Research in the Transantarctica Mountains has also thrown up another geological oddity – a pond with one of the saltiest bodies of water on the planet. It is filled with a dense syrupy brine rich in sodium chloride that can remain a liquid well below the freezing point of water …
…. it measures just 100 by 300m and is just 10cm deep (yes, all of 4 inches). The pond was blieved to be fed by groundwater (somehow) but along came a study that said not possible, it was salts running downhill towards the pond, what did it. Since then NASA has become interested as the McMurdo Dry Valley in Antarctica is one of the coldest and driest locations on Earth – and they hope it will be able to answer some of the queries on the geology of Mars (which is also cold and dry). In other words, they are hoping it is fed by groundwater as that might provide some evidence for the same thing occurring on Mars – and humans will be on the way to colonise the red planet. If the pond is caused by salts flowing downhill aimed at the pond it will be interesting – but not interesting enough to excite NASA. See https://phys.org/print429984033.html