# Lake in Northwest Territories about to fall off a cliff **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 25, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123 "2015-07-25T00:33:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123/1 "2015-07-25T00:33:25Z")
There is a doomed lake in the Northwest Territories which will fall off a cliff soon. The record temperatures in the NWT have been melting the permafrost and the cliff close to the lake has been gradually slumping down. There’s only a short width of cliff still holding up the lake. When it slumps, the lake will flood down the cliff. Good picture in this article: > **[Vancouver Sun](https://vancouversun.com/?id=11233971)** > > Read latest breaking news, updates, and headlines. Vancouver Sun offers information on latest national and international events & more. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123/2 "2015-07-25T00:59:01Z")
This is happening all over the Arctic, exacerbated by melting permafrost and higher sea levels. [Here’s a picture from Shishmaref, Alaska](http://alaskaconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Shishmaref-home-lost-to-erosion.jpg). Entire villages have had to be relocated due to these effects. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123/3 "2015-07-25T16:25:37Z")
I’m curious how long it will be until the cliff collapses. I assume it will be one of those things that happens almost immediately once there’s a breach in the cliff? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123/4 "2015-07-25T18:05:35Z")
The optimist in me says you’re not losing a lake, you’re gaining a _waterfall!_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123/5 "2015-07-25T18:58:11Z")
For a very short time but no doubt spectacular for a minute! ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123/6 "2015-07-26T13:20:42Z")
Not a good time to be taking subsoil samples IMEIO ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-in-northwest-territories-about-to-fall-off-a-cliff/726123/7 "2015-07-26T13:51:08Z")
I’d expect surfers to be hanging around waiting to catch that one big wave. Or at least some white water rafters, kayakers, or canoers. Really, how many chances are there to do something like that? Seriously, maybe they should drop some brightly colored floats down there just to track them when it breaks open.