What Ayles Us

The news may have broken over the holidays, but the collapse of the 40-square-mile Ayles Ice Shelf in the Canadian Arctic actually occurred in August of 2005. That comes as some relief, as it was truly alarming to think that ice sheets in the Arctic were giving way during Winter. Considering the presently balmy conditions in the Northeast, however, it sounded halfway plausible. Go here for everything you ever wanted to know about the (belatedly) headline-grabbing event. The ice shelf was dated back at least 3,000 years. It took less than an hour to collapse.