In the wilderness of Antarctica, where the landscape is stark and otherworldly, there exists a phenomenon so striking that it seems almost mythical: a blood-red waterfall.
Known as Blood Falls, the waterfall pours crimson from the Taylor Glacier in Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valley. As the five-story cascade slowly flows out of the glacier and into Lake Bonney, it leaves a dramatic streak of red on the surrounding snow and ice. The effect is haunting, especially considering its location in an extreme, dry valley.
But what is Blood Falls and why is it red? It turns out, Blood Falls is not just a visual marvel—it’s a scientific wonder born of an ancient, salty lake that’s trapped beneath a quarter mile of ice. As the Taylor Glacier formed over the lake, the water, which is too salty to freeze, was cut off from the elements.
In addition to its high salt content, the lake is rich in iron, thanks to the glaciers that raked the bedrock below the lake. As the salty, iron-rich water makes its way to the glacier’s surface, it meets the elements and immediately oxidizes, or rusts. The result is a flow of blood-red water and a surreal stain of crimson on the surrounding ice.
The eeriness of Blood Falls and its surrounding desolate landscape of Antarctica’s McMurdo Dry Valley is something very few people get to see. Fewer than 150,000 people step foot on the continent each year and most visitors don’t know the falls exist or arrive on an itinerary packed Antarctic cruise.
The Blood Falls are located inland of the Ross Archipelago near McMurdo Station, an American research station on the southern tip of Ross Island. Most people interested in seeing the falls fly by helicopter from a research station base (like McMurdo Station) or book a cruise to the Ross Sea and take a helicopter flight over McMurdo Dry Valley.
The rare few lucky enough to see the Blood Falls (either on land or from the sky) witness one of Earth’s most mysterious natural spectacles, where science, history, and nature blend in an icy ballet of color. The rest of us just have to marvel at a distance, enjoying a “blood-red reminder” of how nature can create the most unexpected, and in this case, colorful, wonders in the most extreme places.