Man Caputres ‘Floating Island Of Vegetation’ On Camera

A rare phenomenon called an active layer detachment was recently observed in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve.

A rare phenomenon called an active layer detachment was recently observed in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve. 

A video of the event, which was uploaded to the park’s Facebook page, shows patches of land, vegetation and all, sliding downward. 

The post explains the movement of the surface layer is facilitated by “a thawing underlying permafrost layer.” 

The footage was taken by Brian Howard with Northern Arizona University which has been collaborating with the National Park Service to investigate an area of Denali that was burned in a 2013 wildfire. 

The slide is believed to be “related to the effects of fire in degrading permafrost and killing tree roots…” 

However, researchers suspect warmer-than-normal temperatures and increased precipitation are also likely exacerbating the situation. 

Man Caputres ‘Floating Island Of Vegetation’ On… GeoBeats