From treasures from outer space to a possible lost civilization, here are the 10 most incredible things found in Antarctica.
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10: Underground Lakes
While it may be difficult to imagine there being anything hidden beneath the layers of ice in Antarctica, there are actually many underground lakes. The first were uncovered in 1970 using radar. There are an estimated 400 lakes sitting quietly beneath 3 kilometers of solid ice. Scientists believe the lakes were formed when Antarctica separated from the ancient supercontinent known as Gondwanaland.
9: Blood Falls
Blood falls is probably the most notorious discovery in Antarctica. This waterfall looks like thick and viscous blood flowing down ice walls. It is located in the McMurdo Dry Valley, and the waterfall is five stories tall and bleeding bright crimson. The blood-like substance flows out of the Taylor Glacier and into Lake Bonney.
8: Lots of Strange Animals
Antarctica is definitely a pretty barren landscape. It is more of an icy desert than a continent, getting very little rain every year, unending storm of fierce wind, and the very coldest temperatures on earth. In fact, the coldest temperature ever recorded was -89.4 degrees Celsius in Antarctica.
7: Ancient Fossils
It is important to remember that Antarctica has been around for millions of years, and it was not always a frozen desert. Before the Ice Age layered the entire earth in Frozen hunks of ice, Antarctica was actually part of a very warm region where rainforests grew, and possibly even ancient civilizations of intelligent, human-Like creatures thrived.
6: Singing Ice
Deep in Antarctica is a massive slab of singing ice roughly the size of France. I'm talking about the Ross Ice Shelf, which happens to be the biggest ice shelf in all of Antarctica. It covers a massive area of over 500,000 square kilometers, and scientists have recently uncovered that the ice shelf sings a very creepy melody.
5: Mount Erebus
It might not be obvious just by looking at the white wasteland of Antarctica, but there are actually several volcanoes all across the continent. Specifically, there are four volcanoes on Ross island, with the biggest being Mount Erebus. Mount Erebus has been active for roughly 1.3 million years, with a liquid lava lake viewable from the opening of the volcano.
4: The Giant Hole
In 2017, a hole roughly the size of Ireland opened unexpectedly in Antarctica. This phenomenon is known as a polynya, and the one from 2017 is the largest hole ever to be observed in over 40 years. It was found in the Weddell Sea of the Southern Ocean, and was formed because of warmer and saltier water coming in from deeper parts of the ocean.
3: The Fifth Ocean
You are probably familiar with the two main oceans, the Pacific and the Atlantic. And you may vaguely know about the other major oceans, the Indian Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. But did you know that in the year 2000 the 5th ocean of the world was added to the list? It is the 4th largest and surrounds the full continent Antarctica.
2: Ancient Meteorites
You may be surprised to learn that NASA does not only operate in space. They have actually been hanging out in Antarctica lately looking for meteorites. While meteorites do fall periodically all over the world, they are way easier to find in Antarctica. Meteorites hit glaciers and get buried in the ice, then accumulate over thousands and thousands of years.
1: Lost Civilization
While not yet discovered, many people believe there is proof of a lost civilization hidden somewhere beneath the ice of Antarctica. This has been a theory for a long time, going so far back as H.P Lovecraft’s epic book, The Mountains of Madness, in which a terrible alien civilization was uncovered beneath the ice.
