"Bloody Falls" of Antarctica. Bloody Falls in Antarctica Taylor's Bloody Falls in Antarctica

Antarctica is known to be the coldest and harshest continent on the planet. It is the only continent that has no permanent population. Nevertheless, tourists willingly come even here. One of the most famous attractions of the “ice continent” is the so-called Bloody Waterfall. In Antarctica, both travelers and scientists visit it with great pleasure.

Antarctica and tourism - incompatible things?

The continent in the extreme south of the Earth was discovered in 1820. The climate here is characterized by severity and minimal average annual air temperatures. Vegetable and animal world limited, no permanent population.

First sea cruises to Antarctica were made in the 1960s, excursion flights in the 1970s. Every year the number of tourists wishing to visit the coldest continent in the world is growing. In 2010 there were about 40,000.

Tourists in Antarctica ski, snowshoe and even yacht, visit scientific stations and various natural objects. Basic:

McMurdo Valley;
Blood Falls at Taylor Glacier;
sunken yacht "Endless Sea";
Bouvet Island is one of the harshest and most unattractive places in Antarctica;
Queen Maud Land with its numerous and sharp rocky outcrops - nunataks;
Deception Island - a former volcano;
the unusually picturesque Lemaire Strait;
Unas-Tits peaks and others.

Without a doubt, one of the most interesting and visited places on the mainland is Bloody Falls. People in Antarctica also love to visit research stations. The most popular stations among tourists are Amundsen-Scott (USA), Maitri (India), Novolazarevskaya (Russia), and Akademik Vernadsky (Ukraine).

Bloody Falls in Antarctica: description, discovery and scientific significance

Is there life in massive strata? Antarctic ice? As it turns out, it exists. And the proof of this is the Taylor Glacier - a unique nature education in the eastern part of Antarctica. Its length is 54 kilometers. The glacier was discovered at the beginning of the last century.

This is where the so-called Bloody Waterfall is located. In Antarctica, this place is of great interest not only among tourists, but also among biologists. It turned out that in this place, under a 400-meter layer of ice, without access to light and air, bacteria live quietly. This discovery helped scientists get a lot of answers, but at the same time raised a large number of new questions.

Bloody Falls was discovered and described by geologist Griffith Taylor back in 1911. It really looks very impressive: dozens of bright red streams flowing from the white thickness of the glacier. The source of the waterfall is underground salt Lake, covered on top by masses of ice. Scientists explain the unique color of the water in it due to the high content of iron oxides.

The property is confined to the Taylor Glacier and is located within the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Tourists can only visit it during the Antarctic summer (November-February). At this time, the air here “warms up” to -5...-10 Celsius.

The closest places to Bloody Falls are Australia and New Zealand. It is from these countries that it begins most of Antarctic tours to this natural miracle. Tourists are also brought to the Bloody Falls from South Africa, Chile or Argentina. Such a tour will cost a traveler a substantial amount: from 300 thousand to one and a half million Russian rubles.

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 - content in water large quantities iron oxide. So, more about this amazing miracle...

Scientists have discovered that from a small crack salty water containing iron occasionally ends up in the Taylor Glacier. As for the source of water for “Blood Falls,” it is considered to be a lake covered with a glacier, the thickness of which reaches up to 400 m. This lake is a short distance from the waterfall itself.

This source was formed after the retreat sea water, surrounding the Dry Valleys, as well as melting 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 It is believed 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 chemical composition water from the waterfall, scientists have 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.

Bloody Falls is an amazing miracle of nature, which makes us hypothesize that life on Mars may still exist. A blood-red stream flows from glaciers in Antarctica, which seems strange in such harsh conditions. For a long time, only guesses about such a phenomenon were discussed, but today scientists have found explanations for the amazing phenomenon.

History of the study of Bloody Falls

For the first time with a strange phenomenon in the south globe encountered by Griffith Taylor in 1911. Already on the first day of his expedition, he reached snow-white glaciers, in places covered with reddish stains. Due to the fact that in nature there were already known cases of water turning reddish, the scientist suggested that algae was to blame. The place from which the strange stream emerges has since been called the Taylor Glacier in honor of the scientist who discovered it.

Later in 2004, Jill Mikutski was lucky enough to see with her own eyes how Bloody Falls flows from the glaciers. She had been waiting for this phenomenon for more than six months, because natural phenomenon not constant. This unique chance allowed her to take samples of the flowing water and find out the reason for the reddish tint.

As it turned out, the culprit is bacteria that have adapted to survive without oxygen in the depths, hidden by a layer of ice. Millions of years ago, the lake was covered with layers of ice, which deprived the organisms living in it of their livelihood. Only a few of them have learned to feed on iron, converting trivalent compounds into divalent ones. Hence the great abundance of rust that stains the waters of the underground reservoir.

Since oxygen does not enter there, the salt concentration is several times higher than in the adjacent waters. This content does not allow the liquid to freeze even at low temperatures, and when a large amount of water accumulates and under pressure, it flows out of the Taylor Glacier and paints the entire surrounding area a rich bloody hue. Photos of this spectacle are mesmerizing, because it seems that the Earth itself is bleeding.

Is there life on Mars?

This discovery allowed scientists to wonder whether there are similar bacteria in the depths of Mars that can do without oxygen. Research shows that similar phenomena have been observed in different places a nearby planet, but no one could even imagine that it was the depths that needed to be studied, not the surface. The bloody waterfall became a sensation, prompting new thoughts about the presence of aliens, albeit in the form of simple organisms.

January 11th, 2014

Horrible! Is it true? Apparently there was some kind of mass murder here.

Although unusual to our eyes, a bloody waterfall in Antarctica can be quite a creepy sight. Imagine liters of blood red water flowing from a hole in a glacier, coloring the pure white landscape with horrific hues. The site could also be the filming location for a disturbing new Hollywood thriller.

Let's find out the details of what happened there.

The so-called "waterfall" was discovered in 1911 by Australian geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor while exploring the Dry Valleys and in particular the glacier that today bears his name. Water flows directly from the ice into Lake Bonney, but it does not flow constantly, but periodically, and the next outflow cannot be predicted. According to the considerations of the first researchers, the water, which stood out strikingly against the background of snow, was colored red-brown by some hitherto unknown algae. Time passed, research continued, and in the end the scientific world finally got to the bottom of true reasons“bloodiness” of Arctic water, which turned out to be very, very interesting.

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.

As for the source of water for “Blood Falls,” it is considered to be a lake covered with a glacier, the thickness of which reaches up to 400 m. This lake is a short distance from the waterfall itself. It was trapped by an advancing glacier about one and a half million years ago. The water temperature in this lake is minus 5 degrees Celsius.

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.

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. Having completed six years of collecting samples from this source, scientists have established that water raises living microorganisms from the depths of the earth that were locked in a hidden reservoir for 1.5-2 million years.

The mysterious secrets remaining locked under the heavy glacier will help scientists evaluate the possibility of life on other planets, such as Mars or ice-covered Jupiter. Indeed, NASA scientists believe that these planets may have a subglacial living environment of simple bacteria

The dry valleys were a sea several million years ago, but as ice advanced, part of this sea, a very small lake, found itself under 400 meters of ice cover. Together with the water, all the large and small organisms that inhabited it were captured by ice. Of course, they were doomed, but several types of bacteria managed to adapt to the lack of sunlight necessary for photosynthesis, and to the lack of nutrients, oxygen, and in general to complete isolation from the outside world. They set about harvesting vital energy from the transformation of minerals dissolved in water. Upon completion of a rather complex chain of chemical reactions, iron oxide was obtained, which, when exposed to open air, oxidized even more, turning into rust.

There were enough nutrients, so to speak, for the bacteria to continue to thrive until today. The water in the underground lake, which serves as the source for the “bloody waterfall,” has a unique composition, namely:

the salinity is 4 times higher than the ocean, so the water does not freeze even at minus 10;
there is no oxygen;
high levels of chlorides and sulfates are “food” for bacteria;
rich in divalent iron - a product of “digestion” of bacteria.

The underground lake itself is located in the thickness of the ice several kilometers from the “Bloody Falls”, and finds its way to it through chaotic cracks. Presumably, the water comes out due to the pressure of the ice mass on it.

The discovery of these cunning bacteria forced scientists to take a new look... at space, namely at the satellites closest to Earth. If single-celled organisms managed to survive in such a closed ecosystem, then it is quite possible that they can grow and reproduce on Mars, Jupiter or their satellites. This, of course, is just a version, but hopeful NASA employees are already bustling about, preparing for a meeting with Martian bacilli.

We can say that the glacier is a time capsule, inside it is almost in its original form a unique ecosystem has been preserved. Modern scientists believe that a fjord was located here about 1.5 - 2 million years ago. Then, due to glaciation, the ocean level became significantly lower, and the small lake began to be covered with a layer of ice almost half a kilometer thick, burying at the same time the microorganisms living in these waters. The bacteria, which were hermetically sealed under a thick layer of ice, adapted to these conditions and began to live not through the process of photosynthesis (since neither oxygen nor sunlight penetrates here), but learned to consume nearby organic matter, and they adapted to breathe with iron.

The survival of microorganisms in such extremely extreme conditions has given rise to much discussion about the adaptability of various life forms. It should be noted that such an ecosystem allows modern astrobiologists to put forward quite bold hypotheses about the possibility of the emergence of certain forms of life on other planets, perhaps in the oceans located on the satellite of the planet Jupiter Europa, or under thick ice caps on Mars. If similar conditions for life exist on other space objects, and they definitely exist, then there is also the likelihood of various life forms inhabiting and preserving on them.

On the Internet you can find only a small number of photographs of this bloody waterfall in Antarctica, since only the most courageous and daring tourists and research expeditions get there. In addition, water flows in Blood Falls quite rarely, and when you find yourself here, you will not see the expected eerie picture of bloody streams falling down, but only a dirty red trail.

It is believed that such microorganisms could be the original form of life, which gave rise to all other species. Unique place on our planet, which gives scientists faith in the existence of life beyond the Earth. Time will show…

Let's remember one more scientific question, but also remember how . I also suggest looking at The original article is on the website InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

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 17 people live under the Taylor Glacier in the absence of oxygen dissolved in the water. various types microorganisms that 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.