Drier than the Sahara

In the ranking of the driest places on Earth appearance of these Antarctic valleys looks unexpected. But nonetheless - in fact. Meet - McMurdo Dry Valleys. Victoria Wright and Taylor. And they are not just the driest. Just land does not happen. Gobi, Karakum and even the Sahara rest aside. Because at this point there was no rain, no snow for several million years (!).
Wild force katabatic winds reaching three hundred and twenty miles per hour, causing rapid evaporation of moisture. And because the surface is free of ice and snow, it is very convenient to carry out geological and other studies that the rest of the, you know, difficult. It's protected areas, according to the Antarctic Treaty.
By the way, the freedom of the snow cover does not do the living world is richer than the rest of the continent. Conditions are so harsh and reminiscent of natural conditions on Mars that NASA spent here testing its "Vikings».
There is also another natural attraction - Blood Falls which owes its origin to the activities of anaerobic bacteria, whose metabolism is based on the processing of iron and sulfur.


Victoria Valley:

And this is the Wright Valley and Glacier

Taylor Valley

And here is the bloody waterfall in Taylor Valley. From the lake, located a few kilometers from the waterfall and covered with a 400-meter layer of ice, iron-rich salt water reaches this place and out of a small fault.