6 Interesting Facts About Antarctica That You Might Not Know
The most forsaken place in the world is our planet’s southernmost continent. This country does not appear to be wrapped in mystery without the efforts of scholars and explorers. Because of its location right on top of the South Pole, the region looks to be one of the most hostile locations on the planet to visit. However, additional evidence, such as artifacts of an old civilization that appear to have appeared just lately, appears to have cast doubt on this concept of inhabitant.
So, today at unexplained mysteries, we’ll go over 6 Interesting facts about Antarctica that you might not know.
6 Interesting Facts About Antarctica
1. Populated Entirely By Research Bases
Despite being described as one of the most inhospitable locations in the world. the continent of Antarctica is home to more than 4,000 research staff from around the world. These research staffs lift primarily in research bases and so the only lasting population of the continent is only that of government-funded research bases information gathered from 2019.
Antarctica population census has found that the largest number of research teams comes from the United States at 1293 personnel, Argentina with 667 staff, and Russia with 429 staff stations. At the peak of summer, this is a very surprising number given the fact that the continent is covered in a one-mile thick icy coating that wraps over more than 98 percent of the entire landmass on The continent.
2. The Dry Valley of Antarctica
What many people might not be aware of is the fact that the driest place on earth happens to rest in a valley in Antarctica that is referred to by research scientists as the Dry Valley. These areas are so dry that the humidity of the area is next to non-existent and moisture at that level of the continent is lower than most deserts from around the world.
The Dry Valleys in Antarctica are the driest places on earth. With such low humidity and moisture on this portion of the continent, snow and ice cannot even accumulate, which leaves the valleys as just a dusty expanse of dirt.
Interesting Facts About Antarctica
This Leaves the Dry Valley with the inability to form ice and so is nothing but a vast expanse of dusty land and dirt. That is impossible to maintain. This leaves the area in a nearly constant sandstorm as the wind in the region is referred to as a katabatic wind that forms nowhere else on earth.
This wind is caused when extremely cold temperatures moved down a slope and into the valley. Forcing the speed of the wind to build up and reach some of the highest wind speeds ever recorded in the world. Maintaining an average speed of 200 miles per hour the entire year.
3. Dinosaurs Once Inhabited in Antarctica
Surely, after the expedition that incurred the fossils of ancient trees in the region, researchers were obsessed with uncovering proof of larger life throughout the area. Back in 2010, researchers used techniques in Explosives and large-scale blasting to blow out layers of surface rock against the Antarctic mountainsides to uncover possible fossil layers buried deep beneath the glaciers throughout the area.
After several months of searching and mining for fossils, the research team uncovered exactly what they were hoping to find. It appeared that fossils of ancient dinosaurs inhabiting the region millions of years in the past. Roughly around the same time of the Permian Extinction were uncovered after going down past the layers of the Glacial Strait in the region.
Interestingly enough bones of another strange creature have been uncovered that is believed to be that of a species of dinosaur never before found. According to their reports, the paleontologists accompanying the research team discovered a densely packed grouping of fossils belonging to different types of dinosaurs, referred to as sauropods. Sauropod skulls are usually Very rare to find in other areas as they were very delicate during the life of the creature. and so a completely intact skull is rare to find in one complete fossilized piece.
luckily for the team amongst the densely packed fossils were that of bones of ribs vertebrae arms legs and a completely intact skull many of these bones have already been rendered incomplete 3d imaging technologies that will help to preserve their finds for all of the time.
4. The International Land
Antarctica is the only place in the world that anyone can visit without the need to supply a travel visa or passport of any kind. making it the only international neutral zone in the entire world. this is due to the fact that the first real attempts at construction on the continent were made by research scientists who were privately funded or had some sort of means to make their way to the Icy Continent.
These research scientists came from all around the world and were only interested in one thing science and discovery. due to this passion, the original research development teams came together and formed the Antarctic Treaty. It was a required pact that made it impossible for anyone to make claims of territory and enforces open knowledge for everyone.
It is due to this treaty that governments from around the world refuse to even participate in any developments onto the icy continent and fear that their equipment technology and infrastructure would just be stolen. reverse-engineered or completely destroyed by other governments upholding the treaty so until an independent third party with private funding puts in the initiative to investigate these strange sites and satellite images there will be no further discoveries or breakthroughs made.
This fear is mostly due to the fact that given the area is being deemed as An international neutral zone. every government retains the right to complete access to a research base that is constructed in the area. this essentially means that if the United States developed a research base the Chinese government can send scientists to the research base that must be allowed unfettered access across the entire research outpost as well as access to all research uncovered by the outpost itself. regardless of whom constructed or funded the development of the research and the base.
5. Forests on the Continent
It is believed by many different researchers from around the world that the continent of Antarctica was once Inhabited with that of a lush and green forest surrounding the entire area. Evidence of this can be found when looking at a team of archeologists and researchers that led an expedition in Antarctica in November of 2016. That lasted for several months ending in January of 2017.
The team found shocking evidence of lush forests in the region. After locating and identifying several different traces of fertile growing lands areas of climate change in the past as well as large amounts of fossil fragments from ancient trees that dated as far back as more than 260 million years.
6. Center Of Numerous Conspiracy Theories
Given the lack of a permanent population on the continent and the overall difficulties to reach the area this has caused more than enough conspiracy theories to form relative to the area. despite these conspiracy theories, further research into the area is completely stunted of which only helps to build more mysteries. Yet to be uncovered.
A number of these conspiracy theories include claims from The Flat Earth community that believes the continent to be nothing more than an ice wall surrounding the planet. As well as claims from the Hollow Earth community believing the area to house a massive hole that can reach down into the center of the earth. interestingly enough that also appears to be a number of conspiracy theories originating in Japan, after several Japanese research vessels visited the location as well as other whaling ships and reported strange Humanoid like creatures inhabiting the area.
According to reports, Japanese crew members observe what appear to be huge giants stretching out in the ocean, humanoid in appearance, as they reach the continent of Antarctica. These monsters are described as being between 20 and 30 meters long and entirely white in color.
Others have said that the monster was first mistaken for a big submarine in the distance before closer inspection revealed hands, fingers, eyes, and a mouth.
This led to the name of the Ningún by the Japanese crew whereas others simply refer to these creatures as the Antarctic humans to this day not a single image of the creature has surfaced and it continues to be a mystery of the Japanese crews that experienced these occurrences on a nearly daily basis.
But what do you’ll think of these 6 strange facts surrounding the continent of Antarctica that many have not yet been made aware of? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below and be sure to share your answers and share insightful comments about the nature of these topics.
