Do you really know? What is permafrost?
6 snips
Feb 21, 2026 A brisk look at frozen ground that formed over millennia and covers much of the Northern Hemisphere. They explore how thawing causes sinkholes and infrastructure collapse. The conversation highlights greenhouse gas release, mercury stored in soils, and the risk of ancient pathogens reawakening. All topics are delivered in under three minutes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
What Permafrost Actually Is
- Permafrost is ground that stays frozen for two years or more and can be hundreds of thousands of years old.
- Around 24% of Northern Hemisphere land contains permafrost, mostly in Russia, Canada and Alaska.
Active Layer Thickening Causes Ground Failures
- The active layer thaws each summer and is getting thicker as the Arctic warms faster than the rest of Earth.
- Thawing softens ground causing features like huge sinkholes and structural collapse in built areas.
Siberian Towns Sinking After Thaw
- Buildings in towns founded on permafrost can deform and collapse when the frozen ground thaws and softens.
- Joseph Chance cites Naryosk in Siberia where a 2016 study found 60% of buildings were deformed and many abandoned.