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Greenland is likely one of the most distant, sparsely populated, and inhospitable locations on Earth, however but is has typically wielded outsize significance. Over the centuries is has been an outpost for Viking exploration, a strategic chilly conflict base, and a hotbed of geological analysis. Immediately the altering tides of geopolitics and threats to essential minerals provide chains have as soon as once more thrust the world’s largest island and its largely untapped mineral wealth into the highlight.
That is the primary a part of a two-part article: it offers an summary of mining exercise in Greenland with a give attention to alternative. The second half will look at the way forward for mining in Greenland and description key challenges to be overcome.
Greenland at a Look
Greenland is the world’s largest island at 2.17 million km2; this about 24% the scale of the USA, though high-latitude distortions in the usual Mercadier projection map makes it seem a lot bigger. About 81% of Greenland is roofed by an ice sheet as much as 3 km thick. Though most of Greenland lies throughout the arctic circle its coasts are warmed by ocean currents and stay largely ice free.
Fluctuations in Greenland’s local weather have pushed repeated waves of settlement and abandonment by Inuit and later Nordic peoples over hundreds of years. Immediately Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark; international coverage, protection, and funding is ready in Copenhagen, whereas home coverage, together with useful resource administration, is managed by the Greenlandic authorities. The inhabitants is slightly below 57 000; the capital, Nuuk, has slightly below 20 000 residents.
Though most Greenlanders help full independence, Greenland is economically dependent of subsidies from Denmark, and few imagine will probably be capable of stand alone with no extra sustainable economic system. Greenland’s trove of mineral wealth often is the key to its future or its undoing.
The American Issue
Since 2019 Donald Trump has repeatedly and publicly referred to as for America to buy, and even forcibly seize, Greenland from Denmark, claiming the US ought to have management of Greenland’s essential minerals and strategic place is required for nationwide safety.
Trump will not be first American president to threaten Greenland’s sovereignty. A number of administrations have tried to amass the island over the past 150 years. Throughout World Struggle Two American troops occupied the island to safe each its strategic place and its distinctive cryolite mine. Cryolite was a wartime necessity for the manufacturing of the aluminum utilized in fighters and bombers.
The American army maintains a presence in Greenland within the type of Pituffik Area Base (previously Thule Air Base), an important strategic outpost for monitoring Soviet and Russian army exercise. In 1968 Thule was the location of an notorious incident the place a B-52 carrying 4 nuclear bombs crashed, spreading radioactivity over the world and leaving one bomb lacking to at the present time.
Rising Alternatives
Greenland has lengthy seen mining as a chance to broaden its economic system, even going as far as to brazenly court docket Chinese language funding at a time when many western governments have grown cautious.
From a useful resource perspective it will be faster to listing what Greenland doesn’t have. Base metals, treasured metals, uncommon earth parts (REEs), lithium, graphite, gemstones, uranium, and industrial minerals can all be discovered right here. The retreat of Greenland’s glaciers reveals extra bedrock, and extra potential assets, each day. The emergence of latest melt-fed rivers offers alternatives for hydroelectric energy. Though oil and gasoline reserves are anticipated to be current, restricted exploration efforts have been unsuccessful up to now.
The important thing to this useful resource range is Greenland’s diversified geology and its nearly full lack of vegetation. This bedrock publicity makes it a great place to check rocks, each from an financial and scientific perspective. The island hosts a number of the world’s oldest rocks, that are about 3.8 billion years previous, but additionally youthful sedimentary rocks wealthy in dinosaur fossils, in addition to newer igneous rocks, such because the well-known Skaergaard Intrusion, associated to the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. Greenland can be recognized for alkaline intrusive complexes, uncommon igneous rocks extremely enriched in risky parts and uncommon metals.
Mining in Greenland Immediately
Regardless of the eye, there are presently solely two energetic mines in Greenland: The Nalunaq gold mine and the White Mountain (Qaqortorsuaq) anorthosite mine.
Nalunaq, owned by Amaroq Minerals, is likely one of the highest-grade gold mines on the planet, with inferred assets of 355 kt at 28g/t. Nalunaq produced 367 koz of gold between 2004 and 2013 below earlier operators. The mine poured its first gold below Amaroq possession in late 2024. Nalunaq is taken into account an orogenic gold deposit, with mineralization hosted in slender, structurally managed quartz veins. Amaroq additionally holds a portfolio of early-stage gold, copper-gold, and iron-titanium-vanadium initiatives throughout southern Greenland.
White Mountain is owned by Lumina Sustainable Supplies, a privately owned company spun off from Hudson Resources in 2022. Lumina expects an output of 200,000 tonnes of anorthosite in 2025. The anorthosite, a coarse-grained igneous rock made up of >90% calcium-rich plagioclase (NaAlSi3O8-CaAl2Si2O8), from White Mountain is claimed to be notably pure, making it helpful for industrial functions corresponding to fiberglass and cement manufacturing. Anorthosite has additionally been proposed as an environmentally pleasant supply of aluminum, however this has but to be demonstrated on a big scale.
Regardless of anorthosite being a uncommon rock, nearly everybody on Earth sees it often. Anorthosite makes up the lunar highlands, the white, reflective a part of the moon’s floor. Because the moon’s primordial magma ocean cooled low density plagioclase floated to the highest and froze right into a gleaming white shell. Later eruptions of black basalt shaped the well-known ‘man within the moon’ sample.
Historic Greenland Mines
Whereas Greenland’s mineral potential has been acknowledged for hundreds of years, makes an attempt to mine right here have met with combined outcomes. Struggles with access, infrastructure, and harsh climate have led to many failures.
Essentially the most vital mine in Greenland’s historical past was Ivittuut. From 1859 to 1987 Ivittuut was the world’s solely supply of cryolite (Na3AlF6), a really uncommon mineral which was as soon as key to producing aluminum. The cryolite has been mined out, however the space is now being evaluated by Eclipse Metals for a spread of assets corresponding to iron, silver, fluorite, and REEs.
The one different really worthwhile mine in Greenland’s historical past was Black Angel which produced 11.2 million tonnes at 12.6 % zinc, 4.1 % lead and 29 g/t silver between 1973-1990. The deposit type of Black Angel is debated because of the results of metamorphism; it could be a SEDEX, MVT, or Kipushi type deposit. The realm is presently being explored by 80 Mile Plc, with promising seize samples corresponding to 41% zinc, 9.3% lead, 1.2% copper and 596 g/t silver.
Important Lively Exploration Initiatives
Regardless of typically poor outcomes prior to now Greenland has seen an explosion in exploration curiosity over the previous few years. Harsh local weather and lack of infrastructure pose massive challenges, however the lure of creating a world-class discovery in one of many world’s final unexplored areas is plain.
Greenland Assets launched a feasibility examine of its Malmbjerg Molybdenum Challenge in 2022. It’s thought of to be a porphyry molybdenum deposit with confirmed and possible reserves of 245 Mt at 0.176% molybdenum-sulfide (MoS2); measured and indicated resources stand at 281 Mt at 0.18% MoS2, with inferred assets of 33 Mt at 0.1% MoS2. There is no such thing as a infrastructure on the web site and entry is by helicopter solely. Temperatures solely rise above zero for 3 months a yr and may dip as little as -49°C within the winter. Capex, together with the development of a port and street community, is estimated at $1.038 billion. Mining plans name for an open pit with a mine lifetime of 20 years. Internet current worth is estimated at $1.169 billion.
80 Mile Plc, previously Bluejay Mining, owns numerous initiatives in Greenland. Disko-Nuussuaq is an early-stage magmatic sulfide undertaking. Early indicators have led to comparisons to the world’s largest nickel-copper deposit: Norilisk, Siberia. Boulders on the web site have returned assays as excessive as 7% nickel, 3% copper, and a pair of g/t platinum whereas geophysical targets are as much as 5.9 km lengthy and 1.1 km large. If these drill targets develop into large sulfide ore our bodies than Disko appears more likely to develop into one of many largest and most worthwhile mines on the planet. Regardless of this promise sophisticated logistics and vital geological uncertainties have up to now discouraged drilling.
80 Mile additionally owns Dundas, the world’s largest ilmenite sand deposit with indicated and inferred assets of 117 Mt at 6.1% ilmenite (equal to 2.9% titanium-oxide). Regardless of its promise, latest drilling has been disappointing, and 80 Mile is not actively advancing a undertaking which as soon as appeared extremely more likely to develop into a mine.
Crucial Metals Corp launched its maiden technical report for the Tanbreeze REE undertaking in March 2025. Though Crucial Metals web site claims assets are estimated at ~4.7 Gt, the technical report lists indicated and inferred assets at 44.87 Mt at 0.38% complete REE-oxides, 1.39% zirconium-oxide, and 0.14% niobium-oxide. The 4.7 Gt estimate is predicated on “inside administration calculations and estimates”. A preliminary financial evaluation is predicted to be launched in Q2 2025.
Tanbreeze has potential world significance due to its measurement and unusually massive proportion (~27%) of the uncommon and fascinating heavy REEs. The deposit is hosted in kakortokite, a rare alkaline igneous rock.
A Shiny Future?
With a lot untapped potential, together with doable world-class deposits, and powerful geopolitical tailwinds, Greenland seems poised for a mineral rush. However seems might be deceiving. Many of the energetic initiatives in Greenland are in an early stage, present mines are very small scale, and previous mines have typically been unsuccessful. The logistical and political challenges of mining in Greenland, illustrated by the saga of the Kvanefjeld REE undertaking (which can find yourself being an important mine by no means constructed), shall be lined intimately within the second a part of this text.
Additional Studying
Checklist of Firms Talked about
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