-of-blood-falls
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In the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, pristine glaciers are marred in one spot by a striking feature: a crimson stain on the white cliffs, looking not unlike a gaping wound in the ice. The five-story gash goes by the unnerving name of Blood Falls, although the color is not at all organic in nature.
The salty water that seeps from the glacier is actually stained red by its rich iron content, and harbors a community of extremophile microbes. How that water came to be there, and how it continues to flow even in conditions well below freezing has puzzled scientists ever since the falls was discovered in 1911.
Now, using high frequency radio waves, a team of researchers has mapped the streams that feed the waterfall, tracing them back through channels in the ice and finding evidence to support the theory that such streams exist all over Antarctica.
Read the full story here: discovermagazine.com/environment/uncovering-the-secrets-of-blood-falls
—
ABOUT DISCOVER:
Discover is your source for science that matters, makes sense and is a lot of fun, too.
Visit us at: discovermagazine.com
FOLLOW US:
Facebook: facebook.com/DiscoverMag
Twitter: twitter.com/DiscoverMag
Instagram: instagram.com/discover.magazine
SUPPORT US:
Subscribe to Discover: bit.ly/34seAFT
Sign up for our newsletter: discovermagazine.com/newsletter-signup
My Science Shop: myscienceshop.com
STAY CURIOUS!
