BLEEDING ANTARTICA

Submitted by ub on

Antarctica appears to looks Llook like it’sike It’s bleeding. Scientists may have finally figured out the real reason.

The blood falls are the result of a complicated interaction in which overlying ice, underlying rock, and an ancient lake bed form a pretty unsettling natural display.

Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:

  • Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valleys, among the most extreme landscapes on Earth, are home to Blood Falls, an ominous, bright-red waterfall.
  • While previous studies indicate that its eye-catching color appears when oxygen reacts with iron left behind by ancient microbes, a new study unveils the geological processes behind its briny red flow.
  • It turns out Blood Falls serves as a release valve for pressure created by glacial ice above, rock below, and the nearby waters of briny, ice-capped Lake Bonney.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a70522271/antarcti…