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.
Highlights
The production of minerals has been an important industry in Greenland
Seen in relation to neighbouring landmasses, North America and Europe, where similar geological terraines occur, it must be concluded that Greenland has yet to realise its mineral resource potential
Apart from the Geological Survey of Greenland's (GGU) commitment towards applied geology and resource characterisation as steps facilitating the search for new economic resources, specificpromotion programmes with oral and visual presentations are an integral part of GGU's work
Summary
Designed as a basic introduction to exploration and mining audiences, emphasis in the demonstrations was placed on Greenland's complete geological column with rocks ranging from earliest Precambrian to Cenozoic in age, and on the main geological provinces and their distinctive metalliferous potential. A summary of the geological part of the presentation was published in last year's Report o/ Activities (Schønwandt & Dawes, 1993)
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