Exploration and Mining in Greenland 19

GO factsheet 19:GO factsheet 1 1/9/09 12:38 PM Page 1

Map of geological environments and selected mineral occurrences

Citronen Fjord

Navarana Fjord

s Zn, Pb

s Zn, Barite

Washington Land

Zn, Pb, Ag

n n n

n n

n s

s n

Inglefield Land Fe, Au

Greenland Mineral Resources n

Moriusaq n

n n

Melville Bugt Fe

INLAND ICE Brogetdal

n Cu

n Clavering Ø

Pb, Zn, “Au”

n n n

n n

n Ymer Ø Sb, W, Au

n n

n Mestersvig (‘Blyklippen’)

Fact Sheet No. 19

Langø n Pb, Zn

Graphite

n Malmbjerg

Mo, W n Karrat

s n Bredehorn

Au, Cu, Zn s

s Barite Devon Dal Hammer Dal Maarmorilik (‘Black Angel’) Cu

n n

Fe, Pt

n Zn, Pb, Ag

n Karstryggen

Qullissat n Celestite

s Saqqaq

s s

Coal

n Au Milne Land Nuussuaq Itilliarsuk, Itilli Zr, REE, Ti Coal Fe, Au, Cu, Co, Ni Ilukunnguaq Ni, Pt Eqi Arveprinsen Ejland Au Cu, Zn Flammefjeld Attu Naternaq Mo, Au, Ag Skærgaard Au Cu, Zn Au, Pd, Ti, V Eqalussuit Kap Edvard Holm Graphite

s s Au, Pt

s s s s s s s

Sarfartoq Sillisissanguit Nb, Ta Tasiilaq Ni, Pt Ni, Cu, Pt 500 km Kangerlussuaq Diamond

Qaqqaarsuk s

REE, Nb, P Isukasia s Ice caps / Lakes Majuagaa Fe Diamond Quaternary rock Isua Au Seqi Phanerozoic basins (<400Ma) Olivine Ivisaartoq Lower Palaeozoic and Neoproterozoic basins Qussuk W Au Sinarsuk Mesoproterozoic basin Storø V, Ti Au Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rock Fiskenæsset Cr, Pt, Ruby Archaean supracrustal rock

Taartoq Palaeogene magmatic province Au Motzfeldt Sø Ta, Nb Caledonian magmatic province Ivittuut Cryolite Kangerluluk Proterozoic magmatic province Au Grønnedal-Ika Proterozoic basement Fe Stendalen Cu, Ni, Ti Kobberminebugt (‘Josva’) Reworked Archaean basement Cu Ilímaussaq Illorsuit Zr, Be, REE, Nb, U, Th U Archaean basement Niaqornaarsuk

s s Fault, thrust Amitsoq Au s Graphite Nalunaq Au EXPLORATION AND MINING IN GREENLAND EXPLORATION GO factsheet 19:GO factsheet 1 1/9/09 12:38 PM Page 2

Greenland is geologically and geographically very much related to northern Canada and Geological environments Scandinavia although recent political history The geological environments are categorised and is mostly coupled with Europe. Greenland, named according to their dynamic rock class as the largest island in the world, covers being infracrustal, supracrustal, magmatic or sedi- Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum 2,175,600 km2. It is 1,250 km wide from east mentary. (BMP) to west and 2,675 km from north to south. Infracrustal rocks consist mainly of gneiss, tonalitic Government of Greenland The up to three kilometre thick Inland Ice cov- and granitic rocks of Archaean and Palaeo proterozoic P.O. Box 930 ers some 80% of Greenland; the ice-free zone ages. Regions dominated by infra crustals in Green - DK-3900 Nuuk around the Inland Ice is up to 300 km wide land are southern West, North-West and South- Greenland and covers an area of ca. 410,000 km2 , which, East Greenland. Tel: (+299) 34 68 00 by comparison, is more than Germany Supracrustal rocks are metamorphosed sedi- Fax.: (+299) 32 43 02 2 (357,000 km ). mentary and volcanic rocks formed at the surface of E-mail: [email protected] The mineral occurrences in a region are the earth. Through the geological processes, the Internet: www.bmp.gl determined by the geological environment supracrustal rocks have become an integral part of and the geological processes forming the the basement rocks, making 5–20% of the rock Greenland Mineral Resources mineral accumulations. The environments are volume. a reflection of the geotectonic evolution and Infracrustal and supracrustal rocks are collectively thus linked to global plate tectonic scenarios called the basement. Major supracrustal domains through time. of Palaeoproterozoic age comprise the Karrat Group in northern West Greenland and the Psammite and

7 0°N Supracrustal 52°W environment Pelite zones in South Greenland. Major intrusive 45 Saqqaq West Greenland 43 Itilli complexes of Paleoproterozoic age comprise the Geological Survey of Denmark 42 Itilliarsuk 41 Itilliarsuk Prøven Granite and the Arfersiorfik intrusive suite in and Greenland (GEUS) 40 Anderson 70°N central and southern West Greenland, the Julianehåb Øster Voldgade 10 Showing batholith in South Greenland and the Ammassalik DK-1350 Copenhagen K Denmark intrusive complex in South-East Greenland. 39 Eqi 38 Naternaq Major intrusive and extrusive environments are Tel: (+45) 38 14 20 00

70°N 35 Ataneq found within the Mesoproterozoic Gardar Province Fax.: (+45) 38 14 20 50 33 Eqalussuit of South Greenland and younger events as the E-mail: [email protected] province of carbonatites and kimberlites of West Internet: www.geus.dk 68°N Green land, and the Caledonian granites and alka- line granitoid intrusions of East Greenland. The youngest extrusive environments are the Palaeo - gene basaltic provinces of East and central West

66°N Greenland. Sedimentary environments encompass physical- ly and chemically derived minerals from sources related to the formation of basins. The sedimenta- 26 Isuakasia ry basins are dominating in East and North Green - 24 Qussuk 23 Ivisaartoq land geological history; the major sedimentary 21 Storø basins are: the Mesoproterozic Thule Group, 64°N 19 Sinarsuk Authors 18 Qeqertarsuatsiaat/ Krummedal succession and Independence Fjord Fiskenæsset K. Secher, GEUS 16 Sermiligaarsuk Basin, the Neoproterozic Eleonore Bay Supergroup 64°N (Taartoq) and Phanerozoic sedimentary basins. Commodities Editor K. Secher, GEUS within this environment are dominated by base metals and industrial minerals. Layout Carsten Egestal Thuesen, GEUS

Photographs 62°N Concluding remarks GEUS unless otherwise stated

62°N The mineral occurrences are tied to geological Printed

Locality

all other values the mineral accumulations. The combination of Printers Archaean supracrustal rock Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rock this information in one map makes it apparent Schultz Grafisk 52°N 100 km 40°N where to look for specific minerals, both as single 29-aug-2007 ISSN Close-up of the geological map with focus on commodities, in selected geological environments 1602-8171 supracrustal rocks in South-West Greenland. or among known mineralisation types.