When gold was discovered in Dawson City, Yukon back in the 1900’s, the town exploded. Around 40,000 people moved to the region and built homes. The town was built quickly, but not for permanent use.

Fast forward to 2021 and now several of the buildings are caving in because the permafrost underground is thawing.

Permafrost is found in places where the air is cold enough year round that the earth never fully thaws. More specifically, scientists note permafrost is any ground that remains completely frozen for a minimum of two years. But as ground temperatures rise, ice lenses, the bodies of ice formed by moisture accumulation in soil and rock, melt away and disappear. This means that the ground loses volume and structure and consequently the stability of the earth changes.

In Dawson City, there has been an increase in temperatures of over 2.4°C since 1901 and so the permafrost is shifting—similar increases are expected over the next two decades.

Back in the 1970’s, Parks Canada stepped in and purchased over 75 different historic sites in the Klondike region. In some of the structures only interior beams were added to keep people safe, yet for those buildings reminiscent of earlier days greater intervention was needed for history’s sake.

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