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ANTARCTICA has won intrigue for centuries with its unexplored, desolate landscapes.
Its mystery as the most unknown place on planet Earth has been the source for conspiracy theories.
Mount Lister, part of the transantarctic mountain range in Antarctica[/caption]
A Google Maps image of Antarctica went viral in October for supposedly revealing a secret doorway in the snow[/caption]
Though most of these have been debunked – or explained by science.
Secret Doorway
A Google Maps image of Antarctica went viral in October for supposedly revealing a secret doorway in the snow.
The unusual structure was spotted by a Reddit user on Google Maps at the co-ordinate 69°00’50″S 39°36’22″E – a barren, icy area just southeast of the Japanese-run Showa Station.
Wild theories about the purpose of the door began to snowball online – from theories of Nazi bunkers to a secret city in the Earth’s crust.
Yet, the mysterious doorway is none other than an iceberg.
The iceberg became grounded is stuck there until it melts.
Other images of the area show other icebergs that have met the same fate.
For many years, the colour of ‘Blood Falls’ was chalked up to red algae[/caption]
Blood Falls
Gruesome ‘Blood Falls’, while named for their ruddy colour, are not actually blood.
Although, the exact cause of the colouring stumped scientists for about over 110 years.
That is, until last summer, when a US research team found tiny spheres in the water that were turning it red as soon as it came in contact with air.
Nanospheres composed of iron, silica, calcium, aluminium, sodium and other elements, individually, contributed to turning the meltwater an eerie shade of reddish orange.
The iron in the nanospheres formed iron-oxides and iron-hydroxides as soon as the water touched air.
The high salinity and presence of chlorine, magnesium and sodium played an important role in forming yellow-to-orange-colour iron-phases.
Previous studies had missed them because they are so small.
Therefore, for many years, the colour was chalked up to red algae.
In 1974, the hole was around the size of New Zealand[/caption]
The Giant Hole
Giant holes in the Earth are always a source of intrigue – from Russia’s ‘Gate to Hell’ to Antarctica’s Maud Rise polynya.
The polynya – an area of open water surrounded by sea ice – has puzzled scientists since it was first spotted on a satellite image half a century ago.
The massive cavity can’t always be found, as it appears in the ice sporadically – sometimes decades apart.
In 1974, the hole was around the size of New Zealand. It returned more weakly in 1975 and 1976.
The giant ice hole then wasn’t seen until 2016 and 2017, when it roughly the size of Portugal.
In May, scientists believe they finally uncovered what was forming the hole.
A strong current moving around the underwater Maud Rise Mountain in the Weddell Sea had created turbulent eddies – a reverse current that pushed salt to the sea’s surface.
Once the salt reached the surface, a process called Ekman transport occurred which moved the water at a 90-degree angle in the direction of the wind.
This then made it easier for the salt to mix with heat at the surface and melt the ice, allowing a large hole the form.
Singing Ice
With winds that that can reach up to 200mph, Antarctica is no stranger to eerie sounds.
Scientists have discovered that the Ross Ice Shelf – the largest ice shelf on the continent at more than 600km long – sings when the wind blows.
When gusts blow across the snow dunes, it creates vibrations that scientists can listen to with seismic sensors.
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