Conclusion of the 1:500 000 mapping project in the Caledonian fold belt in North-East Greenland

Abstract

The second and last field season of the mapping project in the southern part of North-East Greenland (72°–75°N) was carried out in 1998 with full accomplishment of all planned goals. The general overview mapping of the East Greenland Caledonian fold belt has now been completed, in total covering a stretch of more than 1300 km between latitudes 70°N and c. 81°30´N (Fig. 1). The Survey’s systematic regional 1:500 000 mapping programme in the East Greenland Caledonides started with mapping in the Scoresby Sund region (70°–72°N) in 1968, and in the course of 13 field seasons spread over 30 years has involved more than 50 geologists for one or more field seasons each; several Survey geologists have participated in all 13 field seasons. The mapping of the Caledonian fold belt and the adjacent pre- and post-Caledonian rocks will be presented on five 1:500 000 map sheets of which three are already published and a fourth is under compilation. The scientific results are documented in numerous publications both in international journals and in the Survey’s own Bulletins and Reports. Review articles on various parts of the East Greenland Caledonian fold belt include those of Haller (1971), Henriksen & Higgins (1976), Higgins & Phillips (1979), Henriksen (1985, 1986), Hurst et al. (1985), Peel (1985), Peel & Sønderholm (1991), Higgins (1994) and Jepsen et al. (1994). Preliminary results of the 1997 and 1998 field work have been published in Survey reports (Higgins & Frederiksen 1998, 1999), and are summarised by Henriksen (1998) and in this article.