Authors:
Bo M. Stensgaard, Henrik Stendal, Per Kalvig and Karen Hanghøj
MiMa_Rapport_2016-3 (ca. 6 mb)
Minerals are essential resources for the development and progress of modern society. The availability of the mineral resources varies from country to country and from commodity to commodity. In some instances the supply-chain of minerals that are of crucial importance to society, is threatened. Such mineral resources are defined as critical raw materials. Supply risk is in many cases related to monopolism in the up-stream part of the supply chain. Improving knowhow related to mineral resource potential is one of the keys to overcome criticality.
This report presents a review of the Greenlandic potential mineral resources for undiscovered deposits of critical minerals, focusing on the raw materials labelled as critical by the European Commission in 2014 (EC 2014).
The Greenland marginal ice-free zone makes up about 0.4 million km2, hosting complex geological terranes, that represent almost four billion years of geological history, covering the spectrum from Archaean to recent processes. This makes Greenland favourable for finding and exploiting a wide range of mineral resources including some of the critical minerals. GEUS and the Greenland Ministry of Mineral Resources (MMR) have since 2009 held annual regional mineral resource assessment workshops on selected commodities. The approach applied in these assessments constitutes the background for this review.
For each of the commodities chosen, their known occurrences in Greenland are reported together with a description of the regional to semi-regional tracts with favourable permissive geological settings, settings that potentially could host mineral occurrences of the primary deposit type.
The review points out that some areas are likely to host high potential undiscovered mineral deposits. Aside from the known deposits at Kvanefjeld and Kringlerne, South Greenland has a high potential for hosting undiscovered REE deposits, for example in the Grønnedal-Ika carbonatite, the Qassiarssuk/Green Dyke, and the Ivittuut alkaline intrusion. South Greenland also has the potential for niobium occurrences and deposits in the same geological environment. Central East Greenland stands out with a high potential for tungsten and antimony. The North Atlantic Craton (Archaean) and the Palaeoproterozoic terranes have a good potential for hosting undiscovered deposits of chromium, platinum group metals, graphite and, as a by-product of cobalt.
Contents
- Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
- Critical raw materials ……………………………………………………………………………………… 8
- Resource potential for critical raw materials in Greenland …………………………………… 10
3.1 Antimony [Sb]………………………………………………………………………………………………… 11
Known antimony occurrences ………………………………………………………………………………… 11
North Margerie Dal antimony occurrence, central East Greenland ………………………………………. 11
Broget Dal copper-antimony occurrence, central East Greenland ……………………………………….. 13
Tracts with resource potential for antimony ……………………………………………………………. 13
Ymer Ø – Andrée Land – Strindberg Land, central East Greenland……………………………………….. 13
Rapakivi granites in the Ketilidian Psammite and Pelite Zone, South Greenland ……………………. 13
3.2 Beryllium [Be] ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 14
Known beryllium occurrences ………………………………………………………………………………… 14
Taseq beryllium occurrence, South Greenland ………………………………………………………………….. 14
Nuuk region pegmatite beryllium occurrences, southern West Greenland …………………………… 15
Kobberminebugt beryl occurrence, southern West Greenland ……………………………………………. 15
Kap Simpson beryllium occurrence, central East Greenland ……………………………………………….. 16
Tracts with resource potential for beryllium …………………………………………………………….. 16
Pegmatites, South, West, North-West, North-East and East Greenland ……………………………….. 16
Caledonian granites, central East Greenland …………………………………………………………………….. 16
3.3 Chromium [Cr] ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 17
Known chromite occurrences …………………………………………………………………………………. 17
Fiskenæsset (Qeqertarsuatsiaat), southern West Greenland ………………………………………………. 17
Tracts with resource potential for chromite …………………………………………………………….. 19
Ultramafic rock units, Nuuk to Søndre Strømfjord, southern West Greenland ………………………. 19
Anorthosite units, southern West Greenland ……………………………………………………………………. 19
Qaqujârssuaq anorthosite complex, Thule region, North-West Greenland …………………………… 19
3.4 Cobalt [Co] ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 20
Known cobalt occurrences …………………………………………………………………………………….. 20
Itilli, central West Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 21
Moriussaq, North-West Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………….. 22
Tracts with resource potential for cobalt …………………………………………………………………. 22
Inglefield Land, North-West Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………. 22
Ikertoq, Ammassalik and Disko Island, central West, and South-East Greenland …………………… 22
Sedimentary-hosted copper mineralisations, Ravnefjeld Formation, central East Greenland ….. 23
3.5 Fluorite [CaF2] ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24
Known fluorite occurrences …………………………………………………………………………………… 24
Ilímaussaq complex, South Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………… 24
Ivittuut, South-West Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………………. 25
Various localities, central East Greenland …………………………………………………………………………. 25
Fluorit Dal at Kap Simpson, central East Greenland ……………………………………………………………. 25
Tracts with resource potential for fluorspar …………………………………………………………….. 26
Mississippi Valley Type, North-West, northern West, North, central East Greenland …………….. 26
3.6 Graphite [C] …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 28
Known graphite occurrences ………………………………………………………………………………….. 28
Amîtsoq, South Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 28
Eqalussuit (Akuliaruseq), central West Greenland ……………………………………………………………… 29
Langø/Qanaq, Upernavik, northern West Greenland …………………………………………………………. 30
Utoqqat/Maligiaq, Sisimiut, central West Greenland …………………………………………………………. 30
Kangikajik, South-East Greenland …………………………………………………………………………………….. 30
Aappaluttoq, South-East Greenland …………………………………………………………………………………. 31
Grænseland, South-West Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………… 31
Niaqornat and Qaarsut, West Greenland ………………………………………………………………………….. 31
Sissarissoq, South Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 31
Tracts with resource potential for graphite………………………………………………………………. 31
Palaeoproterozoic terranes, South, central West, North-West, northern West and South-East
Greenland …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 32
3.7 Niobium [Nb] (and associated tantalum [Ta]) ……………………………………………………. 33
Known niobium occurrences ………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
Motzfeldt Centre intrusion, South Greenland ……………………………………………………………………. 33
Kringlerne / Killavaat Alunnguat, South Greenland …………………………………………………………….. 34
Sarfartoq carbonatite complex, central West Greenland ……………………………………………………. 35
Kap Simpson, central East Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………….. 36
Tracts with resource potential for niobium ………………………………………………………………. 36
Qaqarssuk, Tikiusaaq and the Grønnedal-Ika carbonatite complexes, southern to northern West
Greenland …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 36
Alkaline pegmatites, South, North-West and northern East Greenland ……………………………….. 36
3.8 Platinum Group Metals [PGM: Pt, Pd, Rh, Ru, Ir, Os] …………………………………………… 37
Known PGM occurrences ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 37
Skaergaard, East Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 38
Kap Edward Holm, East Greenland …………………………………………………………………………………… 39
Amikoq layered complex, southern West Greenland …………………………………………………………. 39
Maniitsoq Norite Belt, southern West Greenland ………………………………………………………………. 40
Sarqaa and Amîtsoq, South Greenland …………………………………………………………………………….. 40
Ammassalik intrusive suite, South-East Greenland …………………………………………………………….. 40
Tracts with resource potential for PGM …………………………………………………………………… 41
Anorthosite-gabbro complexes and other mafic-ultramafic complexes, West and South-East
Greenland …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 41
3.9 Rare Earth Elements [REE] ………………………………………………………………………………. 42
Known REE occurrences ………………………………………………………………………………………… 43
Ilímaussaq Complex, South Greenland – Kvanefjeld and Kringlerne REE deposit ……………………. 43
Sarfartoq carbonatite complex, central West Greenland ……………………………………………………. 44
Motzfeldt Sø, South Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 45
The Niaqornakassak and Umiammakku Nunaa deposits, northern West Greenland ………………. 45
Tikiussaq carbonatite complex, southern West Greenland …………………………………………………. 46
Qeqertaasaq / Qaqarssuk carbonatite complex, southern West Greenland ………………………….. 46
Kap Simpson, central East Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………….. 47
Milne Land palaeoplacer, central East Greenland ………………………………………………………………. 47
Tracts with resource potential for REE …………………………………………………………………….. 47
Gardar Province, South Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………….. 47
3.10 Tin [Sn] and tungsten [W] ……………………………………………………………………………….. 48
Known tin and tungsten occurrences ………………………………………………………………………. 48
Ymer Ø and Margerie Dal, northern East Greenland ………………………………………………………….. 49
Ivisaartoq, southern West Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………. 51
Tracts with resource potential for tungsten …………………………………………………………….. 51
Rapakivi granites, South Greenland and Caledonian granites, central and northern East
Greenland, Prøven granite, northern West Greenland ……………………………………………………….. 51
Skjoldungen, South-East Greenland …………………………………………………………………………………. 52
- Potential companion-metal commodities …………………………………………………………. 53
4.1 Gallium [Ga] ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 54
Known gallium related occurrences ………………………………………………………………………… 54
Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………. 54
Tracts with resource potential for gallium ……………………………………………………………….. 55
Mississippi Valley Type, North, northern West Greenland and central East Greenland …………… 55
4.2 Germanium [Ge] ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 57
Tracts with a germanium resource potential ……………………………………………………………. 57
Mississippi Valley Type showings, North Greenland …………………………………………………………… 57
Mississippi Valley Type, North, northern West Greenland and central East Greenland …………… 57
4.3 Indium [In] …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 59
Known indium related occurrences ………………………………………………………………………… 59
Tracts with resource potential for indium related mineralisation ……………………………….. 59
Stauning Alper and Hudson Land, central East Greenland and Pelite Zone, South Greenland….. 59
4.4 Vanadium [V] ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 61
Known vanadium related occurrences …………………………………………………………………….. 61
Sinarsuk, southern West Greenland…………………………………………………………………………………. 61
Isortoq, South Greenland ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 62
Skaergaard Intrusion, East Greenland ………………………………………………………………………………. 63
Tracts with resource potential for vanadium related mineralisation …………………………… 63
Mafic dykes and intrusions, South, South-East and central East Greenland ………………………….. 63
- Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 64
- References ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 65
Skriv en kommentar
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!