Popular ice cave collapses near Haines Junction, Yukon
The Kluane ice cave, a popular attraction near Haines Junction, Yukon, has collapsed.
Jeff Bond, a geologist with the Yukon Geological Survey, estimates the large ice formation caved in within the last few days.
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Judging by a photo of the collapse posted to Twitter, Bond said it looks like parts of the cave slid downstream after the collapse, and that ice will likely break down further over the next little while.
"This was always going to be its fate," Bond said of the ice cave that was once part of a glacier.
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"There was lots of indications this spring that things were weakening up there, and yeah, this was definitely expected."
The CBC's Philippe Morin caught some of that activity on camera in March.
Thursday morning, Yukon RCMP said they had no reports of anyone inside or near the ice cave when it collapsed. Haines Junction is about 150 kilometres west of Whitehorse.
Once a little-known gem off the Alaska Highway, the ice cave had become a popular tourist attraction in recent years.
But visiting it was risky.
Ice caves are always temporary, Bond told CBC News in April 2018, after the Geological Survey warned visitors to keep out of this one.
