The mystery of the Blood Falls
The mystery of the “Blood Falls” may reveal the secret of life on other planets. Among the fascinating sights of Antarctica is an extraordinary waterfall known as the ‘Blood Falls’. From a distance, it looks like a river of blood is flowing. This waterfall falls into a large lake flowing from the Taylor Glacier in the east of Antarctica, whose surface is like an ice sheet. In 1911, the British explorer Thomas Griffith discovered this amazing waterfall for the first time during his expedition to Antarctica. They were stunned to see this color as it was quite strange to them. According to them, it was like bleeding from a wound.
Bloody Waterfall is Hydrous Ferric Oxide
At first, scientists thought that some microbes might be the cause of this red color. Later it turned out that this idea was not correct. But it took a century to solve the puzzle. In the 1960s, scientists discovered that the reason for the unique color of this bloody waterfall is hydrous ferric oxide under the ice that produces the red color. Where did you come from? Another mystery was how this mineral buried in the ice finally reached the surface, due to which the water turned red. In 2009, a team of scientists from the United States and Great Britain discovered that the red color is actually the water that comes from an ancient Salt Lake that has long been buried under a layer of ice.
Half to Four Million Years Old
The lake is believe to one and a half to four million years old and is part of an underground system where there are other such lakes. When the water of this waterfall was analyze, it was find that the salt content in it is more It was also learn that the cause of the red color is a bacterium that can survive without oxygen. This bacterium gets energy with the help of iron present in salt water. It is consider to a rare microbe find in the world. It is believe that these bacteria, which millions of years old, are different from other organisms.
Water Released from the Glacier
Since the temperature of the water release from the glacier can as low as minus seven degrees, the temperature of the underground lake is believe to be much lower. However, this water does not freeze, which is why astronomers are interest in this place. They believe that the microbes that cause this watercolor may helpful in learning about microbes on other planets. Scientists believe that similar microbes are also present on Mars and Jupiter. Another question that may help to answer is how some of the earliest insects on Earth survive when the entire planet frozen. It should note that under the scientific hypothesis called “Snowball Earth”, the whole earth was once cover with ice.
analysis of the Particles
Recently, Johns Hopkins University in the United States published a study on the analysis of the particles found in this waterfall. In this study, it find that these particles have properties that can detect with the help of advance technology such as “Mars Exploration Rovers”. Can’t seen completely. According to Dr. Levy, the head of this research, the mineral particles found in blood falls are a hundred times smaller than human cells and contain enough iron.
Extremely Salty Water
In addition, silicon, calcium, and sodium are also present. And when the extremely salty water is release from the ice. It comes into contact with the oxygen in the atmosphere. And the warm air on the surface of the glacier, and thus the red color is born. Dr. Levy, says that cold planets like Mars may also have very small particles. And that is why there is a need for instruments sent into space to be able to analyze them thoroughly. They say that they say that blood falls can help us.