10 Creepy Antarctica Mysteries

With each new core, we gain new knowledge about a continent that's always been shrouded in mystery. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the stranger phenomena or mysteries involving the desolate, icy desert that is Antarctica. Does it reveal not only that there are highly advanced beings living inside the Earth, but also that they are monitoring what 10. The Third Man Factor We're cheating a little here as this occurred in South Georgia, which is technically just north of Antarctica. During the last of three Antarctic expeditions between 1914 and 1917, Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew became trapped in ice for two years. During a there was an extra, unseen crew member among them, encouraging them to carry on. Other explorers and climbers, as well as ship's crews, subsequently reported similar experiences. These are often voices of encouragement or comforting presences. Psychologists now consider this to be the result of trauma, the inner creation of a soothing companion to help guide you through dark times. It's an unsettling concept nonetheless. Overwhelmed by misery and fear, some of the men broke down and wept. Number Nine. Underground Lakes In December, a British team led by Professor Seagate is going here to Lake Ellsworth in West Antarctica to probe its depths for life. Antarctica is home to a number of subglacial lakes with 675 identified so far. The largest of these lakes is Lake Vostok, housed under the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, which is approximately 1.4 miles thick. Lake Vostok's freshwater is said to have been enclosed for around 15 to 25 million years, conserving a possible array of unknown species. Shockingly, these are considered remnants of the early-ish Cenozoic Period, in which we are presently. It dates back from 66 million years ago to present, the Cenozoic Period brought with it insects, birds, and mammals, among other things. That means that beneath the ice, there may lie a variety of strange, perhaps frightening beings we can only theorize about. And now that scientists have reached Lake Vostok, exploring it should keep Number 8. Possible Civilizations The possibility of civilizations in the Antarctic region seems unimaginable. However, there are some who believe it possible. The only piece of evidence indicating the presence of a settlement in Antarctica is a hand-drawn map by Ottoman cartographer and admiral Piri Reis in 1513. The partial map was discovered in 1929 and further studied by a retired U.S. Navy admiral in the 1950s, among others. Some theorize that the map depicts an ice-free Antarctica, which is heavily disputed. Others theorize that Atlantis was once thriving in Antarctica before it was covered with ice. Again, this is all heavily disputed by a number of scientists and experts, but you can't deny the eeriness of an entire civilization encased in kilometers of ice. Number 7. Fata Morgana Fata Morgana is a fancy name for mirage. We're accustomed to seeing or associating mirages with heat, as in deserts or hot roads in the summertime. However, they do occur in conditions of extreme cold. They're caused by rays of light bending through layers of differing temperatures. In Antarctica, mirages are fairly common, but that doesn't make them any less unsettling. Anything visible that isn't really there is normally the premise for horror films, right? One Navy admiral recalled seeing a mountain peak appear and disappear into the ether, growing taller with each reappearance. There's a fantastical element to such phenomena, an almost dreamlike wonder. Naturally, there's also the tinfoil hat side that suggests mirages are actually disappearing UFOs. Thoughts? Number 6. Dead Bodies The oldest remnants found in the frozen continent are believed to be around 175 years old, a skull and femur belonging to a Chilean woman in her 20s. Chile is more than 600 miles away from the location of the bones, which raises many unanswered questions. British explorer Robert Falcon Scott's 1912 expedition to Antarctica became stranded in blizzards and harsh conditions. One member, Lawrence Oates, left the tent and never returned, believing himself to be a burden. In 1982, three explorers were stranded on an island after the ice they'd crossed over became unstable. The men were visible by telescope, but unreachable. They perished, their bodies never found. There are, of course, many other stories of dead bodies who are likely lost forever. Number 5. The Maudry's Polonia For the past 50 years, a large hole has formed and reclosed occasionally in Antarctica's Weddell Sea. The hole was last described as being the size of Switzerland and was a mystery to scientists until recently. It's called the Maudry's Polonia. A polonia is open water surrounded by ice, and it baffled scientists since it was first noticed in the 1970s, until around 2017 when an explanation was proposed. The rift, when present, sits atop Maud Rise, an underwater mountain. The explanation for its formation isn't as fantastical as we'd probably like, it has to do with changes in the ocean's currents, among other things. But a large, country-sized hole in the ice, leading to the blackest depths of nowhere, is definitely unsettling. Number 4. A Song of Ice The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest of its kind, a body of ice that rises up to 200 feet and stretches about 500 miles in length. It sits in the Ross Sea, a landmark for explorers. Oh, and it sings. In the mid to late 2010s, scientists made an interesting, albeit kind of eerie discovery. I keep saying in my head, everything will be fine, don't worry about it. But it's not you that makes the decisions here at Syntactica. After performing seismic research on the structure, it was found that the top layer of the ice shelf is constantly vibrating due to shifts in weather. This vibration creates a low hum, inaudible to the human ear at only 5 hertz. The tune of this affectionately named song varies slightly with changes in temperatures and conditions. A lonely, icy wasteland with its own secret theme song. Sounds a bit like a didgeridoo. It's got a very interesting tone to it. Number 3. Unusual Creatures Antarctica is home to over 230 species of wildlife. Some are easily recognizable, emperor penguins, elephant seals, and hourglass dolphins. Others are a little more off-putting, mainly the species found underwater. Recently discovered in 2005, the yeti crab is a type of squat crustacean, meaning it has flattened vertebrae. One researcher says the temperature of the water near the Antarctic vents is comparable to water found in the warm tropics. They are hairy, covered in bristles that enable them to gather and consume bacteria. They have an uncanny resemblance to a facehugger wearing furry chaps. Appropriately named ice fish are very prominent in Antarctic waters, with a recent discovery finding 60 million nests in the depths. The male yeti crabs are larger than females and stay closest to the vents to apparently feed on communities of bacteria on their hairline bellies. Oh, and they have colorless blood, so that's creepy. Toothfish are another staple of the frigid waters. Their bodies contain a sort of antifreeze, which prevents their blood from freezing. Handy. 2. Nazis, Aliens, and the Lost City of Atlantis Antarctica is a fertile breeding ground for conspiracy theories. We've already mentioned the belief that Atlantis lies beneath the ice. Others believe it was once inhabited by aliens and have claimed multiple UFO sightings, either in person or on Google Earth. There's also talk of a secret Nazi base in Antarctica, though this is highly debated. Hitler did send an expedition to claim a part of the continent for German whaling, but the project was never completed. Regardless, some believe that a secret bunker was established and that escaping perpetrators took refuge there after the war, perhaps even Hitler himself. This belief was reignited in 2023 when Google Earth sleuths found what appeared to be a hidden entrance in an ice shelf. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into settings and switch on your is pretty unsettling. When flowing, the water remains liquid due to its hypersalination. Which lowers the freezing point. The flow is mostly present in winter, which puzzles researchers. Oh, and on top of that, the blood water contains life, microorganisms that feed on its components. A microscopic life riddled blood waterfall. Not creepy at all. You'll notice that a lot of the rocks are dyed a dark red color and that's because there's iron in those rocks and that iron oxidizes or rust. Which of these do you find the most intriguing? Let us know in the comments. Whenever there's a pressure change by a movement of the glacier, something happens and sometimes blood falls squirts out. Sometimes it doesn't.