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open-system pingo
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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
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open-system pingo

geology
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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
pingo Diagram explaining the formation of open-system and closed-system pingos.

An open-system pingo is a dome-shaped hill found in permafrost regions, formed when groundwater from an aquifer pushes up and freezes beneath the surface. These formations can reach heights of up to 90 meters (300 feet) and are characterized by a core of ice.1

Open-system pingos typically form in areas with discontinuous or thin permafrost, often on slopes where water beneath or within the permafrost penetrates it under hydrostatic pressure. This pressure causes a mound to form as the water freezes. They are commonly found in the alluvial material deposited by rivers in hilly or mountainous terrain. Rupture at the top of a pingo can expose the ice, leading to melting and the formation of a crater and lake. Pingos are indicators of climate change.12

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3 Britannica Sources
  1. pingo
  2. permafrost - Pingos
  3. pingo

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