Pingo Canadian Landmark, also known as Pingo National Landmark, is a natural area protecting eight pingos near Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories. It is in a coastal region of the Arctic Ocean which contains approximately 1,350 Arctic ice dome hills—approximately one quarter of the world's pingos. History The area has been a focus of scientific study for over 50 years, and research here has formed the basis of current understanding about the origin and growth of pingos. The region was first identified as a site of national significance in 1978, and landmark status was proposed. Legislation creating it in 1984 formed part of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement (officially, the Western Arctic (Inuvialuit) Claims Settlement Act (1984)). It provided for cooperative management of the Landmark between the Government of Canada, the Inuvialuit Land Administration, and the people of Tuktoyaktuk. It reserved subsurface rights for the Inuvialuit, federal jurisdiction for the surface, and that the pingos would be preserved unimpaired. Although a nationwide landmarks program was envisioned at its creation, Pingo remains the country's only National Landmark. Geography The Landmark comprises an area roughly , just west of Tuktoyaktuk, and includes Ibyuk Pingo—Canada's highest, exceeded in height only by Kadleroshilik Pingo in Alaska—at . The Landmark, which lies within the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, is managed by Parks Canada under the National Parks Act. In a region near the Beaufort Sea which is quite flat, pingos dominate the skyline, rising from , in various stages of growth and collapse. Ibyuk Pingo, the highest, continues to grow about per year, and is estimated to be at least 1,000 years old. Unique to areas of permafrost, pingos have formed here thanks to numerous lakes in the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula. Geology Pingos The Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula has the greatest concentration of pingos in the world with a total of 1,350 pingos. These pingos formed in one of two distinct ways: hydrostatically and hydraulically. Hydrostatic pingos are the result of closed systems caused by continuous permafrost where there is an impermeable ground layer, leading to the build up of hydrostatic pressure. Hydraulic pingos are caused by open systems where groundwater flows in, leading to the accumulation of artesian pressure. Other features The Landmark protects an excellent example of massive ice. One section of the frozen groundwater, part of an eroded hillside by the sea, is over long, and high. Other less visible ice beds in the region are over thick. This