Who's calling? https://boltnutiran.com youtube videos Permafrost has existed for eons. During the last Ice Age, it swept as far south as Missouri and Illinois. Today, most of it is located in Russia and Canada, but the United States accounts for 6% of the world's total â almost all of which exists in Alaska. It has a top "active" layer that thaws and refreezes each year and a deeper layer that remains frozen and stores organic carbon from decaying plants and animals â possibly twice as much carbon as in the atmosphere.