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.

Similarly one may ask, why is Blood Falls in Antarctica red?

The deep red coloring is due to oxidized iron in brine saltwater, the same process that gives iron a dark red color when it rusts. The research team calculates that the brine water takes approximately 1.5 million years to finally reach the Blood Falls as it makes its way through fissures and channels in the glacier.

Likewise, what is the largest waterfall in Antarctica? This speck of unusual color is visible from far away – and in the extremely dry climate of McMurdo Dry Valleys one can see very far. Blood Falls were first noticed by Australian geologist Griffith Taylor in 1911 (what is earlier than the discovery of the world's tallest waterfall – Angel Falls in Venezuela).

Similarly one may ask, why is the water in blood falls Red?

When the salty, iron-rich water bleeds out of the openings in the glacier and first comes in contact with the air, the bright red color is produced. When the falls aren't flowing, they turn a dried rust color, like a scab covering a wound. It seems these falls can make you shiver from more than just the cold.

How do I get to blood falls?

According to Atlas Obscura, Blood Falls can only be reached by "helicopter from McMurdo Station (U.S.), Scott Base (New Zealand) or a cruise ship in the Ross Sea." To see these gruesome falls, it's best to apply for an internship — or lead a research expedition.

Is Antarctica a desert?

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and most isolated continent on Earth, and is considered a desert because its annual precipitation can be less than 51 mm in the interior. The other 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice which averages 1.6 km in thickness.

How old is Bloodfalls?

Instead, Blood Falls is a plume rising from an ancient hypersaline lake trapped beneath Taylor Glacier's 400 meters (1,312 feet) of ice. About 5 million years ago, the ocean flooded East Antarctica, creating a salty inland lake.

Does anyone live in Antarctica?

No humans live in Antarctica permanently. However, about 1,000 to 5,000 people live through the year at the science stations in Antarctica. Only plants and animals that can live in cold live there. The animals include penguins, seals, nematodes, tardigrades and mites.

Does blood have water in it?

Plasma, which constitutes 55% of blood fluid, is mostly water (92% by volume), and contains proteins, glucose, mineral ions, hormones, carbon dioxide (plasma being the main medium for excretory product transportation), and blood cells themselves.

What is the tallest waterfall in Oceania?

Wallaman Falls

Are there any salt water waterfalls?

A new study from researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks links the waterfall to a large source of salty water that may have been trapped under a glacier for more than 1 million years. The water is so salty, they say, it's more like brine. The real mystery of these falls is what lives in the water.

Is Antarctica a continent?

Antarctica is a continent. It is Earth's fifth largest continent. Antarctica is covered in ice. Antarctica covers Earth's South Pole.