GEUS gives access to a new data portal for the ruby occurrences in West Greenland. The portal gives information on 87 ruby-sapphirine occurrences in the Qeqertarsuatsiaat/Fiskenaesset area south of Nuuk and 8 occurrences in the Nuuk and Maniitsoq regions.
The portal contains descriptions of the geology and mineralogy, coordinates of the positions of the occurrences, as well as references to geological maps, publications, diaries and reports.
The occurrence of red rubies and pink saphires is nearly always associated with the blue mineral sapphirine found in 1809 in the village of Fiskenaesset, which is the type locality for his mineral. The occurrences comprise further a number of relatively rare minerals such as gedrite, phlogopite, enstatite, cordierite, kornerupine, red spinel and kyanite as well as different varieties of hornblende ranging from pargasite to tschermakite.
The data given are mainly based on investigations by GEUS geologists in the period 1964 - 1974 and released results from the Canadian exploration company Platinomino from the years 1969 - 83. Results from the Canadian company True North Gems, who plan to open a ruby mine in the area in 2015, are confidential and therefore not included in the portal.
An overall description of the ruby/sapphirine occurrences is published in the GEUS report 2014/72 which can be downloaded from the portal:
Ruby- and Sapphirine-bearing mineral occurences in the Fiskenæsset, Nuuk and Maniitsoq Regions, West Greenland. Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 2014/72.
Portal: Ruby/sapphirine occurrences in West Greenland
data.geus.dk/geusmap/?lang=en&mapname=greenland_ruby_sapphirine
Contact:
Geolog Majken Djurhuus Poulsen, GEUS
Phone: +299 36 12 21
E-mail: madp@geus.dk