Secrets and myth of Antarctica
The most mysterious continent on Earth attracts researchers, discoverers and even fans of conspiracy theories. The study of Antarctica clearly demonstrates that science is being created before our eyes. Amazing discoveries and finds amaze not only ordinary people, but also prominent scientists: a “bloody” waterfall, a Martian meteorite, fossils and even a huge lake have been hiding in the ice for many millennia.
Antarctica is shrouded in many myths, various hoaxes and conspiracy theories grow with enviable constancy around the research of the continent, and quite convincing at first glance falsifications leak into the network every now and then, telling about amazing and incredible discoveries that could turn the look at modern science.
A Martian meteorite with traces of life
The Martian meteorite, which we know as Allan Hills 84001, was found in the Alan Hills Mountains in Antarctica on December 27, 1984. This discovery caused a wide public outcry due to the fact that fossilized microscopic structures that could be bacteria were found on the surface of the meteorite. The question of the extraterrestrial origin of bacteria is still open.
The size of the structures found is 20-100 nanometers in diameter, which is much smaller than any known form of cellular life. The uniqueness of ALH 84001 is also that, according to research, it broke away from its native planet 4 billion years ago, when there was still liquid water, while the rest of the meteorites found on Earth no longer belong to the era of “wet” Mars.
A lake under four kilometers of ice
© NASA / Public Domain / Wikimedia, © US National Science Foundation / Public Domain / Wikimedia
One of the largest geographical discoveries of the twentieth century is the subglacial Lake Vostok, which was discovered in Antarctica. The most amazing thing about this find is that it was hidden under a 4 km thick layer of ice. Scientists are sure that the lake was cut off from the outside world by the glacier for several million years. The total area of the lake is about 16,000 square kilometers, and the depth is up to 1,200 m.
Most likely, it remains ice-free due to underground geothermal sources.
Scientists found microorganisms in the water sample. But these were samples from the surface, the most interesting thing will begin when they can get samples from the bottom. Perhaps scientists will be able to find unprecedented species of creatures. Who knows how evolution developed in the closed ecosystem of the East.
The burnt forest
Scientists have guessed that Antarctica was once a green continent since the first expeditions to Novaya Zemlya. However, they have recently made a discovery that has greatly puzzled modern science. Time after time, burnt and petrified forests are found, which not only prove the theory of “green Antarctica”, but also set a new task — to determine what happened to the forest.
The study of the fossils showed a serious level of fire damage, which suggests that the ancient forests died about 250 million years ago as a result of a large-scale fire, which, in turn, could have been caused by a meteorite fall or volcanic activity. Research on this issue is ongoing to this day.
Volcanoes under the ice
© jeaneeem / Wikipedia
More recently, scientists have discovered a ridge of volcanoes hidden under the ice in Antarctica. It can claim to be the largest ridge in the world, as it has more than 90 volcanoes. How many of them are active is still a mystery, because they are hidden under a glacier whose thickness reaches 2 km. The region was explored using radars and other special equipment.
Some of the researchers are sure that other volcanoes may be hiding at the bottom of the sea under the glacier shelf, which can turn Antarctica into the region with the highest concentration of them. Scientists are particularly concerned about the question of how a potential eruption can affect the melting of ice and what it threatens.
Bloody Waterfall
Can you imagine what Griffith Taylor experienced when he first discovered the Bloody Waterfall in 1911? The red stream pouring out of the snow-white glacier will terrify anyone. However, the scientist pulled himself together and suggested that algae, miraculously preserved in the glacier, turn the water red.
For a long time, the Bloody Waterfall remained a mystery that was solved only in the XXI century. Water samples from the glacier and other studies have shown that the water comes from a subglacial lake, which has been completely isolated for a long time. Microorganisms managed to adapt to the absence of light and oxygen and began to receive vital energy from sulfates.
Pyramids in Antarctica
© IMG, © Google Maps
Since 2013, there have been numerous reports on the Internet that scientists have found a copy of the Egyptian pyramids with the same parameters and layout in Antarctica. Photographs of one of the pyramids and satellite images of it are provided as evidence. The “sensational” news caused a storm of discussion and speculation, and the truth was not revealed immediately.
It turns out that Stephen Hannard, one of the members of the Alien Disclosure Group, who has been repeatedly seen creating falsifications, is responsible for creating fake news. A picture of the pyramid from the expedition is a photo from the climbers’ blog. The “pyramid” in the image and satellite is one of the mountains of this massif, which has taken a bizarre shape due to the peculiarities of the structure and weather conditions.
UFO Landing
People who have Google Maps and a lot of free time recently discovered a strange object in Antarctica, located at coordinates 54°39’44.62″S and 36°11’42.47″W. The find unexpectedly “hyped up” on the web, except that a lazy person did not write about it.
Various assumptions have been made about the nature of the object, but the most popular version is the UFO landing in South Georgia. Scientists were extremely skeptical about the “discovery”: they are sure that the mysterious sliding “alien ship” is nothing more than an ordinary block of ice.
