/countries/show/antarctica/1.rss en-us The Antarctic glaciers are known to have true natural mysteries and phenomena, and have left several questions unanswered over the centuries. Blood Falls, though, is one which was solved by scientists long ago. Blood Falls is a waterfall resembling a bloodstream which runs slowly from the Taylor Glacier in McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. When the spectacular Blood Falls was discovered during 1911, it gave many impressions to geologists at the time, producing several different theories. Researchers later revealed that microbes were responsible for causing the Blood Falls phenomenon. On first sight, spewing a rust-like material, the Falls at Taylor Glacier can be rather puzzling, especially as most people are used to “white” waterfalls. The spectacular views of Taylor Falls have drawn scientists and researchers’ attentions for centuries; including the discovering member of Robert Scott's ill-fated team in 1911. Blood Falls at Taylor Glacier has been seeping out for centuries on the harshest desert in the world—McMurdo Dry Valleys—which is a gigantic ice-free zone. This is the result of katabatic winds, which are winds blowing downhill. The speed of katabatic winds is so fast that it absorbs all the humidity around the place. So, if you are hiking or trekking, you will probably be blown up and down with katabatic winds blowing at around 200 mph. Taylor Glacier is a crazy place, but you can only travel to this sweet spot to carry out geological experiments or research. Beautifully termed a natural laboratory, this continent fosters some of the greatest experiments freely in open air. Blood Falls is proof to this claim. Two million years ago mother nature captured a large pool of iron rich microbes in salt water under a thick layer ice, without exposure to any light or air. A fissure from deep within Taylor Glacier flows out though this, causing the five story high rust-like plume. Maybe if you make it big you can hightail it to this peculiar Antartica travel spot, because no Antarctica tour is taking you hiking or trekking here. Discovered by geologist Griffith Taylor while exploring Taylor Valley, and surrounding Asgard Range and Kukri Hills, he did not know that this 55km long glacier would one day bear his name. There are several frozen Antarctic glaciers, but Blood Falls has no really low temperatures, possibly due to the high amount of salt concentration below the glacier. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 04:41:33 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/blood-falls http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/blood-falls Polar explorer Apsley Cherry-Garrard once said that Antarctic “exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised.” Since Cherry’s Antarctic exploration in the 1900s a lot has changed; it is now quicker and more comfortable to travel to Antarctica than it ever was in the past. But that’s not to say the element of adventure and exploration is lost as well. It’s quite the contrary actually. Antarctica, the largest desert in the world and the least visited continent, is an inhospitable land surrounded by tumultuous seas that make getting there an adventure all its own. The ships used for transport have been upgraded from the wooden vessels of old to new icebreakers that can push through the crushing pack ice. That’s little comfort however as wave after wave can still toss the ship around and provide a sense of weightlessness, nausea and vertigo to all its occupants. A ride through the Drake Passage, a main waterway for travelers from South American to the Antarctic peninsula, can leave many questioning why they paid to do this and if they’ll ever return home. Once on the other side though, in more calm and sheltered waters, the beauty of Antarctica is unparalleled; it surpasses all expectations as the insignificant trials and tribulations of the difficult crossing are soon forgotten. The rugged mountains of the South Shetland Islands are the first to appear with caps of huge glaciers that calve off into great floating icebergs. And the electric whites and blues that are created by the ice and the water are unimaginable, hardly seeming possible as it’s so vibrant. “As one looks across the barren stretches of the [ice] pack,” Captain Robert Falcon Scott stated, “it is sometimes difficult to realize what teeming life exists immediately beneath its surface.” And this is where the true delight and wonder of the voyage will reside as the sightings of Humpback, Minke and Orca whales will be sure to drop more than a few jaws – especially if a frolicking and playful beast breaches and splashes down within camera shot. Other great wildlife opportunities also exist with several species of birds gliding by overhead, the seals sliding in and out of the icy water, and with the often amusing penguin encounters. The best way to see it all is just to plop down in a snow bank and take it all in as Adelie, Gentoo and Chinstrap Penguins, among other species, go waddling or sliding on by on their bellies to take care of their daily business or enjoy a little battle for king of the hill on a small iceberg near the shoreline, likely near an old whaling or research station that was set up to monitor the colony or use them as a source for food and fuel. All of these great experiences are just gravy, in a manner of speaking, as the time spent on the ship is special in its own way. Passengers and crew members from various parts of the world bond over the common interests of travel and nature. The time spent in Antarctica is undoubtedly a special one for everyone on board as it’s a possibility that didn’t exist in the world just a short 150 years ago. But now it’s possible to head south, to what Aristotle once predicted and named Terra Australis, and become one of only a few thousand people in the history of the world to set foot on the ice; "If you have the desire for knowledge and the power to give it physical expression,” Apsley Cherry-Garrard wrote, “go out and explore." Sun, 18 Jul 2010 05:58:09 +0000 http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/antarctica-wildlife-tour http://www.thecircumference.org/experiences/antarctica-wildlife-tour