The Pond That Never Freezes
In one of the coldest deserts on Earth, there's a small pond that stays liquid even at minus 50 degrees.
What was reported
Don Juan Pond lies in the Wright Valley, one of Antarctica's Dry Valleys, where it almost never snows. It's a shallow pond, only a few centimetres deep, but it's the saltiest natural body of water known on Earth, many times saltier than the sea.
It was discovered in 1961 and named after the two helicopter pilots, Don Roe and John Hickey, who flew the first team there. Even in the depths of the Antarctic winter, it doesn't freeze.
Explanations offered
Its water is full of calcium chloride, which stops it freezing until temperatures drop below about minus 50°C. Scientists study it because similar salty water may exist on Mars. Where its water comes from, groundwater or moisture from the air, has been debated.
- When
- Discovered in 1961
- Where
- Wright Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
- Witnesses
- Scientists in Antarctica
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
More from Antarctica