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Aerial view of a glacier with a red waterfall-like feature.
Date Taken:
November 21, 2014
Photograph By:
Peter Rejcek
License Type:
Public Domain

Blood Falls at the terminus of Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys is a unique feature where iron-rich brine from the subsurface is released at the front of the glacier, which feeds into the ice-covered Lake Bonney. Blood Falls is known to harbor an active microbial community where organisms use iron and sulfur compounds for energy, and, in the process, facilitate rock weathering. At the upper left on the Taylor Glacier are several tents that were used as part of a field camp during the 2014-15 austral summer where researchers attempted to drill through the top of the glacier and into a conduit that connects the brine to the surface. For more information about the project, see The Antarctic Sun story Lifeblood of a Glacier

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