Antarctica has held a fascination for centuries with its desolate, unexplored landscape.
Its mystique as the most famous place on the planet has been a source of conspiracy theories.
4
4
Although most of these have been debunked – or explained by science.
Secret entrance
A Google Maps image of Antarctica went viral in October because it revealed a secret entrance in the snow.
The unusual structure was spotted by a Reddit user on Google Maps at coordinates 69°00'50″S 39°36'22″E – a barren icy area southeast of the Japanese-run Showa Station.
Wild theories about the door's purpose have begun to appear online – from theories of Nazi bunkers to a secret city in the Earth's crust.
However, the mysterious entrance is nothing but an iceberg.
The iceberg is stuck there until it melts.
Other images of the area show other icebergs that have met the same fate.
4
Blood falls
The hideous “blood falls,” despite their reddish color, are not actually blood.
Although the exact cause of the coloration has puzzled scientists for over approximately 110 years.
That is, until last summer, when an American research team found tiny balls in the water that turned red once they came into contact with air.
Nanobodies made up of iron, silica, calcium, aluminium, sodium and other elements individually turned the meltwater a strange shade of reddish-orange.
The iron in the nanosphere forms iron oxides and iron hydroxides once water comes into contact with air.
High salinity and the presence of chlorine, magnesium and sodium played an important role in the formation of the yellow to orange phases of iron.
It has been missed by previous studies because it is too small.
Therefore, for many years, the color was attributed to red algae.
4
Giant hole
Giant holes in the Earth are always a source of intrigue – from Russia's Hell's Gate to Antarctica's Maud Rise Polynya.
The polynya, an area of open water surrounded by sea ice, has mystified scientists since it was first spotted on a satellite image half a century ago.
The huge cavity cannot always be found, as it appears in the ice sporadically, sometimes decades apart.
In 1974, the hole was roughly the size of New Zealand. It returned weaker in 1975 and 1976.
The giant ice hole was not seen until 2016 and 2017, when it was roughly the size of Portugal.
In May, scientists believe they finally discovered what formed the crater.
A strong current moving around the underwater Maud Rise Mountain in the Weddell Sea created turbulent eddies – a reverse current that pushed salt to the sea surface.
Once the salt reached the surface, a process called Ekman transport occurred that moved the water at a 90-degree angle to the wind.
This made it easier for the salt to mix with the heat on the surface and melt the ice, allowing a large hole to form.
Ice singing
With winds that can reach speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, Antarctica is no stranger to strange sounds.
Scientists have discovered that the Ross Ice Shelf – the largest ice shelf on the continent at more than 600 kilometers long – sings when the wind blows.
When wind blows across snow dunes, it creates vibrations that scientists can listen to using seismic sensors.
