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Ice breakup on the Yukon River

The exact time and date of breakup of the ice on the Yukon River has been recorded and bet on annually since 1896. A tripod is set up on the ice at Dawson upstream from Whitehorse, and connected by cable to a clock on the shore. When the ice starts moving, it takes the tripod with it and stops the clock, recording the official break up time. This year it was April 23 at 11:15 am, the earliest break-up on record. In Whitehorse the river was already starting to breakup in March.

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Uploaded on May 10, 2016
Taken on March 2, 2016