GO factsheet 19:GO factsheet 1 1/9/09 12:38 PM Page 1 Map ...Greenland Mineral Resources and...

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Map of geological environments and selected mineral occurrences Greenland Mineral Resources Fact Sheet No. 19 EXPLORATION AND MINING IN GREENLAND 500 km Nalunaq Au Niaqornaarsuk Au Amitsoq Graphite Ilímaussaq Zr, Be, REE, Nb, U, Th Ivittuut Cryolite Taartoq Au Kobberminebugt (‘Josva’) Cu Grønnedal-Ika Fe Motzfeldt Sø Ta, Nb Sinarsuk V, Ti Kangerluluk Au Illorsuit U Stendalen Cu, Ni, Ti Fiskenæsset Cr, Pt, Ruby Isukasia Fe Isua Au Ivisaartoq W Majuagaa Diamond Seqi Olivine Qaqqaarsuk REE, Nb, P Sillisissanguit Ni, Pt Attu Au Sarfartoq Nb, Ta Storø Au Qussuk Au Eqi Au Hammer Dal Fe, Pt Maarmorilik (‘Black Angel’) Zn, Pb, Ag Karrat Au, Cu, Zn Moriusaq Ti Washington Land Zn, Pb, Ag Inglefield Land Fe, Au Ymer Ø Sb, W, Au Clavering Ø Pb, Zn, “Au” Brogetdal Cu Citronen Fjord Zn, Pb Qullissat Coal Nuussuaq Coal Arveprinsen Ejland Cu, Zn Ilukunnguaq Ni, Pt Saqqaq Au Itilliarsuk, Itilli Fe, Au, Cu, Co, Ni Eqalussuit Graphite Melville Bugt Fe Langø Graphite Navarana Fjord Zn, Barite Naternaq Cu, Zn Kangerlussuaq Diamond Mestersvig (‘Blyklippen’) Pb, Zn Malmbjerg Mo, W Bredehorn Barite Milne Land Zr, REE, Ti Devon Dal Cu Flammefjeld Mo, Au, Ag Kap Edvard Holm Au, Pt Tasiilaq Ni, Cu, Pt Skærgaard Au, Pd, Ti, V Karstryggen Celestite INLAND ICE n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n s s s s s s n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s n s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s n n n n n n n n n n Ice caps / Lakes Quaternary rock Phanerozoic basins (<400Ma) Lower Palaeozoic and Neoproterozoic basins Mesoproterozoic basin Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rock Archaean supracrustal rock Palaeogene magmatic province Proterozoic magmatic province Caledonian magmatic province Proterozoic basement Reworked Archaean basement Archaean basement Fault, thrust s s s s

Transcript of GO factsheet 19:GO factsheet 1 1/9/09 12:38 PM Page 1 Map ...Greenland Mineral Resources and...

Page 1: GO factsheet 19:GO factsheet 1 1/9/09 12:38 PM Page 1 Map ...Greenland Mineral Resources and selected mineral occurrences EXPLORATION AND MINING IN GREENLAND Fact Sheet No. 19 500

Map of geological environmentsand selected mineral occurrences

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500 km

NalunaqAu

NiaqornaarsukAuAmitsoq

Graphite

IlímaussaqZr, Be, REE, Nb, U, Th

IvittuutCryolite

TaartoqAu

Kobberminebugt (‘Josva’)Cu

Grønnedal-IkaFe

Motzfeldt SøTa, Nb

SinarsukV, Ti

KangerlulukAu

IllorsuitU

StendalenCu, Ni, Ti

FiskenæssetCr, Pt, Ruby

IsukasiaFe

IsuaAu

IvisaartoqW

MajuagaaDiamond

SeqiOlivine

QaqqaarsukREE, Nb, P

SillisissanguitNi, Pt

AttuAu

SarfartoqNb, Ta

StorøAu

QussukAu

EqiAu

Hammer DalFe, Pt

Maarmorilik (‘Black Angel’)Zn, Pb, Ag

KarratAu, Cu, Zn

MoriusaqTi

Washington LandZn, Pb, Ag

Inglefield LandFe, Au

Ymer ØSb, W, Au

Clavering ØPb, Zn, “Au”

BrogetdalCu

Citronen FjordZn, Pb

QullissatCoal

NuussuaqCoal

Arveprinsen EjlandCu, Zn

IlukunnguaqNi, Pt

SaqqaqAu

Itilliarsuk, ItilliFe, Au, Cu, Co, Ni

EqalussuitGraphite

Melville BugtFe

LangøGraphite

Navarana FjordZn, Barite

NaternaqCu, Zn

KangerlussuaqDiamond

Mestersvig (‘Blyklippen’)Pb, Zn

MalmbjergMo, W

BredehornBarite

Milne LandZr, REE, Ti

Devon DalCu

FlammefjeldMo, Au, Ag

Kap Edvard HolmAu, Pt

TasiilaqNi, Cu, Pt

SkærgaardAu, Pd, Ti, V

KarstryggenCelestite

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Ice caps / Lakes

Quaternary rock Phanerozoic basins (<400Ma)

Lower Palaeozoic and Neoproterozoic basins

Mesoproterozoic basin

Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rock

Archaean supracrustal rock

Palaeogene magmatic province

Proterozoic magmatic province

Caledonian magmatic province

Proterozoic basement

Reworked Archaean basement

Archaean basement

Fault, thrusts

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Page 2: GO factsheet 19:GO factsheet 1 1/9/09 12:38 PM Page 1 Map ...Greenland Mineral Resources and selected mineral occurrences EXPLORATION AND MINING IN GREENLAND Fact Sheet No. 19 500

Greenland is geologically and geographicallyvery much related to northern Canada andScandinavia although recent political historyis mostly coupled with Europe. Greenland,the largest island in the world, covers2,175,600 km2. It is 1,250 km wide from eastto west and 2,675 km from north to south.The up to three kilometre thick Inland Ice cov-ers some 80% of Greenland; the ice-free zonearound the Inland Ice is up to 300 km wideand covers an area of ca. 410,000 km2 , which,by comparison, is more than Germany(357,000 km2).

The mineral occurrences in a region aredetermined by the geological environmentand the geological processes forming themineral accumulations. The environments area reflection of the geotectonic evolution andthus linked to global plate tectonic scenariosthrough time.

Geological environments

The geological environments are categorised andnamed according to their dynamic rock class asbeing infracrustal, supracrustal, magmatic or sedi-mentary.

Infracrustal rocks consist mainly of gneiss, tonaliticand granitic rocks of Archaean and Palaeo protero zoicages. Regions dominated by infra crustals in Green -land are southern West, North-West and South-East Greenland.

Supracrustal rocks are metamorphosed sedi-mentary and volcanic rocks formed at the surface ofthe earth. Through the geological processes, thesupra crustal rocks have become an integral part ofthe basement rocks, making 5–20% of the rockvolume.

Infracrustal and supracrustal rocks are collectivelycalled the basement. Major supracrustal domainsof Palaeoproterozoic age comprise the Karrat Groupin northern West Greenland and the Psammite andPelite zones in South Greenland. Major intrusivecomplexes of Paleoproterozoic age comprise thePrøven Granite and the Arfersiorfik intrusive suite incentral and southern West Green land, the Juliane håbbatholith in South Greenland and the Ammassalikintrusive complex in South-East Greenland.

Major intrusive and extrusive environments arefound within the Mesoproterozoic Gardar Provinceof South Greenland and younger events as theprovince of carbonatites and kimberlites of WestGreen land, and the Caledonian granites and alka-line granitoid intrusions of East Greenland. Theyoungest extrusive environments are the Palaeo -gene basaltic provinces of East and central WestGreenland.

Sedimentary environments encompass physical-ly and chemically derived minerals from sourcesrelated to the formation of basins. The sedimenta-ry basins are dominating in East and North Green -land geological history; the major sedimentarybasins are: the Mesoproterozic Thule Group,Krummedal succession and Independence FjordBasin, the Neoproterozic Eleonore Bay Supergroupand Phanerozoic sedimentary basins. Commoditieswithin this environment are dominated by basemetals and industrial minerals.

Concluding remarks

The mineral occurrences are tied to geologicalenvironments and geological processes formingthe mineral accumulations. The combination ofthis information in one map makes it apparentwhere to look for specific minerals, both as singlecommodities, in selected geological environmentsor among known mineralisation types.

Geological Survey of Denmark

and Greenland (GEUS)

Øster Voldgade 10

DK-1350 Copenhagen K

Denmark

Tel: (+45) 38 14 20 00

Fax.: (+45) 38 14 20 50

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.geus.dk

Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum

(BMP)

Government of Greenland

P.O. Box 930

DK-3900 Nuuk

Greenland

Tel: (+299) 34 68 00

Fax.: (+299) 32 43 02

E-mail: [email protected]

Internet: www.bmp.gl

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39 Eqi

21 Storø

45 Saqqaq43 Itilli

35 Ataneq

24 Qussuk

38 Naternaq

19 Sinarsuk

26 Isuakasia

33 Eqalussuit

16 Sermiligaarsuk (Taartoq)

18 Qeqertarsuatsiaat/ Fiskenæsset

40 Anderson Showing

41 Itilliarsuk42 Itilliarsuk

23 Ivisaartoq

100 km

29-aug-2007

LegendLocality

all other values

Archaean supracrustal rock

Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal rock

52°WSupracrustal environmentWest Greenland

KMB

66°N

64°N

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52°N 40°N

64°N

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70°N

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Close-up of the geological map with focus onsupracrustal rocks in South-West Greenland.

Authors

K. Secher, GEUS

Editor

K. Secher, GEUS

Layout

Carsten Egestal Thuesen, GEUS

Photographs

GEUS unless otherwise stated

Printed

January 2009 © GEUS

Printers

Schultz Grafisk

ISSN

1602-8171

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