The menace is called a permafrost slump. In the case of the Alaska Highway slump, that gateway is at a farmer’s place about a kilometre away. When the permafrost layer thaws, the layer of ground on top of it, the active layer, which perennially freezes and rethaws, may be cut loose and start to slide. Allard says he’s already been talking with the government about expanding that warning system to the other 11 communities. And it’s not a stretch to believe that the early warning system they’ve developed can be adapted to other, non-permafrost areas.

Source: The North Africa Journal November 21, 2021 18:54 UTC