Themes in the promotion of Greenland's mineral resource potential

Abstract

The production of minerals has been an important industry in Greenland. With a life-span of over 100 years the cryolite deposit at Ivittuut (Fig. 1) assured Greenland a place in world mining annals. Cryolite extraction ceased in 1987. A more recent venture, the Black Angel lead-zinc mine at Maarmorilik, focused international attention on the potential for base metals and with a production from 1973 to 1990 contributed notably to the development of Greenland's economy. With the Black Angel's closure, Greenland is left for the first time this century without an operative mine. Consequently the promotion of Greenland's mineral resources has now become a foremost political objective.