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blood falls

Most of united states of america, if we encountered what was obviously a waterfall of blood, would plough tail and run. However, geologist Griffith Taylor was fabricated of sterner stuff when he discovered Blood Falls in the early on 1900s. This flow of red liquid on Taylor Glacier in Antarctica has been perplexing scientists since it was discovered, but they've finally figured information technology out. No, information technology's non actually claret. Thank goodness.

When Taylor (after whom the glacier was named) establish Blood Falls, he believed it to be the result of algae blooms on the glacier that were done into West Lake Bonney. Some species of algae have been known to cause similar discolorations. That would take been proof positive that life was more hearty than believed at the time. Of course, we've establish organisms since and so that are capable of living in even more harsh weather, but it wasn't algae that was responsible for Blood Falls.

An analysis in 2003, which laid the groundwork for the most contempo discoveries, confirmed it was not algae that acquired the red menstruum into West Lake Bonney. The water was found to incorporate extremely high levels of atomic number 26. The iron atoms in the water turned red when exposed to air — they actually go iron oxide, also known as rust. And then, this isn't blood or algae, merely water with rust dissolved in it.

Figuring out what caused the reddish color was not the finish of the mystery, though. Researchers suspected that the fe-rich water was coming from an aboriginal source, at least 5 million years old. There didn't appear to be any liquid water around that would exist a match. The reply turns out to exist under the glacier's surface.

Collecting radar data.

Using radio-repeat sounding, researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks were able to scan the area around Blood Falls. No drilling was necessary. The squad found non just a subsurface lake, but an entire network of flowing water with high salt content in improver to iron. The high salinity of the water (also known equally brine) prevents it from freezing, like when yous sprinkle salt on your icy steps during the winter. The salt content of the water made this discovery possible due to its high dissimilarity in radar reflections.

Researchers now say that Taylor Glacier represents the oldest known instance of flowing water in a glacier. This research could help us understand the way water tin can persist inside other extremely common cold glaciers.