Fact Sheet 13, 2006

A world class deposit in the Skaergaard intrusion

The classic Skaergaard intrusion hosts a large tonnage PGE-Au-Ti-V-Fe deposit. The inferred tonnage is 1,500 million tonnes. The precious metals are hosted in a series of stratiform sulphide-bearing levels in ilmenite and magnetite rich, layered gabbro. The mineralisation formed at magmatic temperatures in the upper part of the intrusion in strongly fractionated basaltic magma. The mineralisation was little affected by later remobilisation and the dominant precious metals are skaergaardite (PdCu) and tetraauricupride (AuCu).

The Skaergaard intrusion

The 54.5 Ma old Skaergaard intrusion is located at 68°N in the volcanic rifted margin along the coast of East Greenland. The intrusion was emplaced during the build up of the regional flood basalts and the initial stages of continental rifting and seafloor spreading in the North Atlantic. The intrusion is currently modelled as a boxlike magma chamber app. 11 by 7.5 km in surface area with an original stratigraphy of c. 3.8 km. The original volume was c. 300 km³.