Latest news with #BaffinIsland
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Mount Thor: The mountain with Earth's longest vertical drop
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. QUICK FACTS Name: Mount Thor Location: Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada Coordinates: 66.53333154734997, -65.31666661096878 Why it's incredible: Mount Thor is home to Earth's largest vertical drop. Mount Thor is a remote mountain in Canada with the largest vertical drop in the world. The mountain is just under 5,500 feet (1,675 meters) tall — but its most striking feature is its west face, which is so steep that it actually curves back on itself. An object falling from the top of Mount Thor's western cliff would plummet 4,100 feet (1,250 m) before hitting anything. If a human were to jump off the summit and not deploy a parachute, they would remain in the air for a terrifying 26 seconds. Mount Thor's west face has an average angle of 105 degrees, which means that the mountain has an overhang of 15 degrees. The western face is, as a Facebook post put it, "steeper than vertical" — making the mountain look like it was cleaved unevenly in half. Mount Thor is named after the Norse god of thunder. It is located on Baffin Island, the largest island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Related: Savonoski Crater: The mysterious, perfectly round hole in Alaska that scientists can't explain MORE INCREDIBLE PLACES —Mount Washington: Home to 'the world's worst weather' with record wind speeds of 231 mph —North America's 'broken heart': The billion-year-old scar from when the continent nearly ripped apart —Mount Roraima: The 'lost world' isolated for millions of years that Indigenous people call the 'house of the gods' The mountain sits on the eastern edge of the Canadian Shield, a massive geological formation with rocks that are at least 1 billion years old. But the peak belongs to the Arctic Cordillera mountain range, which stretches from Ellesmere Island to Labrador. Mount Thor is made of solid granite that formed between 3.5 billion and 570 million years ago. The mountain was carved over millennia by glaciers, whose repeated advance and retreat between 18,000 and 1,500 years ago eroded the west face into the C-shape we see today. Despite its remote location, Mount Thor is a popular destination for rock climbers. American astrophysicist Lyman Spitzer and his mountaineering partner Donald Morton made the first recorded ascent of Mount Thor in 1965, but the first ascent of the mountain's west face wasn't until 1985 — and that took 33 days. Discover more incredible places, where we highlight the fantastic history and science behind some of the most dramatic landscapes on Earth. Solve the daily Crossword
Globe and Mail
03-07-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
Nunavut declares years-long tuberculosis outbreaks over
Nunavut's health department declared an end to years-long tuberculosis outbreaks in two Baffin Island communities on Thursday. Pangnirtung, a hamlet 45 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle, had the largest outbreak of TB in the territory in at least seven years. The outbreak was declared in November, 2021, and resulted in 47 active TB cases and 225 latent or 'sleeping' infections, which are asymptomatic and non-contagious. The outbreak in Pond Inlet, located on the northern tip of Baffin Island, was declared in March, 2023. A total of 13 active and 117 sleeping cases, which can turn into potentially fatal active TB disease, were confirmed over the two-year period. Ekua Agyemang, Nunavut's chief public health officer, said an outbreak, according to Canadian standards, can be declared over when there have been no new, active cases identified over two incubation periods, which is roughly two years. She said it is 'exciting news' to finally announce an end to the two outbreaks. 'It shows the resilience of the community and their willingness to come together to work with us, as well as our partners, NTI (the territorial Inuit organization), and everyone else who has been supportive during this journey,' Dr. Agyemang said. TB is a contagious bacterial disease that can be fatal if left untreated. While TB is rare in most of Canada, it disproportionately affects Inuit communities. In 2023, the rate of TB among Inuit peoples was over 37 times that of the overall Canadian population. The majority of Nunavut's population is Inuit. From the archives | How a Nunavut hamlet's tuberculosis outbreak unfolded without adequate government support Dr. Agyemang said early identification and treatment was key to slowing spread and eventually ending the outbreaks. She said part of this effort required training for health care workers so they could recognize, test and treat TB. A community-wide screening program also took place in the fall of 2023. Community engagement played an important role as well, part of which focused on breaking down stigma and fear of TB due to Canada's history of TB sanatoriums and colonial violence, Dr. Agyemang said. 'Getting people to talk about it, getting survivors to talk about it, getting people who have had the treatment to talk about it, went a long way to break down the stigma, the fear, and encourage people to be to be screened,' she said. The federal government vowed in 2018, during the major territorial outbreak in Qikiqtarjuaq, to eliminate TB in Inuit communities by 2030. The outbreak in Pangnirtung, south of Qikiqtarjuaq and home to roughly 1,500 people, was the largest publicly reported outbreak since. A Globe and Mail investigation published in June, 2022, found that front-line nurses in Pangnirtung were begging for help the previous summer as TB cases multiplied, and as senior health officials dragged their feet on publicly declaring an outbreak. There are still active outbreaks in Nunavut – in Naujaat, located at the northern end of Hudson Bay, and Arviat, on its western shore. Dr. Agyemang said the strategies used in Pangnirtung and Pond Inlet are being replicated in those areas. She said while the outbreak is considered over in both of the Baffin Island communities, meaning there is little risk of TB transmission, surveillance will continue. This includes through preschool, Grade 6 and employment screening programs. 'We only know what we know,' Dr. Agyemang said. 'There are people in the community that over the course of the two years, four years, never came into contact with the health care centre and might have TB. We don't know about them but we know that we've done our due diligence.'
Globe and Mail
26-05-2025
- Globe and Mail
Looking back at King Charles's royal visits to Canada
In photos The country has changed plenty since his first visit in 1970 and so has the King Temur Durrani The Globe and Mail Published 46 minutes ago Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles arrive at Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island during a visit to Canada in July, view this content.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Female skier is dragged from her tent and mauled by a polar bear on Arctic island
A female skier was mauled by a polar bear after the animal dragged her from her tent in the middle of the night in the Canadian Arctic. The unnamed woman had been camping at Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island when she was attacked last month. Other visitors sleeping in tents close by came to her assistance after hearing her screams. One individual directly intervened and stopped the attack, according to local media, and administered first aid on the woman. She was then transported to the Summit Lake emergency shelter in the Akshayuk Pass before being taken by snow machine to the nearby community of Pangnirtung. The victim was released following a medical examination, but details regarding the severity of her injuries remain unclear. The polar bear was identified as a young female with a broken jaw. The animal's injury would have affected its ability to hunt, likely contributing to its aggressive behaviour, Explorers Web reported. Parks Canada killed the polar bear after considering the animal a continued threat. The animal's carcass was given to local hunters, who used its parts for clothing and food. A similar incident in the Arctic also took place last month, after a lumbering polar bear was seen charging after a man. A harrowing clip from the island of Svalbard shows the moment one brazen creature chased after a Russian mining manager, who can be heard shouting 'No! Go away!' at the nearing bear. The bear was seen just feet away from the lucky Russian as a snowmobile came to his dramatic rescue. While bears are not active predators of humans, they will attack if especially hungry or threatened. Only last year, two polar bears killed a worker at a remote Arctic radar station in Canada's Nunavut territory.
