The scariest land on Earth: Two million years have never had a single drop of rain

The dry valley (Mc Murdo Valley) located in Antarctica is known as the driest place on Earth because there has been no rain for 2 million years. Scientists say that the natural conditions of this land are very similar to Mars. Even the topography of the dry valley makes people think of a planet rather than Earth.

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The dry valley covers an area of ​​4,800 square kilometers, divided into three main valleys, including Taylor, Victoria and Wright. The valley is located in Antarctica, but there is no ice, the temperature is very low. Since cold air holds 20 times less water vapor than hot air, the place is drier.

It rains but is all in the form of snow with an average rainfall of about 100mm per year. Katabatic wind - wind blowing from above, blowing down here has a speed of up to about 322km per hour. This terrifying speed can "blow away" the ice and snow of Antarctica, making the humidity here very low and snow and ice not appearing for 8 million years.

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The only ice mass that exists here is 3-5m thick and in the form of a glacier, a layer of permafrost that covers the surface of rivers and lakes. Because of the harsh conditions, Mc Murdo valley has no life, only an angelito bacteria - a bacterium that lives right in space, can survive. This land is the first place where this bacteria can survive.

Because the topography and nature in Mc Murdo Valley is similar to the surface of Mars, it was chosen as the site of many experiments by the United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Jessica Tanner

Update 27 June 2023