There is so much that we don't know yet about our planet, Earth. This is especially true when it comes to places which are remote, hard to reach and where the climate is harsh and uninviting. That makes Antarctica one of the most mysterious places on Earth - it's an icy, remote, desolate desert with many secrets that are yet to be unraveled. The continent is so large that it may seem that scientists are just beginning to explore its vast territories and hidden treasures.
One internet user has compiled a list of the most interesting facts about Antarctica.
其实，我们对于自己生活的星球（地球）还了解甚少，尤其是那些因偏僻、难以到达或气候恶劣而不引人注意的地方。这也使得南极洲成为了地球最神秘的地方之一，这片冰冷、遥远、荒凉的荒芜之地仍有很多未解之谜。这片大陆是如此辽阔，拥有着广阔的领土和隐藏着的宝藏；以至于科学家们已经探索了多年，却仍像刚刚开始一样。
一网友就列了一个南极洲“趣事”清单，快来看看吧~
1. There Are Places In Antarctica Which Haven't Received Rain Or Snow In 2 Million Years
气象学家推测，南极洲的干旱之地有近两百万年没有降过水
In Antarctica around 1% of the continent (4,000 km or 2,500 mi) is permanently ice-free–such areas are called dry valleys or Antarctic oasis. They are thought to be the world’s harshest deserts and it is estimated that these areas haven’t seen rain or snow in almost 2 million years. According to one study led by Australian scientists, due to climate change ice-free areas in Antarctica could expand up to 25% by the end of 21st century. This could drastically change the biodiversity of the continent.
南极洲大约有1%的大陆（4000公里或2500英里）永久无冰，这些地区被称之为干谷或南极绿洲。这些地区也被认为是世界上最干旱的沙漠，估计这些地区近200万年没有下过雨和雪。根据澳大利亚科学家的一项研究，由于气候变化，南极洲无冰区在21世纪末可能扩大到25%；这将极大地改变这一大陆的生物多样性。
2. There Is A Waterfall In Antarctica Which Is Called Blood Falls
南极洲有一处神奇的“血瀑布”
Don’t worry–no real blood is running there. 5 million years ago, as sea levels rose, East Antarctica was flooded and a brine lake was formed there. After millions of years, glaciers formed on top of the lake. As they froze, the water below became even saltier. Today, the subglacial lake under Blood Falls is three times saltier than seawater and, therefore, is too salty to freeze. The water beneath Taylor Glacier, which feeds the Blood Fall, contains a lot of iron (picked up from the underlying bedrock) and when iron-rich water comes in contact with air, the iron oxidizes and takes on a red coloring, leaving blood-like stains on the ice.
别担心，这里流动的可不是真正的血。500万年前，随着海平面上升，南极洲东部被洪水淹没并形成了一个盐水湖。几百万年后，湖泊顶部形成了冰川。它们一结冰，下面的水就会变得更咸。现如今，“血瀑布”下面的冰下湖要比海水咸三倍，也因为盐分太大而无法凝固。泰勒冰川下面的水滋养了“血瀑布”，其中含有大量的铁（从下面的基岩中提取得知）；当富含铁的水与空气接触时，铁会氧化并呈现红色，因而冰上会有这样血一样的痕迹。
3. 70% Percent Of World's Fresh Water Is In Antarctica
世界上70%的淡水都在南极
Around 90% of the world’s ice and 70% of the fresh water is in Antarctica. If all of the Antarctic ice melted, sea levels in the world would rise about 200 feet (61 meters).
世界上约90%的冰和70%的淡水都在南极洲。据推测，如果南极所有的冰都融化掉，海平面会上升约61米。
4. Antarctica Has No Official Time Zone
南极洲没有统一的时区
As Antarctica is mostly uninhabited, the continent is not officially divided into time zones. However, a number of existing research stations use either the time zone of the country that operates or supplies them, or use the local time of countries located nearby. For example, McMurdo Station observes New Zealand Standard Time (NZST) during standard time and New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) during the Daylight Saving Time (DST) period in New Zealand. Palmer Station (an American research station) keeps Chile Summer Time (CLST) as Chile is the closest country to their station.
由于南极洲大部分是无人居住的，所以没有被正式地划分时区。然而，一些现有的研究站使用自己国家的时区，或使用附近国家的当地时间。例如，麦克默多电台在标准时间期间观测新西兰标准时间（NZST），在新西兰夏令时（DST）期间观测新西兰夏令时（NZDT）。帕尔默站（美国研究站）使用智利夏季时间（CLST），因为智利是最接近他们的国家站。
5. The Average Ice Sheet Thickness In Antarctica Is 1 Mile
被冰覆盖的南极洲，冰层的平均厚度在1600米左右
Antarctica, the southernmost continent, is almost completely covered in a thick layer of ice (except for dry valleys, which make up around 1% of the area). The thickness of the ice sheet varies depending on the location, with the East Antarctic sheet being much thicker than the one in the West. On average, the ice is more than one mile (1.6 km) thick, but in some sections it can get as thick as almost three miles (4.8 km).
南极洲，地球最南端的大陆，几乎完全被厚厚的冰层覆盖（除了干涸的山谷，这些山谷约占该地区的1%）。冰盖的厚度因地理位置而异，南极东部的冰盖比西部要厚得多。平均来说，冰厚超过一英里（1.6公里），但在一些区域冰厚可以达到近三英里（4.8公里）。
6. The Largest Recorded Iceberg Was Bigger Than The Whole Island Of Jamaica
有记录的最大冰山比整个牙买加半岛都大（11000平方千米）
The world’s largest recorded iceberg, was Iceberg B-15, which measured around 183 miles (295 km) long and 23 miles (37 km) wide, with a surface area of 4,200 square miles (11,000 sq km) – making it larger than the whole island of Jamaica. In 2000, the Iceberg B-15 broke up into smaller icebergs and later drifted away into the sea.
世界上有记录的最大冰山是冰山B-15，它长约183英里（295公里），宽23英里（37公里），表面积4200平方英里（11000平方公里），整个牙买加半岛都大。在2000年，冰山B-15分解成了更小的冰山，后漂入大海。
7. Emilio Marcos Palma Was The First Person To Be Born In Antarctica
Emilio Marcos Palma是南极洲第一个出生的人
In 1978 Emilio Marcos Palma made history by being the first person to be born on Antarctica. His father was the head of the Argentine Army detachment at the Esperanza Research Base. Since then, ten more people have been born on the continent, but Palma’s birthplace still remains the southernmost and has featured in the Guinness Book of Records.
1978，Emilio Marcos Palma是第一个出生在南极的人，他也创造了历史。他的父亲是埃斯佩兰扎研究基地阿根廷军队支队的负责人。从那时起，这一大陆又诞生了十个人，但帕尔玛的出生地仍然是世界的最南端，并被列入吉尼斯世界纪录。
8. Mount Erebus Is One Of The Few Consistently Active Volcanoes On Earth
这里只有地球最南端的活火山，埃里伯斯山
Mount Erebus is one of the few consistently active volcanoes and the southernmost active volcano on Earth. It contains a 1,700℉ (about 927℃) lava lake, that is thought to be miles deep. Mount Erebus is always alive and bubbling, releasing gas and spitting out chunks of molten rock and feldspar crystals, rich in potassium, sodium and aluminum silicate.
埃里伯斯火山是地球上少数几个始终活跃的活火山之一，也是地球上最南端的活火山。它有一个数英里深且1700℉（约927℃）的熔岩湖。埃里伯斯火山总是充满活力，冒着气泡、释放气体、喷出大量的熔融岩石和长石晶体，其中富含钾、钠和硅酸铝。
9. Antarctica Has One ATM
南极洲有两台ATM机
The banking conglomerate Wells Fargo installed an ATM back in 1998 at McMurdo Station, the largest science hub on the continent. While it is near New Zealand territory, the ATM only dispenses US dollars.
早在1998年，富国银行集团（Wells Fargo）就在南极洲最大的科学中心麦克默多站（McMurdo Station）安装了一台自动取款机。虽然它靠近新西兰，但ATM只能分发美元。
图源：boredpanda.com
Ref：
https://www.boredpanda.com/interesting-antarctica-facts-south-pole/
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