Airborne geophysical surveys in central West Greenland and central East Greenland in 1997

Abstract

In order to stimulate mining exploration activity in Greenland the Government of Greenland decided in 1993 to finance a five-year programme of airborne electromagnetic surveys over selected regions of Greenland, Project AEM Greenland 1994–1998. By the end of 1996 three surveys had been undertaken in various parts of Greenland (Stemp & Thorning 1995a, b; Stemp 1996a, b; Stemp 1997a, b). In 1992 the Danish Government financed a small aeromagnetic survey (Project Aeromag 1992; Thorning 1993). Regional aeromagnetic surveying was taken up again when the governments of Denmark and Greenland jointly financed two aeromagnetic surveys in 1995 and 1996 – the projects Aeromag 1995 and Aeromag 1996 (Thorning & Stemp 1997). To this suite of airborne geophysical surveys of selected regions in Greenland were added two surveys in 1997, both financed by the Government of Greenland. The fourth year of Project AEM Greenland 1994–1998 encompassed a transient electromagnetic (GEOTEM) and magnetic survey over northern Jameson Land, central East Greenland, while Project Aeromag 97 added a regional aeromagnetic survey over Disko Bugt – Nuussuaq, central West Greenland. As in previous years, commercial geophysical contractors carried out the survey operations in Greenland according to an agreement with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) entered into after international tendering following rules of the European Union. GEUS manages the projects and organises the distribution and use of the results. The new maps and digital data from the two 1997 surveys, a total of 85 252 line kilometres of data covering 51 414 km², were released to the public on 1 March 1998. This note provides some introductory information about the two surveys. Further information can be found in reports by Stemp (1998) and Thorning (in press); both include a number of full-page colour anomaly maps from the survey areas.

The airborne geophysical programme will continue in 1998, and the areas to be surveyed have already been selected. The final year of Project AEM Greenland 1994–1998 will include combined GEOTEM and magnetic surveys over two regions in North Greenland: Washington Land in western North Greenland, where operations are expected to start in May 1998 operating out of Alert in Canada, and later in the season over J.C. Christensen Land in central North Greenland operating out of Station Nord in eastern North Greenland. Project Aeromag 1998 will continue the regional aeromagnetic survey programme in West Greenland, extending the coverage by including most of the region from 63°45′N to 66°N in southern West Greenland. This project will be based at Nuuk and start in March 1998. The Government of Greenland will finance all surveys in 1998. Figure 1 shows all survey areas for the electromagnetic and magnetic surveys of Project AEM Greenland 1994–1998 and the aeromagnetic survey areas of Project Aeromag 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.