Which mechanism causes thermokarst formation when permafrost thaws under impermeable layers disrupting landscape stability?

💡 Explanation

When permafrost thaws under impermeable layers, differential settlement results because the previously frozen ground compacts unevenly as ice volume decreases, creating thermokarst depressions. Therefore differential settlement results, rather than cryostatic pressure, reduced albedo, or hindered convection all of which do not require ground thaw with impermeable layers.

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