A bright red waterfall called Blood Falls flows from a glacier in Antarctica.

Blood Falls is found at the Taylor Glacier in East Antarctica. The water comes from a hidden pool buried under 400 meters of ice. This water is three times saltier than the ocean. The high salt content keeps the water from freezing even though it is very cold.The lake has been sealed away from sunlight and oxygen for a very long time. In 2017, researchers from the University of Alaska Fairbanks used radar to find the path the water takes through the ice. They discovered that the water moves through a network of cracks to reach the surface.Tiny organisms called microbes live in this dark, salty water. They survive without sunlight by using iron and sulfur for energy. When the water finally leaks out of the glacier, the iron reacts with the oxygen in the air. This chemical reaction creates ferric hydroxide. Ferric hydroxide is the main part of rust. This rust stains the water a deep red color as it flows down the white ice. Scientists study this area to understand how life might survive on other planets. They believe similar environments could exist on Mars or Jupiter's moon, Europa.