The wilderness is a place of adventure. AntarcticaWhere the landscape is stark, otherworldly and eerie, a phenomenon appears so impressive that it almost seems mythical: A blood-red cascade.
Blood Falls is a crimson waterfall that pours from the Taylor Glacier into McMurdo’s Dry Valley in Antarctica. The five-story cascade leaves a dramatic red streak on the surrounding snow, ice and glacier as it slowly flows from the Taylor Glacier into Lake Bonney. The effect is haunting especially when you consider its location in a dry, extreme valley.
What is Blood Falls, and why is it so red? It turns out, Blood Falls is not just a visual marvel—it’s a scientific wonder born of an ancient, salty lake This is trapped under a quarter-mile of ice. The Taylor Glacier, which formed above the lake, cut the water off from the outside elements.
The lake’s high iron content is due to the glaciers which raked away the bedrock beneath the lake. When the iron-rich salty water reaches the surface of the ice, it is exposed to the elements, causing it to oxidize or rust. The result of this is a flow crimson-red of water and an eerie stain of red on the ice.
Very few people ever get to witness the desolate and eerie landscape of McMurdo Valley in Antarctica. Fewer than 150,000 people The majority of visitors to the continent don’t even know that the falls exist. an itinerary packed Antarctic cruise.
The Blood Falls can be found inland in the Ross Archipelago at McMurdo Station. McMurdo Station is an American research base on the southernmost tip of Ross Island. The majority of people who are interested in viewing the falls either fly by helicopter to a base research station like McMurdo or book a Ross Sea cruise and take a heli-flight over McMurdo dry valley.
The few fortunate enough to witness the Blood Falls from above or on land will be able to experience one of Earth’s most enigmatic natural spectacles. Science, history and nature are all merged into an icy dance of color. We can only marvel from afar, as nature creates the most surprising and colorful wonders, even in the most extreme locations.
