An area of interest along the Top of the World Highway close to Dawson City has prompted government officials to take a closer look at it, says Jeff Bond of the Yukon Geological Survey.

Bond told the Star this week a veteran placer miner from Dawson who has travelled the highway for decades, and who has an interest in geology, contacted the government at the end of July wondering about a dip in the road and some small landslides or sloughing action nearer to the Yukon River.

Greg Hakonson has noticed over the last 20 or so years that the roadway has subsided a couple of feet.

In observing the recent sloughing below the dip, he was wondering if the two were related, the geologist explained.

He said Hakonson contacted them at the end of July.

Bond said he has visited the site and has looked at recent aerial images taken with a specialized system used to detail topography – known as LiDAR.

The territorial government has completed LiDAR imaging around many of the Yukon communities, he said.

Bond said looking at the 2015 LiDAR work over that section of the Top of the World Highway and another set of images taken a couple of years later, there has been some slight ground movement.

They are continuing their investigation of what they are calling the Sunnydale slide area, located about three to 3.5 kilometres up from the ferry crossing, he said.

Bond said they’re also bringing in an engineering firm from Vancouver that specializes in landslides to have a look next week.

“We are going to bring them up to the Sunnydale slide and have them give us an opinion of what is going on,” he said.

Bond said they will be able to recommend if there should be ground monitoring equipment placed at the site.

At the very least, they’ll want to establish some pins in the ground at the Sunnydale slide so they can better measure any movement, he said.

Bond emphasized there is no evidence to suggest there is any imminent danger of a major landslide.

The Yukon Geological Survey, he pointed out, monitors ground conditions in several areas in the Yukon as part of its mandate, and the Sunnydale slide area will be added to the list.

The historic Moosehide Slide overlooking Dawson has been on the list for years, and the engineering firm will also be visiting that slide area, he said.

Bond said there are some cracks in the rock at the Sunnydale slide that are quite old, going back decades, and there are some from as recently as a couple of years ago.

He said he has briefed Mayor Wayne Potoroka, Dawson’s fire chief and the town’s supervisor of highways.

Potoroka also emphasized in an interview Thursday there is no imminent danger of a landslide.

Dawson is located in an area where there are landscape changes going on all the time, he said.

Potoroka said he’s not a climate scientist so he can’t offer any observations about whether climate change is adding to those changes.

Both Potoroka and Bond are encouraging locals who travel and are familiar with the Top of the World Highway to keep an eye out and report for any changes they may see in the Sunnydale slide area.

Bond said more eyes and ears on the ground will assist in the ongoing monitoring of the area.

The geologist said there is nothing to suggest rain this summer has caused any movement at all.

“We are calling it a slide because there has been some movement (over the years) but not very much at all.”