Central East Greenland Research Articles

The subfossil occurrence of Mytilus edulis L. in central East Greenland

The subfossil occurrence of Mytilus edulis in central East Greenland has been C14‐dated to roughly between 8000 B.P. and 5500 B.P.; compared with other areas this is a short period. Its immigration coincides with the final deglaciation of the innermost fjords, and its disappearance is contemporaneous with an increase in cold‐climate plants, as shown by pollen spectra. It is suggested that it immigrated from the Svalbard area rather than from southeast Greenland, and that the central East Greenland fjord zone forms an isolated oasis, where more southerly species like Mytilus and Chlamys islandica can or could live, even if this was not possible along the surrounding and more hostile outer coasts. The reason for the absence of Mytilus edalis from the region today is probably not the local climate.

Aspects of the Weichselian chronology in central East Greenland

From central East Greenland, C14 ages between 19,500 > 40,000 years B.P. have been obtained for six samples of marine bivalve shells. The ages seem to be consistent with geological observations and form the basis for a tentative chronology for the Weichselian ice age in the region. It appears that the maximum glaciation during Weichselian times was attained more than 40,000 years ago, and that since then ice‐free areas have existed. This assumption agrees with evidence of botanical refugia in the region, and the restricted glacier activity especially during the Upper Pleniglacial (ca. 30,000–15,000 years B.P.) is explained by a reduced supply of moisture. A comparison with evidence from other parts of Greenland indicates that different glacial histories can be expected for different sectors of the Greenland Inland Ice.

Regional mapping and palaeomagnetic and geological investigations in the Scoresby Sund region, central East Greenland

The fifth season of the five-year mapping programme in the Scoresby Sund region was carried out during July and August. A tent base-camp was established at the head of Fønfjord at the entrance to Hjørnedal (see fig. 5). The base served as an operation centre for three helicopters and one motor cutter and throughout the season a regular connection between the base and Mesters Vig airport was maintained with a small fixed-wing aircraft. The expedition numbered 44 persons comprising 14 two-man geological parties and supporting personnel. Ten parties mapped in the crystalline complex around the fjords Vestfjord, Fønfjord and Gåsefjord. One party mapped the western part of the Tertiary basalt area and one party made palaeomagnetic profiles in the basalts. Geochronological investigations in the crystalline areas were carried out by one party and another party undertook glaciological studies of some of the major glaciers in the western part of the region.

Processing and interpretation of radiometric flight data from central East Greenland

The data obtained from the aeroradiometric survey carried out by GGU in 1971 in the Scoresby Sund region (Nielsen, 1972), have been digitised and stored on magnetic tape in order to permit a processing on the Burroughs B-6700 computer housed at the Danish Atomic Energy Commission's Research Establishment at Risø. This note describes the method of processing these data, leading to an interpretation and correlation with the bedrock geology of a selected area.

Sampling for oil source rock analysis, Scoresby Sund region, central East Greenland

From the 12th to 25th of July outcrops of bituminous shales and limestones at four localities were visited by the authors. Three of the outcrops, at Fleming Fjord opposite Wegener Halvø, at Nathorst Fjord and at Edderfugledal were of Myalina Limestone of the Triassic Solfaldsdal Member. The fourth locality in the Schuchert Flod area near the western edge of the sedimentary basin involved the Upper Permian Posidonia Shale Member. The main purpose of the field work was for Stevens, as the Survey's consultant, to get acquainted with the geology of the main rock types in the field, mainly with respect to environments of deposition and also to discover indications or proofs of the migration of hydrocarbons. Perch-Nielsen being conversant with the geology from previous seasons mapping acted as field guide. Samples were collected for analysis to increase the information already obtained from samples collected by the Survey during previous mapping.

Paleogeography and Depositional Environments of the Cambro-Ordovician Shallow-Marine Facies of the North Atlantic

Detailed sedimentological and petrological investigations of the Cambro-Ordovician shallow-marine facies of western Newfoundland, northwest Scotland, and central East Greenland reveal arresting similarities in their histories. Faunal, stratigraphic, sedimentologic, geochemical, and diagenetic comparisons of the thick sandstone, shale, and carbonate successions indicate contemporaneous development on a contiguous broad marine shelf bordering the western margin of a “proto-Atlantic” basin. Sedimentation dominated by intertidal to shallow subtidal environments is indicated by tidal sand bodies, ichnofossils, desiccation phenomena, oolitic lithologies, and stromatolitic algal structures. Complex diagenetic processes probably account for anomalous potash concentrations in correlative Lower Cambrian shale horizons and demonstrably effect replacements by feldspar, silica, dolomite, and calcite in the sandstones and carbonates. Parallel trends of recrystallization, dolomitization, silicification, calcitization, and dolomitization of the oolitic carbonates in each of the three study areas suggest correspondent post-depositional diagenetic environments. Independently the similarities are inconclusive, but collectively they are compelling in their suggestion of common depositional and diagenetic histories for the Cambro-Ordovician successions of western Newfoundland, northwest Scotland, and central East Greenland, ostensibly on the western shelf of a “proto-Atlantic” basin.

Ejnar Mikkelsen (1880-1971)

The grand old man of Danish and international arctic exploration is dead. Miki, as he was known among friends, was a sailor, explorer, and author. Strangely enough he also became a government official. He went to sea at fourteen and had just received his captain's certification when he became a member of the Danish Expedition to East Greenland, 1900. From 1901 to 1902 he was cartographer to the Baldwin-Ziegler Expedition to arctic America; from 1906 to 1908 he was leader of the Anglo-American Polar Expedition to the Beaufort Sea and from 1909 to 1912 he led the "Alabama" Expedition to Northeast Greenland in search of the bodies and papers of Mylius-Erichsen and Hagen who perished during the "Danmark Expedition". During his first expedition he became interested in the well-being of the Angmagssalik Eskimos; during the last he realized the tremendous hunting possibilities for Greenlanders in Central East Greenland. He became the strongest advocate for establishing a settlement within that area, preferably in Scoresbysund. At every opportunity he urged and pleaded with the administration for this - but in vain. National feelings also became involved when a treaty giving special rights to Norwegian hunters in East Greenland was ratified. Miki used strong argumentation and hard words when presenting his ideas and feelings while the administration tried to evade the precarious question. Miki might have been respected in governmental circles but certainly he was not very well liked. Fortunately he did not care and characteristically he carried out his ideas by soliciting funds from private sources which enabled him to head the expedition that founded the Scoresbysund colony in 1924. In 1925 he headed a fishing research cruise in West Greenland waters. In 1926 and 1932 he again explored in East Greenland. When the Norwegian government in 1931 occupied parts of East Greenland he established the Scoresbysund committee and was its president until 1967. When the government finally recognized him and his ideas he became a member of the Danish delegation to the International Court in The Hague in 1932 in the case of Denmark versus Norway, and was appointed Inspector of East Greenland in 1933, a position he held until 1950. During and after these years Miki frequently visited East Greenland where the population loved him and made him an honorary citizen in 1964. Denmark, the University of Copenhagen, and learned societies throughout the world bestowed great honours upon him. In his own opinion the greatest of them all came from a big-hunter in Scoresbysund who told Miki on one of his last visits: "Miki, now you are old and soon you will die, but don't worry. Send your wife up here, and I will take good care of her". Miki's interest in Greenland and the Arctic, paired with a tremendous vitality, led to the revival of the Greenland Society whose president he was from 1933 to 1955, and honorary president from 1956. He also solicited funds for establishing the Danish Arctic Institute where he served on the board from 1954 to 1963. During World War II he was an advisor on Greenland to the Danish Embassy in Washington D.C. He was a Charter Associate and a Fellow of The Arctic Institute of North America, a Governor (1949-54) and finally an honorary Associate from 1957. He wrote a number of books about his expeditions, works on Greenland and Eskimo life and a five-volume autobiography. In spite of all his travel and publicity, his well-written books, and other great achievements, and the numerous distinguished honours he received, Miki was a humble man with the deepest respect for learning, science, scientists, and the true values of life. His humility made him a great and strong personality who will be remembered and honoured not only in our circle, but by all who knew him.

Cambro-Ordovician Depositional Environments in Central East Greenland: ABSTRACT

The Cambro-Ordovician sedimentary succession in central East Greenland is considered to represent deposits formed during a slow, westward-advancing marine transgression. The sandstones, shales, limestones, and dolostones comprising the succession range in age from Early Cambrian through Middle Ordovician (Champlainian) and appear to reflect patterns of deposition comparable to modern shallow-marine shelf sediments. The roughly 3,000 m of Cambro-Ordovician strata lie with apparent conformity on Precambrian rocks of glacial and marine origin and are superposed unconformably by Devonian Old Red fluvial deposits. Tidal current-bedding structures in the sandstones exhibit a marked bimodality with vector means on the east and presumably downslope. Intraformational flat-pebble or flake conglomerates, stromatolitic algal structures, oolitic textures, and desiccation phenomena in the shale and carbonates also favor a shallow marine environment for these deposits. Measured sections at 2 widely spaced localities demonstrate a remarkable lithologic lateral continuity presumed attributable to deposition on a broad marine shelf with very low relief. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2507------------

Caledonian Geology of Scoresby Sund Region, Central East Greenland: ABSTRACT

The Geological Survey of Greenland has completed the first 3 years of a 5-year mapping campaign in the Scoresby Sund region which includes the southernmost Caledonian fold belt of East Greenland. The preliminary results show that it is possible to distinguish 4 main geologic units in the Caledonian fold belt. (1) A Precambrian crystalline basement with a cover of Precambrian metasediments and metavolcanics. These rocks are reworked by Caledonian folding to a varying degree. (2) A metamorphosed but nonmigmatized supracrustal complex composed of psammitic and pelitic rocks with occasional bands of calcareous rocks and totaling several kilometers in thickness. These rocks represent Caledonian geosynclinal deposits of miogeosynclinal aspect and are probably of very late Precambrian age. (3) A Caledonian infracrustal complex of mainly gneisses, migmatites and synkinematic granites. This unit is formed by migmatization of Caledonian geosynclinal deposits. (4) Late- to post-Caledonia intrusions, mainly of granitic type. Westward directed thrust-sheets with a displacement of several tens of kilometers are present along the western rim of the fold belt. They comprise largely Caledonian supracrustal rocks, but in places basement rocks are incorporated in the thrust sheets. The central part of the N-S directed fold belt is characterized by infracrustal rocks which exhibit simple low-dipping macroscopic structures, which in parts of the area can be shown to be the limbs of major recumbent folds. The Caledonian supracrustal rocks in the western part of the region were metamorphosed under high-pressure facies conditions and are characterized by kyanite-bearing rocks, whereas the central migmatitic part of the region was formed under low-pressure conditions and is characterized by cordierite-bearing assemblages. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2485------------

Journey Across the Nunataks of Central East Greenland, 1951

Contains an account of a trip made in Aug. 1951 by a three-man party from the Lauge Koch expedition, which met and joined for part of the journey on the icecap, a weasel-equipped party of the French polar expedition of P.E. Victor. The main results of this trip are briefly described here; for the scientific results, maps, etc., see Arctic Bibliography No. 23166. From Ella O (72 51 N, 25 02 W) a circular route within roughly 72 30-74 N, 31-24 W was covered by plane, weasel, and the northern leg of it, devoted to the study proper, on foot. Observations on temperature, winds, ice and glacier conditions were also made during the preceding, southwestern and western leg of the journey on the weasels in cooperation with the French party. Geology of the westernmost part of central East Greenland was found to be very complex, crustal movements having apparently occurred up to the most recent epochs; it was also discovered that the Caledonian belt extends westward beyond any outcrop that can be found and, that during the Late Precambrian the geosynclinal trough had its central parts west of the present fjord-region; the western foreland of the Caledonian Syncline is therefore expected to be reached in the northernmost area, somewhere between 80 degrees and 82 degrees North.

The Danish Three-Year Expedition to King Christian X Land

IN 193I a plan was laid for a three-year investigation of central East Greenland, now known as King Christian X Land.' The expedition was organized with three main objects in view: the mapping of the area between latitudes 70? and 77? N., geological fieldwork for the purpose of elucidating many regional problems of broad interest, and an inquiry into the ability of the region to support an Eskimo population. The work of the expedition falls into two sharply separated divisions-winter work, from the beginning of September to the middle of June, and summer work, during the rest of the year. The winter work is carried on from three stations, in wireless communication with one another and with Denmark. The stations are furnished with motor boats, for use after the ships have left in the autumn and before they arrive in the early summer, and each station has also at its disposal several dog teams and four Greenlanders to act as drivers. The summer work is carried on from the steamers Gustav Holm and Godthaab, both fitted to carry a seaplane, and from fifteen motor boats, some of which are equipped with wireless. The Godthaab is further equipped with an echo-sounding machine and several instruments for hydrographic and marine-biological work. The numbers of the personnel in the field may be summarily stated thus: summer of 1931, 62; winter of 1931-1932, 16; summer of 1932, 95; winter of 1932-1933, I9; summer of 1933, Io9; winter of 1933-1934, I2. A resume of the typical weather throughout the year will make clear the nature of the conditions under which the divisions of the expedition operate.