For years scientists believed these liquid waterways were down there and now they have proof.
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00:00Recently, new instrumentation allowed researchers to look deep underneath the frozen surface
00:08of Antarctica.
00:09They discovered a vast network of underwater lakes and rivers snaking below the continent,
00:13and now they've discovered what they are calling Lake Snow Eagle.
00:16It resides under the largest ice sheet in the world.
00:19But perhaps surprisingly, the lake is entirely liquid.
00:23Experts have long suspected large bodies of water likely resided under the southernmost
00:26continent.
00:27This is the first verifiable proof they've been able to get, and it has both geological
00:32and historical significance.
00:33Here's what geophysicist Don Blankenship had to say about the massive find.
00:37The lake is likely to have a record of the entire history of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet,
00:42its initiation over 34 million years ago, as well as its growth and evolution across
00:46glacial cycles since then.
00:48But how does Lake Snow Eagle remain liquid?
00:51Experts say that pressure from the glaciers above them lower the water's freezing point,
00:54and the ice also protects it from cold airflow running over its surface.
00:57And Lake Snow Eagle has plenty of pressure and protection, as it was discovered two miles
01:01down under the surface of Antarctica.