The watercourse is called the bloody waterfall. Bloody Waterfall in Antarctica is an amazing natural phenomenon among alien landscapes. Bloody Falls in Antarctica: reasons for coloring

Under the many kilometers of permafrost in Antarctica, many amazing things are hidden. Among them, the “bloody waterfall” located in East Antarctica is of great interest. Among the dazzling white snow, a blood-red stream of frightening appearance suddenly flows out.

The bloody waterfall of Antarctica was first discovered in 1911 by Australian explorer Griffith Taylor. Rumors about the amazing discovery quickly spread throughout the world, and the unusual phenomenon attracted the attention of research groups from all over the world. Scientists who arrived at the scene suggested that algae was to blame for the unusual color of the water, but a later analysis of the chemical composition of the water showed a high content of iron oxide in it, which gives the liquid a characteristic red tint.

The water temperature is -10 C – the high salt content prevents it from freezing. Surprisingly, samples from the “bloody waterfall” showed the presence of microorganisms in it. Bacteria live in subzero temperatures and obtain energy through chemical reactions with minerals dissolved in water.

The discovery of a “bloody waterfall” in Antarctica has shown that life can exist even in the most extreme conditions.

The lake itself, where the water flows from, is located 1 km from the waterfall at a depth of 400 meters! This is exactly the amazing case when water in nature flows upward: the lake was formed about 3 million years ago and gradually, under the great pressure of the subsiding upper layers of ice, the water found its way to the surface, where it periodically pours out in red streams.

This is interesting: and in Antarctica, under a layer of ice, a real mountain range is hidden, comparable in size to the Alpine. Read more in










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.







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

Griffith Taylor first encountered a strange phenomenon in the south of the globe 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 coloring in a reddish tint, 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 waited for this phenomenon for more than six months, since the natural phenomenon is 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 proves that similar phenomena were observed in different places on the 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.

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. The flora and fauna are limited, there is no permanent population.

The first sea cruises to Antarctica were made in the 1960s, and sightseeing 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 sites. 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 the massive Antarctic ice? As it turns out, it exists. And proof of this is the Taylor Glacier - a unique natural formation 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 an underground salt lake, blocked from above 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.

Australia and New Zealand are closest to Bloody Falls. It is from these countries that most Antarctic tours to this natural wonder begin. 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.

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 got to the bottom of the true reasons for the “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.

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.

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 located 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, a unique ecosystem has been preserved almost in its original form. 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. A unique place on our planet that gives scientists faith in the existence of life beyond the Earth. Time will show…

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.

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 -