In Antarctica, in the Dry Valleys, is a Glacier that is "Bleeding". In the article, "Glacier "Bleeds" Proof of Million-Year-Old Life-Forms", researchers are analyzing the falls to figure out why they are red. "Mikucki and colleagues captured and analyzed a bit of the extremely salty, iron-rich liquid—which seems to be concentrated seawater—fresh from Taylor Glacier. In the samples were tell-tale proteins apparently from microbes. " It is believed that these microbes were captured in the glacier long ago and have been stuck inside with no means of food or light. It is believed that these microbes eat the iron which is ground out of rocks by the moving glacier. The iron is what gives the falls their color. They also studied the sulfur that was found. It is believed that it is from the ocean approximately 700 million years ago.
This would be an amazing site to see! When you think of falls, you think of water falls, not ice running out of a glacier. The only time you can get into the Dry Valleys area is from October until March and that is only by helicopter. During those periods of time, this may really help the economy of the closest town and those businesses that give the tours. The restaurants and hotels would benefit from all the tourists staying and eating at their places. Another site showed that the town went from 250 people to 1100 people during this time. Also, the scientists discovery of what is in the falls could answer a lot of questions about the earth millions of years ago. The data can be compared with earth's current conditions to see how earth is changing. This could give us information about global warming and how fast or slow our earth is changing. Finding the microbes also tells us what existed way back then.
Inman, Mason. "Glacier "Bleeds" Proof of Million-Year-Old Life-Forms." National Geographic News April 16 2009 Web.19 Apr 2009. .
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