Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Blood Falls found in Taylor Valley, Antarctica has a century-old mystery that baffles scientists up until now. Play over 265 million tracks for free on SoundCloud. Since its discovery in 1911 by the Australian geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor, Blood Falls has evaded easy explanation. For decades, though, experts were mystified as to why the falls were red appearing like a bloody puncture wound at the tongue of the glacier. On top of that, the water hasnt been exposed to sunlight, has no oxygen supply and is rich in iron. United States Antarctic Program Photo Library. "Taylor Glacier is now the coldest known glacier to have persistently flowing water.". By the mid-1960s, scientists began discussing the idea that the color was actually caused by iron salts from within the ice sheet. The deep red falls were first discovered in Antarctica in 1911 where scientists noticed a river had stained the surrounding cliff of ice with a dark red color. Pouring out from the Taylor Glacier and into Lake Bonney is one of the rarest sights in the world; a waterfall of blood that flows onto the immaculate ice, staining it with a startling blood-red color. The flow was previously a mystery, as . Red color comes from a high concentration of iron in water. Scientists have long been puzzled by the origins of the mysterious, blood-red waterfall that streams down Taylor Glacier in Antarctica. The sporadic release of red water was . The colour of the so-called Blood Falls baffled scientists when it was first discovered in 1911 and was originally thought to be the result of red algae. The water does not freeze because it is three times saltier than sea water . (AP Photo/ Science, Benjamin Urmston). This macabre-looking deposit was discovered in 1911 by Griffith Taylor (after whom the glacier was named), an Australian geologist and survivor of the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Here is the explanation behind this wonder from Smithsonian Magazine : Millions of years ago, a salt lake formed when sea . As the water freezes, small amounts of heat are released. In Antarcticas McMurdo Dry Valley there is a the waterfall is bright red, like blood running from a cut in the glacier according to Smithsonian Magazine as reported on the Australian science website, ScienceAlert. Why this spectacular natural oddity exists has puzzled scientists for decades until a recent study put their curiosity to rest. If youre outraged, were outraged. Share this fact One of the world's most extreme deserts might be the last place one would expect to find a waterfall, but in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valley, a five-story fall pours slowly out of the Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney. The Smithsonian digs into the story behind the falls, which sit in the McMurdo Dry Valley and are accessible only via cruise ship or helicopter. In . But the story is much more intricate: Some 2 million years ago, glaciers covered what was a salty lake in East Antarctica, effectively creating an "aqueous time capsule" roughly 1,300 feet underground. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. or redistributed. The water collected there is much too salty to freeze, has no interaction with the atmosphere, and is oxygen-less. Blood Falls, found in 1911 by geologist Griffith Taylor in East Antarctica, is famous for its sporadic releases of iron-rich salty water. A scientist examines Blood Falls. / CBS News. In Antarctica, a blood-red waterfall is very real indeed. Do you remember that iconic river of blood scene from The Shining? 5 killed and 18 injured in shooting at LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado, How Ukrainian chef Ievgen Klopotenko defends his country: With food, Turkey launches strikes in Syria and Iraq a week after Istanbul bombing, Elon Musk reinstates Trump's Twitter account, 3 dead as dangerous lake-effect storm paralyzes upstate New York, Orange socks connect 2 cold case murders committed on same day in 1982. Blood Falls is an outflow of an iron oxide-tainted plume of saltwater, flowing from the tongue of Taylor Glacier onto the ice-covered surface of West Lake Bonney in the Taylor Valley of the McMurdo Dry Valleys in Victoria Land, East Antarctica.. Iron-rich hypersaline water sporadically emerges from small fissures in the ice cascades. TAYLOR GLACIER, ANTARCTICA A group of U.S. scientists have unravelled the mystery of Blood Falls in Antarctica and how the water gets its blood-red color.Blood Falls pours from the Taylor Glacier, in Antarcticas McMurdo Dry Valleys. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Angel Falls in Venezuela, the tallest waterfall on land, is 3 times shorter than the Denmark Strait cataract, and Niagara Falls carries 2,000 times less water, even during peak flows. Taylor and his team hypothesized that red algae were responsible for the waters color. Antarctica's Blood Red Waterfall . Red color comes from a high concentration of iron in water. Our tone is irreverent and unapologetic. The blood-red waterfall is five stories high, and pours slowly out of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys. When the water from the lake gets through the glacier and comes into contact with air, this iron-rich water rusts and gives it its bright red appearance as it falls. Why this spectacular natural oddity exists has puzzled . It's as eerie as it is breathtaking and surprising: a waterfall in Antarctica that runs blood-red. 16.8k. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Discovered in 1911, Blood Falls is a colored plume of saltwater flowing out from Taylor Glacier onto West Lake Bonney in East Antarctica. With approximately 50,000 members, AWWA provides solutions to improve public health, protect the environment, strengthen the economy and enhance our quality of life. Is there a blood red waterfall in Antarctica? Moviegoers were spooked by that terrifying spectacle but went home from the theatre knowing that it was all filmmaking magic and, above all, fictional. Photo: Reddit. 2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 4,600-year-old step pyramid uncovered in Egypt, Next military camouflage inspired by sea chameleons, Biologists Can't Find Mexico's 'Water Monster', Scientists Explain Underwater 'Fairy Rings'. This five-story, blood-red "waterfall" pours ever so slowly out of the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valley. The Ukrainian researchers also claim that this type of snow contributes to climate change as the . The appropriately named Blood Falls drops five stories from the Taylor Glacier and into Lake Bonney, its bright red hue like a wound through the glacier. May 1, 2017 / 1:53 PM / CBS News. Did Tree Roots Trigger Ancient Extinctions? There are several reasons for this phenomenon. Do you have questions about how to care for your homes pipes, The best way to ensure that you are getting the highest, We have lots of materials, information and activities, Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products, Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR), Dont be fooled; a healthy 2020 is on tap. Bloody waterfall in Antarctica. This has never been seen in the natural world before. A new study on Antarctica's Blood Falls reveals the origins of its unique, bright red discharge, info that might help in the search for life elsewhere in our solar system. Why is Blood Falls Red? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Close. Scientists have long been puzzled by the origins of the mysterious, blood-red waterfall that streams down Taylor Glacier in Antarctica. However, this was later disputed. Rare "firefall" phenomenon at Yosemite National Park, A brief history of Stephen Hawking's most memorable moments. The brine turns red when the iron contacts air. TAYLOR GLACIER, ANTARCTICA A group of U.S. scientists have unravelled the mystery of Blood Falls in Antarctica and how the water gets its blood-red color.B. Why does the water not freeze as it passes across the glacier? A study conducted by the University of Tennessee showed a total of 17 types of microbes thriving in the glacier, all of which provide meaningful data into Earths conditions 700 million years ago and the suitability of Mars, Europa, and Titan for human life. NAME Brielle Deschene DATE 1/19/2022 CLASS 4th hour INVESTIGATIVE PHENOMENON: AUTHENTIC READING Antarctica's Blood Red Waterfall Synthesize Information 1. Previously, they had believed it was . In Antarctica, a blood-red waterfall is very real indeed. For her research, Badgeley and her team traced tracked the brine with radio-echo sounding, a method of studying glaciers and ice sheets with radar that uses two antenna -- one to transmit electrical pulses and another to receive the signals. Astrobiologists come to investigate Blood Falls. Who would have thought that this remote corner of the world could possibly hold the answers as to whether or not other planets and moons are capable of life? It is, of course, not blood that colors the falls, which CNN reports were discovered in 1911 by a geologist traveling with Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to the continent (the falls were not given Thomas Griffith Taylor's name, but the glacier was). Ice then settled on the salt lake and formed glaciers which caused the lake to be separated from the rest of Antarctica and kept it underground. A 2017 study published by Cambridge . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. University of Alaska Fairbanks glaciologist Erin Pettit, left, and graduate student Christina Carr collect radar data on Taylor Glacier. This undated photo provided by the journal Science shows Iron oxides stain the snout of the Taylor Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, forming a feature commonly referred to as Blood Falls. Copyright 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. First discovered by geoscientist Griffith Taylor in 1911, the source of the Blood Falls' eerie red ooze finally has an explanation, thanks to new research out of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Colorado College. The team moved the antennae around Taylor Glacier in "grid-like patterns" in order to "see" what was beneath the ice, said Carr, who co-authored the study. Blood Falls is famous for its sporadic releases of iron-rich salty water, which turns bright red -- like something out of a horror movie -- once the iron reacts with the surrounding air. Pouring out from the Taylor Glacier and into Lake Bonney is one of the rarest sights in the world; a waterfall of "blood" that flows onto the immaculate ice, staining it with a startling blood-red color. (Another wonder in Antarctica: an even deeper "Grand Canyon."). "The salts in the brine made this discovery possible by amplifying contrast with the fresh glacier ice," the study's lead author, Jessica Badgeley, said in a press release. There's no shortage of snow-bound horror movies that hint at terrible things (or at least, The Thing) lurking beneath the ice. Find out how researchers solved the mystery of Antarctica's red waterfall here. Market data provided by Factset. When it makes its way out of a fissure in the glacier, the iron-filled water finally greets the air, and "rusts," coloring the ice blood red as it falls. Discovered by geologists in 1911, Blood Falls is a five-story, bloody red waterfall that pours from the Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica, and flows into Lake Bonney. According to a recent study, the lake trapped under the glacier has an unusually high concentration of salt. 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