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(Top) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Coordinates: 77°28′S 162°31′E

Climate
"Dry Valleys" redirects here. For other uses, see Dry valley.
Geology
Life The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of largely snow-free valleys in Antarctica, located within Victoria Land
west of McMurdo Sound.[1] The Dry Valleys experience extremely low humidity and surrounding mountains
Major geographic features
prevent the flow of ice from nearby glaciers. The rocks here are granites and gneisses, and glacial tills dot
Valleys this bedrock landscape, with loose gravel covering the ground. It is one of the driest places on Earth and
Glaciers has not seen rain for nearly two million years.[2]

Wright Valley The region is one of the world's most extreme deserts, and includes many features including Lake Vida, a
Taylor Valley saline lake, and the Onyx River, a meltwater stream and Antarctica's longest river. Although no living
organisms have been found in the permafrost here, endolithic photosynthetic bacteria have been found Map of the McMurdo Sound and the
Lakes
living in the relatively moist interior of rocks, and anaerobic bacteria, with a metabolism based on iron and Dry Valleys
Former lakes sulfur, live under the Taylor Glacier.
Rivers
The valleys are located within the McMurdo Valleys Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA-2).[3]
Other

See also Climate [ edit ]

Further reading The Dry Valleys are so named because of their extremely low humidity and lack of snow or ice cover. They
References are also dry because, in this location, the mountains are sufficiently high that they block seaward-flowing ice
from the East Antarctic Ice Sheet from reaching the Ross Sea. At 4,800 square kilometres (1,900 sq mi), the
External links
valleys constitute around 0.03% of the continent and form the largest ice-free region in Antarctica. The
valley floors are covered with loose gravel, in which ice wedge polygonal patterned ground may be
observed.[4]

The unique conditions in the Dry Valleys are caused, in part, by katabatic winds; these occur when cold,
Location of valleys (indicated by red
dense air is pulled downhill by the force of gravity. The winds can reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph), dot) within the Ross Dependency
heating as they descend and evaporating all water, ice and snow.[5] The dry wind evaporates the snow
rapidly and little melts into the soil. During the summer, this process can take only hours.

Another important factor is a lack of precipitation. Precipitation averages around 100 millimetres (4 in) per
year over a century of records, all in the form of snow. This contributes to the low humidity of the area.[6]

For several weeks in the summer, the temperature increases enough to allow for glacial melt, which causes
small freshwater streams to form.[7] These streams feed the lakes at the base of the valleys, which do not
have outflow to the sea, causing them to become highly saline.

Geology [ edit ]

The McMurdo Oasis constitutes approximately 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) of "deglaciated
mountainous desert", according to McKelvey, bounded by the coastline of south Victoria Land and the Polar
Plateau. The Taylor and Wright Valleys are major ice-free valleys within the Transantarctic Mountains.
These "dry valleys" include hummocky moraines, with frozen lakes, saline ponds, sand dunes, and
meltwater streams. Basement rocks include the Late Precambrian or Early Palaeozoic Skelton Group
metamorphic rocks, primarily the Asgard Formation, which is a medium-high-grade marble and calc schist.
The Palaeozoic Granite Harbour intrusives include granitoid plutons and dykes, which intruded into the
metasedimentary Skelton Group in the Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician during the Ross orogeny. The Map showing the delineation of the
basement complex is overlain by the Jurassic Beacon Supergroup, which is itself intruded by Ferrar Dolerite McMurdo Valleys Antarctic Specially
Managed Area (ASMA-2)
sheets and sills. The McMurdo Volcanic Group intrudes, or is interbedded with, the Taylor and Wright
Valleys' moraines as basaltic cinder cones and lava flows. These basalts have ages between 2.1 and 4.4
Ma. The Dry Valley Drilling Project (1971–75) determined the Pleistocene layer within the Taylor Valley was
between 137 and 275 m thick, and composed of interbedded sandstones, pebble conglomerates, and
laminated silty mudstones. This Pleistocene layer disconformably overlies Pliocene and Miocene
diamictites.[8][9]

Life [ edit ]
McMurdo Dry Valleys, Landsat 7
Endolithic bacteria have been found living in the Dry Valleys, sheltered from the dry air in the relatively moist imagery acquired on December 18,
interior of rocks. Summer meltwater from the glaciers provides the primary source of soil nutrients.[10] 1999.

Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps the closest of any terrestrial environment to the planet Mars,
and thus an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life.[citation needed]

Anaerobic bacteria whose metabolism is based on iron and sulfur live in sub-freezing temperatures under
the Taylor Glacier.

It was previously thought that algae were staining the red ice emerging at Blood Falls but it is now known
that the staining is caused by high levels of iron oxide.[11][12]

Canadian and American researchers conducted a field expedition in 2013 to University Valley in order to
examine the microbial population and to test a drill designed for sampling on Mars in the permafrost of the
driest parts of the valleys, the areas most analogous to the Martian surface. They found no living organisms
in the permafrost, the first location on the planet visited by humans with no active microbial life.[13]

In 2014, drones were used in the McMurdo Dry Valleys by a team of scientists from Auckland University of
Technology (AUT) to create baseline maps of the vegetation. In 2015, the New Zealand Antarctic Research ASTER image of the Dry Valleys.
Institute granted funding to AUT to develop methods for operating unmanned aerial vehicles. Over
successive summer seasons in Antarctica, the AUT team created three dimensional maps with sub-
centimeter resolution, which are now used as baselines.[14]

Part of the Valleys was designated an environmentally protected area in 2004.

Major geographic features [ edit ]

Valleys [ edit ]

Alatna Valley (sometimes incorrectly spelled Atlanta Valley)[15] is the northernmost, north of Benson Mummified seal carcass

Glacier.

From north to south, the three main valleys are

Victoria Valley (between St. Johns Range in the north and Olympus Range in the south)
Wright Valley (between Olympus Range in the north and Asgard Range in the south)
Taylor Valley (between Asgard Range in the north and Kukri Hills in the south)

West of Victoria Valley are, from north to south,

Barwick Valley
Field camp of scientists during the
Balham Valley Antarctic summer, c. 1965
McKelvey Valley

Stretching south from Balham Valley are, from west to east:

Priscu Valley
Wall Valley
Virginia Valley
Stuiver Valley

West of Taylor Valley is

Pearse Valley (sometimes incorrectly spelled Pearce Valley).

Further south, between Royal Society Range in the west and the west coast of McMurdo Sound at the lobe of Koettlitz Glacier are, from north to
south:

Garwood Valley
Marshall Valley
Miers Valley

Glaciers [ edit ]

Clark

Wright Valley [ edit ]

Wright Upper
Wright Lower

Taylor Valley [ edit ]

Rhone
Suess
Hughes
Taylor
Canada
Commonwealth
Howard
Doran

Lakes [ edit ]

Some of the lakes of the Dry Valleys rank among the world's most saline lakes, with a higher salinity than Lake Assal or the Dead Sea. The most
saline of all is small Don Juan Pond.

Lake Vida (Victoria Valley)

Lake Thomas (Victoria Valley)
Lake Vanda (Wright Valley)
Lake Brownworth (Wright Valley) (freshwater)
Don Juan Pond (Wright Valley)
Lake Fryxell (Taylor Valley)
Lake Hoare (Taylor Valley)
Lake Chad (Taylor Valley)
Parera Pond (Taylor Valley) (freshwater)
Lake Bonney (Taylor Valley)
Lake Joyce (Pearse Valley)
Lake Garwood (Garwood Valley)
Lake Miers (Miers Valley)

Former lakes [ edit ]

Lake Washburn (Taylor Valley)

Rivers [ edit ]

Kite Stream (Victoria Valley)

Onyx River (Wright Valley)
Doran Stream (Taylor Valley)
Vincent Creek (Taylor Valley)
Crescent Stream (Taylor Valley)
Harnish Creek (Taylor Valley)
Huey Creek (Taylor Valley)
Lost Seal Stream (Taylor Valley)

Other [ edit ]

Blood Falls, a feature caused by iron oxide causing a coloured water outflow from Taylor Glacier into West Lake Bonney
Gargoyle Ridge, a ridge of eroded exposed rocks in Wright Valley
Airdevronsix Icefalls, a set of icefalls at the head of Wright Upper Glacier
Battleship Promontory, a sandstone promontory in Alatna Valley

See also [ edit ]

Peter Doran
John Charles Priscu
Cristina Takacs-Vesbach

Further reading [ edit ]

Fountain, Andrew G.; Lyons, W. Berry; Burkins, Melody B.; Dana, Gayle L.; Doran, Peter T.; Lewis, Karen J.; McKnight, Diane M.; Moorhead,
Daryl L.; Parsons, Andrew N.; Priscu, John C.; Wall, Diana H.; Wharton, Robert A.; Virginia, Ross A. (1999). "Physical Controls on the Taylor
Valley Ecosystem, Antarctica" . BioScience. 49 (12): 961–971. doi:10.2307/1313730 . JSTOR 1313730 .
Highfield, Roger (4 August 2008). "Lost world frozen 14m years ago found in Antarctica" . The Telegraph.
Hoffman, Matthew J.; Fountain, Andrew G.; Liston, Glen E. (2017). "Near-surface internal melting: a substantial mass loss on Antarctic Dry
Valley glaciers" (PDF). Journal of Glaciology. 60 (220): 361–374. doi:10.3189/2014JoG13J095 .
Meekins, Jeannie (2013). Robinson, Jennifer (ed.). The Bleeding Glacier of Antarctica: A Strange But True Tale . Learning Island.

References [ edit ]

1. ^ Rejcek, Peter (29 November 2007). "In the cold of the night" . The
Antarctic Sun. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
2. ^ Cain, Fraser (2008-06-12). "What is the Driest Place on Earth?"
Universe Today. Retrieved 2021-04-12.
3. ^ "ASMA 2: Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Southern Victoria Land" . Secretariat
of the Antarctic Treaty. Archived from the original on 2013-08-14.
4. ^ Bockheim, J. G. (2002). "Landform and Soil Development in the
McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: A Regional Synthesis" . Arctic,
Antarctic, and Alpine Research. 34 (3): 308–317. doi:10.2307/1552489
JSTOR 1552489 . V.; Farquhar, James; Schrag, Daniel P.; Anbar, Ariel D.; Priscu, John C.;
5. ^ Lloyd, John; Mitchinson, John (2006). The Book of General Ignorance.
Faber & Faber.
6. ^ Hund, Andrew J. (2014). Antarctica and the Arctic Circle: A Geographic
Encyclopedia of the Earth's Polar Regions . ABC-CLIO. p. 74.
ISBN 9781610693936. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
7. ^ "NASA: McMurdo Dry Valleys" . NASA Earth Observatory. NASA. 26
January 2002. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
8. ^ McKelvey, B.C. (1991). Tingey, Robert (ed.). The Cainozoic glacial
record in south Victoria Land: a geological evaluation of the McMurdo
Sound drilling projects, in The Geology of Antarctica. Oxford: Clarendon
Press. pp. 434–454. ISBN 0198544677.
9. ^ Adams, C.J.; Whitla, P.F. (1991). Thomson, M.R.A.; Crame, J.A.;
10. ^ Barrett, J. E.; Virginia, R. A.; Lyons, W. B.; McKnight, D. M.; Priscu, J.
C.; Doran, P. T.; Fountain, A. G.; Wall, D. H.; Moorhead, D. L. (2007-03-
. 01). "Biogeochemical stoichiometry of Antarctic Dry Valley
ecosystems" . Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 112
(G1): G01010. Bibcode:2007JGRG..112.1010B .
doi:10.1029/2005JG000141 . ISSN 2156-2202 .
11. ^ Timmer, John (16 April 2009). "Ancient, frozen ecosystem produces
blood-red ice flows" . Ars Technica. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
. 12. ^ Mikucki, Jill A.; Pearson, Ann; Johnston, David T.; Turchyn, Alexandra
Lee, Peter A. (17 April 2009). "A Contemporary Microbially Maintained
Subglacial Ferrous "Ocean" ". Science. 324 (5925): 397–400.
Bibcode:2009Sci...324..397M . doi:10.1126/science.1167350 .
PMID 19372431 . S2CID 44802632 .
13. ^ Goordial, Jacqueline; Davila, Alfonso; Lacelle, Denis; Pollard, Wayne;
Marinova, Margarita M.; Greer, Charles W.; DiRuggiero, Jocelyn; McKay,
Christopher P.; Whyte, Lyle G. (19 January 2016). "Nearing the cold-arid
limits of microbial life in permafrost of an upper dry valley, Antarctica" .
The ISME Journal. 10 (7): 1613–1624. doi:10.1038/ismej.2015.239 .
PMC 4918446 . PMID 27323892 .
14. ^ "Mapping biodiversity in a changing Antarctica". Antarctic Magazine, NZ
Antarctic Society. 37: 20–21. 2019. ISSN 0003-5327 .

Thomson, J.W. (eds.). Precambrian ancestry of the Asgard Formation 15. ^ "Map A: Map of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Area" (PDF) (Map).

(Skelton Group): Rb-Sr age of basement metamorphic rocks in the Dry Antarctica New Zealand. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-03-

Valley region, Antarctica, in Geological Evolution of Antarctica. 27.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 129–135.
ISBN 9780521372664.

External links [ edit ]

Special Report: The McMurdo Dry Valleys , Antarctic Sun, January 26, 2003, 7–21. Wikimedia Commons has
Virtual Tour of the Dry Valleys media related to McMurdo Dry
Valleys.
A long-term ecological research group is working in the area.
Pictures from the Dry Valleys
Satellite images
Dry Valleys low altitude aerial videos

· · Antarctic Specially Managed Areas [show]

Authority control [show]

Categories: McMurdo Dry Valleys Valleys of Antarctica Valleys of Victoria Land Transantarctic Mountains
Antarctic Specially Managed Areas Landforms of Victoria Land Oases of Antarctica Victoria Land

This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 15:58 (UTC).

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