permafrost: Quick Facts

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Nov. 9, 2026

News •

New company wants to stop northern permafrost slumps with special blanket • Nov. 3, 2026, 8:37 AM ET (CBC)

Facts

Also Known As	ground ice

Photos and Videos

Taymyr Peninsula

subarctic and Arctic regions

thermokarst and melting permafrost

Diagram comparing open-system and closed-system pingos, showing cross-sections of dome-shaped hills formed in permafrost. The left side illustrates open-system pingo formation with artesian pressure pushing water upward beneath discontinuous permafrost, forming an ice lens and raising the ground. The right side shows closed-system pingo formation, where advancing permafrost traps water from a residual lake, creating hydrostatic pressure that forms an ice lens and lifts the surface. Both processe

How global warming increases the likelihood of avalanches

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Topics

subsea permafrost pore ice pingo ice ice wedge ice lens dry permafrost discontinuous permafrost zone continuous permafrost stone ring stone net glacier iceberg ice in lakes and rivers sea ice polynya ice jam pack ice

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