13 Bizarre Discoveries In Antarctica

13 Bizarre Discoveries in Antarctica


Antarctica is Earth’s most remote and enigmatic continent, known for its extreme cold and vast, frozen wilderness. But this icy frontier is more than just a desolate landscape. From blood-red waterfalls and hidden mountain ranges to ancient fossils and unknown meteorites, Antarctica is a treasure trove of the strange and unexplained.


This is Unveiled, and today we’re taking a closer look at 13 bizarre discoveries in Antarctica.

#13: Blood Falls

Discovered in 1911, this eerie natural phenomenon features a vibrant red waterfall, starkly contrasting with the surrounding ice. Long has its color puzzled experts, with algae long thought to be the cause. But, actually, the color is due to a steady stream of iron-rich, hypersaline water, which has been trapped beneath the ice for millions of years. When this water reaches the surface and comes into contact with air, it oxidizes, like rust, which is what gives it such a haunting blood-red tint. Researchers believe that this particular ecosystem may have been isolated for so long that it could be home to wholly unique microbial life, that’s adapted to the extreme conditions. Astrobiologists believe that the Blood Falls offer a crucial glimpse into potential life forms that could exist beyond Earth, as well - that’s how unusual they are.

#12: Lake Vostok

This vast, subglacial lake - the largest of all such lakes in Antarctica - is roughly the size of Lake Ontario. It has also been sealed off for more than 15 million years. Again, then, experts think that it could harbor ancient and unique microbial life, which (again) makes it another hot spot for astrobiological research. Vostok was discovered in the 1970s, using ice-penetrating radar. Before then, it had been entirely hidden. In the time since, the lake has been delicately drilled down into, with great emphasis on avoiding contamination. Retrieved samples provide a glimpse into an ancient, untouched ecosystem, while also offering hints to the condition of habitats on icy solar system moons, like Jupiter’s Europa.

#11: Gamburtsev Mountain Range

It isn’t only subglacial lakes on Antarctica, but also subglacial mountains. The Gamburtsev range is made up of hidden mountains, comparable in size to many of the peaks in the Alps. They were discovered in the 1950s, and they reach to more than 11,000 feet high in some places, but they dramatically challenge our understanding of continental geology because they are completely covered in ice. On the surface, there are no discernible peaks. One theory is that the Gamburtsevs could be remnants of a supercontinent that existed around a billion years ago. And, to continue the theme, their isolation means that they are preserved in an almost pristine state.

#10: Ancient Fossils

So few people have explored Antarctica that every fossil found there has a high chance of being something previously unknown. Paleontologists have unearthed dinosaurs, like the Cryolophosaurus, which lived about 170 million years ago. Additionally, plant fossils are indicative of a previously temperate climate, and diverse ecosystems. These are interesting in the modern day as they offer direct evidence of the continent's dramatic shift in climate and conditions, over the years, centuries, and millennia. Fossils (and their distribution) also offer support for the wider continental drift theory. They tell us that Antarctica was once connected to Earth’s other land masses, at a time when this land of ice actually wasn’t so isolated.

#9: Crocodile Icefish

Here swims a remarkable family of fish. As they are found in the icy depths of the Southern Ocean, Crocodile Icefish have evolved some extraordinary traits to survive what would be lethal temperatures for most others. One of their most striking features is their transparent blood, void of hemoglobin, the protein that’s typically responsible for carrying oxygen. Usually, hemoglobin is considered essential for life, but not here. Instead, these fish absorb oxygen directly through their skin, using the brutally cold water’s high oxygen content to power themselves. Their blood also carries what is essentially antifreeze, to prevent it literally turning to ice.

#8: Wilkes Land Anomaly

Detected via airborne surveys and satellite data, there are regions all over Antarctica where the planet’s magnetic field unexpectedly deviates. The most famous anomaly of all, though, is in a region known as Wilkes Land, which contains a massive, circular, magnetic disturbance. This suggests the presence of a giant impact crater buried beneath the ice, likely to have been the result of a major meteorite collision in ancient times. Some have linked this particular, probable impact zone to the onset of the Permian-Triassic extinction event, which is thought to have occurred almost 252 million years ago. It also ranks as Earth’s most severe extinction event of all time. And Antarctica might’ve been the epicenter.

#7: Whale Fossils

In 2011, a 49 million-year-old whale fossil was discovered in Antarctica. It was a jawbone of a member of the Basilosauridae family, which were the first whales to live entirely in water. Previously, it had been believed that fully aquatic whales first evolved roughly 40 million years ago, but that idea was challenged by this find. Fossil records show that whales were fully terrestrial about 50 million years ago, so it could be that their switch to the water happened very quickly. Of course, probably the weirdest aspect of the whole thing is that whales once walked on land in general. In this case it’s extremely bizarre, but definitely true.

#6: Lake Ellsworth

Close to the mountains, in Western Antarctica, there’s another major subglacial lake. Again, it’s captured the interest of scientists around the world, for the pristine and isolated ecosystem that it offers. It was first discovered in 1996 while, in 2012, a team embarked on a years-long mission to drill down into it. However, that mission proved fruitless, and was ultimately called off. It’s suspected that many microbial extremophiles should be present in Lake Ellsworth, and many of which may never have been seen before. But, today, it mostly exists as a telling reminder of just how difficult it is to explore in this part of the world.

#5: Hundreds of Volcanoes

It may be the land of ice, but there are at least 138 confirmed volcanoes on (or under) Antarctica. Most of them are dormant, but not all of them. One of the most significant (and active) is Mount Erebus, on Ross Island. Erebus is the most southerly active volcano on Earth, and is one of the world’s only volcanoes to contain constantly molten lava in its central crater. This burning lava lake is at total odds to the rest of the continent, yet it serves as an extreme reminder of Antarctica’s unique geology. All around Erebus, there are unique cave and tower formations, as well, offering yet more insight into unique places that are entirely untouched by humans.

#4: Mummified Seals

What’s clear is that life on Antarctica is brutal. And the unfortunate truth is that the elements claim countless lives everyday, even on a continent that perhaps isn’t so heaving with life to begin with. Mummified seals have been found all over, but most notably in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The extremely dry and cold conditions in the region mean that seal bodies don’t decompose, which results in remarkably intact specimens scattered across the landscape. These are unsettling, no doubt, but they also offer a vital opportunity for study, with their skin, fur, and internal organs all generally intact. Scientists can learn about the seal’s diet, but also about the history of Antarctic life in general - with some of the mummified remains being hundreds, even thousands of years old.

#3: Ozone Hole

When it works as it should do, the ozone layer acts like sunscreen for the planet, absorbing ultraviolet light. If (and when) the layer gets depleted, the light blazes unchecked onto the surface, leaving us without protection. It’s unsettling, then, that in the 1980s, a severe thinning of the ozone layer was discovered over a large area of Antarctica in the spring. At the time that it was found, the Antarctic ozone hole served as a stark reminder of the fragility of our world. Today, unfortunately, it’s one of many such reminders… but science still tracks it closely, to gauge the health of our planet.

#2: Fossil Forests

Not all fossil hunters are focussed on the dinosaurs. Among the most revealing of discoveries made on Antarctica are many petrified tree stumps, logs, and leaf impressions, preserved in sedimentary rock formations. They’re not as headline-grabbing, but so-called fossil forests have been extensively studied. They suggest that Antarctica was once a much warmer place, covered in vibrant vegetation, and in many ways similar to modern temperate forests. Again, conclusions can be drawn regarding continental drift in the ancient past, and specifically around a past supercontinent called Gondwana. Gondwana was also made up of modern day South America, Africa, India and Australia, and the ties between those places and Antarctica are still traceable thanks to fossil forests.

#1: Ellsworth Pyramids

Over the years, Antarctica has proven a hotspot for conspiracy theory and controversy. When pyramid-like structures were found peaking out of the ice, then, the watching world asked questions. These unusual formations came to light (in the mainstream) in the 2010s, when satellite images revealed four-sided, apparently pyramidal structures breaking out of the Ellsworth Mountain range. Theories raged that the structures were artificial, and built by some form of ancient, advanced civilization - or perhaps even a visiting alien group. Nevertheless, and no matter how unnatural they appear, the more widely accepted theories are that the seeming pyramids are naturally formed.


Which of these do you find the most unusual? Or concerning? Let us know in the comments, and watch out for part 2 to this video - coming soon!