6Birthday Canyon, Greenland

Birthday Canyon, carved by meltwater, is 150 feet (45 m) deep. This photo was taken in 2008. Along the edge of the canyon, lines on the wall show the stratigraphic layers of ice and snow laid down over the years.

Black deposit in bottom of channel is cryoconite – powdery windblown dust which is deposited and builds up on snow, glaciers, or icecaps.