McMurdo Dry Valleys (Antarctica)

The McMurdo Dry Valleys are a row of valleys in Antarctica located within Victoria Land west of McMurdo Sound. The terrain looks like something not of this Earth; The region includes many interesting geological features including Lake Vida and the Onyx River, Antarctica’s longest river. The valley’s floor occasionally contains a perennially frozen lake with ice several meters thick. It is also one of the world’s most extreme deserts Under the ice, in the extremely salty water, live mysterious simple organisms, a subject of on-going research. Scientists consider the Dry Valleys perhaps an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life.