Antarctica is the most mysterious, mysterious and little-studied continent. Its eternal ice has not melted for thousands of years. What secrets do not hide the snow and ice. The consequences of climate warming on Earth lead to the fact that artifacts that are very interesting for people are periodically exposed. One of the latest finds was 250 meteorites at the South Pole. Traveling to Antarctica is the dream of many adventure lovers. If earlier it was possible to get to the continent only as part of an expedition, now, with a strong desire, anyone can admire the endless ice of Antarctica with their own eyes.
Ancient pyramids
Mysteries and mysteries of Antarctica attract many people. A more interesting place on earth is hard to find. Many travelers who have visited the mainland invariably returned to it again. She herself did not realize the fact how much eternal ice and snow beckon them. A few years ago, an international expedition consisting of explorers from Europe and America found three large objects on the planet's cap, very reminiscent of the ancient pyramids of Egypt. The scientific community immediately began to panic. Scientists have put forward a number of hypotheses, each of which is incredible. The two most common were:
- Pyramids are traces of ancient civilizations.
- Creations of aliens.
The third hypothesis turned out to be even more incredible. Its adherents assumed that the Germans erected the pyramids during the expeditions of the Third Reich in the last century. Hitler, of course, was interested in Antarctica, as evidenced by documentary evidence, but the construction of such large-scale facilities was hardly within his power. In total, there were several trips to Antarctica made by representatives of the Third Reich. However, no evidence of the construction of objects remains here.
Scientists believe that in ancient times the dome of the planet was not covered with ice. Here reigned lush vegetation in a tropical climate. In place of the pole stretched impenetrable jungle. Now one can only guess how diverse the flora and fauna of the region was. To this day, scientists find the remains of unseen animals in glaciers. 250 million years ago there was a dramatic change in climate, presumably due to the impact of a giant asteroid. This led to the death of almost all life on earth. Snow fell over Antarctica, the entire mainland was covered with ice, frozen for many kilometers and never thawed again.
As for the pyramids, their origin is a big mystery. Probably, a new expedition will be organized soon, which will shed light on this issue. So far, there are no intelligible explanations regarding the appearance of buildings, while all scientists agree that the pyramids were created artificially. There are a lot of such mysteries and mysteries in Antarctica, the explanation of which has not yet been found.
Mainland climate
Antarctica has an area of 13 million 661 thousand square kilometers. The geographic South Pole passes through the mainland. Local lands do not belong to any country. Mining is prohibited in Antarctica. Here you can only engage in scientific activities. Only brave, well-trained people live at polar stations in Antarctica. Harsh conditions and extreme climate not everyone can endure.
The period from November to February is the warmest time on the mainland. These are the so-called spring and summer. In Antarctica during this period, temperatures can reach 0 degrees on the coast. At the pole, the temperature rises to -30 degrees. The summer here is so sunny that you can’t do without glasses, otherwise you can damage your eyesight. But most of the light energy is simply reflected off the surface of glaciers.
The coldest time on the mainland is from March to October. At this time in Antarctica, winter and autumn. The air temperature drops to -75 degrees. The cold season is characterized by strong storms. Even planes do not come here from the mainland. In fact, polar explorers remain cut off from the outside world for eight months.
Polar night andpolar day
In Antarctica there are polar days and nights that last for days. They change in spring and autumn.
Summer on the mainland is a polar day, and winter is a polar night.
And now let's move on to the most interesting objects.
Mainland volcanoes
A lot has been written about the melting of ice on the mainland and the possible consequences. As a rule, such serious changes are associated precisely with global warming, which in real life … does not exist. It turns out that it is necessary to be afraid not of the global increase in ambient temperature, but of volcanoes. 35 volcanoes have been discovered in Antarctica. An interesting fact is that most of them are ready to start an eruption at any moment. It is worth noting that it is still unknown how many of these fire-breathing monsters are hidden in the bowels of the ice. Heat flows from the volcanoes of Antarctica pass through the earth's crust and lead to instability of the ice cover.
Scientists have modeled a new map of the planet after the possible melting of the glaciers of the mainland. It does not include London, the Netherlands, Venice or Denmark. Under water will be the coastal regions of North America and India. How many volcanoes there are in Antarctica is unknown.
The first two were found by the Ross expedition. They were given names in honor of the ships on which brave travelers arrived. Erebus remains active to this day, and the Terror is extinguished. The last fire-breathing object was found in Antarctica in 2008. However, after a few years it becamea real sensation, the discovery of a dozen underwater volcanoes, seven of them are active. An interesting fact is that some of the fire-breathing monsters are real giants. Their height reaches three kilometers. And one of the volcanoes has a crater with a diameter of about five kilometers! It's even hard to imagine the flow of lava that can pour out of it.
The most famous volcanoes
Erebus Volcano is the most famous on the continent. Its height reaches 4 km, depth - 274 m, and diameter - 805 m. A huge lake of lava is stored in the depths of the fire-breathing monster. The last volcanic eruption occurred in 1972. Then the lava flew out to a height of 25 meters.
Another famous object of the mainland is Deception volcano. Its eruption in the sixties of the last century led to the destruction of polar stations in Antarctica, owned by Chile and Great Britain. The volcano is under a huge thickness of ice (more than a hundred meters). Lava flows out of it very slowly, squeezing tons of dirt onto the surface of the ice.
Bloody Falls
Any trip to Antarctica is an incredible adventure. There are many amazingly interesting objects on the mainland, including the Bloody Falls. Such a terrible name was given to it by Griffith Taylor, an Australian geologist who discovered it in 1911. The waterfall is a unique natural object, since there is no other like it on earth. What is its uniqueness? The fact is that the water in the waterfall is red. In addition, it has a minus temperature, but it does not freeze. An explanation for this phenomenon was found quickly enough.
It turns out that ferrous iron, ordinary rust, gives an interesting shade to the water. The sources of water flows are taken in a s alt lake, which is located at a depth of 400-500 meters under the ice. According to experts, the reservoir was formed about two million years ago, when the territory of the mainland was not yet covered with ice. Later, the ocean level dropped, the lake was isolated and covered with tons of ice along with all the inhabitants. The water gradually evaporated, causing the pond to become more and more s alty. Now the s alt level is such that the water masses do not freeze.
Is there life in the lake?
Inhabitants of the underground lake, being under a layer of ice without sunlight, died out, but not all. Experts have discovered 17 varieties of microbes that live in incredible conditions. It is amazing to what conditions living organisms do not adapt. For millions of years, these microbes have been breathing iron contained in the surrounding rocks. I wonder what will happen to living organisms after organic reserves run out? Surely they will find new sources of livelihood.
Not everyone can watch the Taylor Falls. The fact is that red streams appear during those periods when the glaciers in Antarctica begin to melt. Ice masses press on the lake and red jets appear from cracks on the surface.
Caves and tunnels
Antarctica is fraught with a lot of interesting and unknown. Members of the expedition of the Australian University, who visited the mainland, discovered caves and tunnels under the ice on the islandRoss, on which the Erebus volcano is located. According to one of the participants, it is very warm in the caves, the temperature reaches 25 degrees.
The tunnels are light enough, as sunlight penetrates through the ice and cracks. In the samples taken, experts found the DNA of unique organisms and plants. According to travelers, unknown forms of life may be hidden in the bowels of the continent.
Polar stations of the mainland
Travel to Antarctica can only endure strong spirit and strong people. It is very difficult to resist such harsh conditions in real life. Polar stations in Antarctica are real oases of warmth in endless ice. The mainland is being developed by 12 countries. Each of them has its own stations. Some operate year-round, others seasonally. Some stations conduct exclusively scientific activities. And some are developing tourism in Antarctica, taking polar tourists. Getting to the station, travelers have the opportunity to get acquainted with the lifestyle of polar explorers and their way of life. Tourists are given the opportunity to admire the nearest expanses of the mainland.
There are currently about 90 stations in Antarctica. In addition to Russia and the USA, Australia, China, Brazil, Argentina, India and many other countries have their own facilities here. It is worth noting that absolutely any state can place its stations on the continent. Some facilities are shared by several countries. 41 stations operate seasonally, as it is very expensive to maintain facilities year-round in such harsh conditions.
Chile (12) and Argentina (14) have the most stations on the mainland. Russia has nine polar objects. Among them is the most famous station "Vostok".
Russians appeared in Antarctica back in 1820. Mikhail Lazarev and Thaddeus Bellingshausen discovered the last of the continents. Much later, in 1956, the first Soviet station, Mirny, began operation on the continent. She marked the beginning of the development of the continent. The station was founded during the first Antarctic expedition. It became the main object from which the leadership of the entire region came. In the best years, from 150 to 200 people lived at the station. Unfortunately, in recent years its population does not exceed 15-20 people. The management of Russian Antarctica has now passed into the hands of a more modern station called Progress. In 1957, another polar object, Vostok, was founded. There was a new station 620 km from Mirny. However, in the same year, the facility was closed, and all equipment was transported inland. The new station was later named Vostok.
She became most famous because she had a record low temperature (-89, 2 degrees). Geophysical, meteorological and medical studies were carried out at the station, and now they are studying ozone holes, the properties of materials at low temperatures. Under the "East" a lake was found, which received the same name.
Lakes in Antarctica
Scientists still don't know how many bodies of water are hidden underice sheet of the continent. The largest lake that has been discovered is Vostok. Its length reaches 250 km, and the width is 50 km, the depth is no more than a kilometer. There is a reservoir under the polar station of the same name. The reservoir is hidden by a layer of ice, reaching a height of four kilometers.
According to some researchers, the lake was discovered millions of years ago. And under the ice it disappeared only 15 million years ago. Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding, in 2015, research by Russian polar explorers on drilling a well was frozen. There was very little left to the surface of the lake, about 240 meters, when the work was stopped. But the solution to some of the secrets of the mainland was so close.
There are several hypotheses regarding the deep world of the mainland. American experts believe that the underground lake is teeming with unknown multicellular organisms.
Russian scientists are more reserved in their forecasts. They believe that only water samples from a reservoir under the ice can clarify the situation. If it were possible to carry out analyzes, then it would be possible to understand how life develops on other planets. Indeed, on many cosmic bodies on the surface there are layers of ice. But it's still too early to speculate.
Research conducted by American experts showed the presence of 1623 genes in the water, 6% of them are complex creatures whose life at such a depth is very difficult to imagine. But St. Petersburg scientists found in the samples the DNA of bacteria that are unknown to people.
After thatThe scientific world is divided into two camps. Some believe that unknown forms of life that need to be studied can live in the bowels of the mainland. Others, on the contrary, believe that it is not worth disturbing those inhabitants who are at the depths. They can be deadly to humans. It is possible that there are bacteria or viruses that we are not familiar with, and therefore do not have the appropriate immunity.
Inhabitants of Antarctica
It is very difficult to survive in the harsh climate of the mainland. Therefore, there are not so many inhabitants on the continent. Many readers invariably ask: "Are there polar bears in Antarctica?" No, there are no bears here. But there are other representatives of the polar fauna
The southern ocean surrounding the continent is home to many animals. Most of them migrate, but there are those who have settled here forever. Real giants live in the local waters - blue whales. Sea leopards, which are considered the most formidable predators in Antarctica, are very dangerous. An adult weighs up to 300 kg and reaches a length of three meters. The leopard attacks any animal that gets in its way, and he is not afraid of a person.
The crabeater seal is also an inhabitant of the ice continent. It is not very clear who called it that, because the animal does not eat crabs. Seals love fish and squid. They weigh up to 300 kg.
From birds on the continent live: Antarctic blue-eyed cormorants, Antarctic terns, white plovers, Cape doves, snowy petrels, wandering albatrosses.
Also, king and subantarctic penguins live on the territory of glaciers in Antarctica.
but perhaps the most famous inhabitants are emperor penguins. The weight of animals reaches 30 kg. Bipedal creatures are good divers as they can hold their breath for 20 minutes.
How to get to Antarctica?
Just a couple of years ago, traveling to the continent was a real dream. But now tours to Antarctica are quite commonplace. Everyone can get to the snow-covered continent. If you are in the mood for an extreme vacation, then you can look for suitable options.
How to get to Antarctica? There are only two ways to get to the continent: by sky and by sea. Planes, liners and icebreakers depart here from different parts of the world.
Tours to Antarctica are offered by many companies. However, it should be understood that they are only engaged in collecting Russian-speaking groups. You can go on a trip only from a few countries: Chile, Argentina, New Zealand. Most often, tourists choose sea cruises, because they allow you to fully enjoy the exotic, as well as take a walk deep into the continent, see penguins and glaciers. The level of comfort depends on the type of boat.
Many scientific vessels, left without funding, are converted for tourist trips. Icebreakers have a lot of advantages. They can reach secluded fjords. But the level of comfort on them leaves much to be desired. You can get to Antarctica on ships such as Akademik SergeyVavilov, Clipper Adventurer, Plancius. The capacity of each of them reaches 107-122 people. The ships have cabins with and without private facilities, internet, satellite communications, a restaurant.
In addition, tourists are delivered to Antarctica by the nuclear-powered icebreakers Kapitan Dranitsyn, 50 Years of Victory, and Kapitan Khlebnikov. The advantage of such vessels is that they have helicopters, with the help of which they land on the coast. Icebreakers can move under any navigational conditions, reaching hard-to-reach regions of Antarctica.
Another type of transport is sailing ships. Usually members of the expedition work on them, and tourists are accepted on board only as guests.
