Blood Falls, Antarctica
Okay, yeah first of all, You’ll be glad to know this waterfall is not actually bleeding and it is not blood falling from a scene of crime. But I'll admit it looks pretty intriguing.
This natural phenomenon is situated in Victoria lands, East Antarctica. Apparently, it got a height of a five story building, which makes quite an impression. Especially in Antarctica, where its all white, grey, brown and black, but all of a sudden when you see Blood red, that is, unique.
In 1911, it was an Australian geologist named Griffith Taylor who discovered this red color waterfall known as Blood Falls, which is identified as one of the most famous landmarks in Antarctica. The valley that this is located is also named after him, probably coz he's the first guy to explore that area. It was initially thought that this was happened because of red algae, before a scientific investigation digged into the matter recently to find out it is. It was only then revealed that this thing is a result of a complex chemical reaction that has occurred over 1.5 million years.
When the saltwater that consists of iron comes into contact with oxygen in the air, the iron takes on a deep red colour. Yeah, right? producing of iron oxides. The saltwater freezes at a lower temperature than normal freshwater, and the much higher salinity here than the general ocean waters prevents the water from freezing. Once in a while it pours its stunning blood-like water down the white ice of the Taylor Glacier making for great photo opportunities. Then the water in the falls is fed by an inaccessible sub-glacial pool beneath Taylor glacier that is around 1.5 million years old and contains at least 17 different types of ancient microbes and almost no oxygen.
Now that has caught attention of the scientists. Finding microbes in water trapped beneath the glacier gives hope for finding life in other places in our solar system such as Mars, or something else. These life forms, being buried under depths of ice would be protected from the harsh impact of ultraviolet and cosmic rays.