An international team of researchers has finally explained why a vibrant red liquid flows from Taylor Glacier in Antarctica. A new study, published in the journal Antarctic Science in 2026, has resolved a question that had remained unanswered for over a hundred years.
The phenomenon was first documented by Australian geologist Griffith Taylor back in 1911. At the time, he suggested that the color was caused by algae, though this theory was never confirmed.
The source of the "blood" is an ancient, hypersaline brine trapped beneath the glacier approximately 1.5 million years ago. Its high salt concentration prevents it from freezing even in the most extreme sub-zero temperatures.
When the brine rises to the surface and is exposed to oxygen, the iron compounds it contains begin to oxidize. This chemical reaction is exactly what tints the water a deep, blood-red hue.
The primary contribution of this new study is the explanation of the mechanism that allows the brine to penetrate the thick ice and emerge outside. Previously, scientists had struggled to understand how this movement was possible.
How exactly did nature manage to keep this secret for so long?
The researchers emphasize that this discovery not only concludes a long-standing scientific saga but also highlights the sheer complexity of the processes occurring beneath Antarctic glaciers.
