Scientists reveal the secret of the Blood Falls in Antarctica (video)

Researchers say they have solved the long-standing mystery of the red waters of the "Blood Falls" in Antarctica. Geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor first discovered this horrific sight in 1911, believing that the red colour was caused by red algae.

However, half a century later, it was found that the pink colour was caused by iron salts. According to New Atlas, experts said that at first the water is clear, but soon after emerging from the ice, it begins to acquire a bright red hue.

That's because iron oxidises in air and has an unusual shape of nanospheres that are 100 times smaller than human red blood cells. These nanospheres are rich in iron and also contain calcium, aluminium, sodium and other elements, each of which is different. To be a mineral, atoms must be organised into a specific crystal structure, but these nanospheres are not crystalline, so previously used methods of studying solids could not detect them.

Read also: Dnipro River turned toxic green: does the water pose a health risk?

The researchers also emphasised that a few years ago, they tracked down the source of the water - a very salty, high-pressure lake that is without light or oxygen. In these inhospitable conditions, scientists discovered a microbial ecosystem that had been isolated from the outside world for millions of years.

Scientists believe that this discovery is important not only for Antarctica, but also for the study of other planets. Recently, scientists have managed to trace the source of water to a high-pressure, salty subglacial lake where it remained isolated for millions of years.

This indicates that life may exist on other planets even in extreme conditions. However, existing research methods are not always able to detect such non-crystalline materials.

As a reminder, after the Kakhovka Reservoir spilled, residents of Odesa occasionally noticed green algae near the Black Sea. Now the water in the Black Sea has turned into a "green borscht".

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