Geology and Ore 23, 2013

​Mineral potential in Greenland

Geologically and geographically Greenland is closely related to northern Canada and Scandinavia. Greenland, the largest island in the world, covers 2,175,600 km2. It is 1,250 km from east to west and 2,675 km from north to south. The up to three kilometre thick Inland Ice covers some 80% of Greenland; the ice-free zone around the Inland Ice is up to 300 km wide and covers an area of approx. 410,000 km2, which, by comparison, is larger than the area of Germany (357,000 km2).

Mineral potential in Greenland

The mineral occurrences in a region are determined by the geological environment and the geological processes forming the mineral accumulations. The environments are a reflection of the geotectonic evolution and thus linked to global plate tectonic scenarios through time. Greenland spans most of the Earth’s geological history and most of the geological environments encountered on the Earth. This is also reflected in a great diversity in the mineral deposits and mineralisation styles identified throughout Greenland. This issue of Geology and Ore provides a general overview of the presently known mineral potential in Greenland for various commodities and mineralisation styles.

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