Salty water flowing through Antarctica's Blood Falls contains a distinct community of marine-specific microorganisms, providing evidence that the brine system beneath the glacier has a marine origin.
About Blood Falls:
It is a bright red waterfall flowing through Antarctica’s icy landscape.
It is located at the edge of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica, where it appears as if blood falls from the mountains made of glaciers.
What makes it red?
The water that flows from Blood Falls comes from an underground reservoir trapped inside the glacier and contains large amounts of iron and salt.
Tiny cracks and fractures within the glacier provide natural pathways through which iron-enriched salt water can move up.
Once the water reaches the surface and gets in touch with the oxygen of the atmosphere, iron reacts with oxygen and turns into rust.
Why isn't the water frozen?
The most mysterious thing about Blood Falls is why liquid water exists in such an extremely cold area.
It turned out that the water is incredibly salty, several times more than the sea water.
It prevents the water from freezing because of the low freezing point due to the high concentration of salts.
Recent Findings:
Microbes in the Blood Falls suggest the brine is composed of ancient seawater that was trapped in a pool beneath the glacier when ocean levels fell and the glacier advanced.
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