On the surface, it looks like something horrific is happening at Antarctica's Blood Falls. Only recently, it's been discovered that there's more happening here than just a chemical reaction that turns salty water into a substance that's the color of blood.

Scientists have been studying the complex Blood Falls for years, but a recent study has found more information about the origins of this discoloration. And as the study discovered, there is underneath all that Antarctic ice.

Here's how it all works. Water beneath the surface of East Antarctica's Taylor Glacier , according to National Geographic. When this iron-rich, oxygen-starved water finally interacts with oxygen at the surface, a chemical reaction occurs and the water turns an eerie color that resembles blood.

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Because the water under all that ice is about three times saltier than average sea water, it doesn't freeze in cold temperatures as freshwater does, National Geographic added. Therefore, microbes that are able to exist in extreme conditions have been thriving in these subsurface waters, the study found.

University of Tennessee microbiologist Jill Mikucki performed her latest study on the underground waterways by attaching an electromagnetic sensor to a helicopter and flying over the McMurdo Dry Valleys, a cold, dry region from which the Blood Falls emerge.

"We found, as expected, that there was something sourcing Blood Falls, and we found that these brines ," she told the Washington Post. "They appear to connect these surface lakes that appear separated on the ground. That means there's the potential for a much more extensive subsurface ecosystem, which I'm pretty jazzed about."

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Mikucki also said she hopes to go back and perform additional studies to learn just how widespread these underground waterways are, as well as the ecosystem sustained in this briny water.

And there's another reason why this study is so groundbreaking. It might not only affect Earth. Mars has been found to have , according to Huffington Post, and a couple of Jupiter's frozen moons are believed to contain water below the surface. It's possible that these briny bodies of water also contain microbial life, giving us a new chance to study possible life out there while never leaving Earth.

"The subsurface is actually pretty attractive when you think about life on other planets," Mikucki also told the Washington Post. "It’s cold and dark and has all these strikes against it, but it’s protected from the harsh environment on the surface."

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