Kvanefjeld (or Kuannersuit), in
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...
, is the site of a mineral deposit, which is claimed to be the world's second-largest deposit of
rare-earth
The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or rare earths, and sometimes the lanthanides or lanthanoids (although scandium and yttrium, which do not belong to this series, are usually included as rare earths), are a set of ...
oxides, and the sixth-largest deposit of
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...
.
There are also substantial
sodium fluoride
Sodium fluoride (NaF) is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a colorless or white solid that is readily soluble in water. It is used in trace amounts in the fluoridation of drinking water to prevent tooth decay, and in toothpastes ...
deposits, and Kvanefjeld is thought to be one of the largest multi-element deposits of its kind in the world.
Geology
The Kvanefjeld site is part of the
Ilimaussaq intrusive complex
The Ilimaussaq intrusive complex is a large alkalic layered intrusion located on the southwest coast of Greenland. It is Mesoproterozoic in age, about 1.16 Ga. It is the type locality of agpaitic nepheline syenite and hosts a variety of unusua ...
. Rare earths and uranium are typically concentrated in
lujavrite.
Lujavrite, a dark
agpaitic
An agpaitic rock is a peralkaline igneous rock, typically nepheline syenite or phonolite. Characteristic minerals in these rocks include complex silicates containing zirconium, titanium, sodium, calcium, the rare-earth elements, and fluorine. Agp ...
nepheline syenite
Nepheline syenite is a holocrystalline Intrusion, plutonic rock that consists largely of nepheline and alkali feldspar. The rocks are mostly pale colored, grey or pink, and in general appearance they are not unlike granites, but dark green varie ...
, occurs as an internal layer in the north Ilimaussaq complex. The uppermost sections generally have the highest rare-earth elements, uranium and
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...
grades.
Lujavrite is a rare variety of
nepheline syenite
Nepheline syenite is a holocrystalline Intrusion, plutonic rock that consists largely of nepheline and alkali feldspar. The rocks are mostly pale colored, grey or pink, and in general appearance they are not unlike granites, but dark green varie ...
having
amphibole
Amphibole ( ) is a group of inosilicate minerals, forming prism or needlelike crystals, composed of double chain tetrahedra, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures. Its IMA symbol is ...
,
aegirine
Aegirine is a member of the clinopyroxene group of inosilicate minerals. It is the sodium endmember of the aegirine– augite series. It has the chemical formula NaFeSi2O6, in which the iron is present as the ion Fe3+. In the aegirine–augite se ...
pyroxene,
nepheline
Nepheline, also called nephelite (), is a rock-forming mineral in the feldspathoid groupa silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3 K Al4 Si4 O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatit ...
and feldspar. The red spots in the rock are crystals of the rare halide mineral
villiaumite
Villiaumite is a rare halide mineral composed of sodium fluoride, Na F. It is very soluble in water and some specimens fluoresce under long and short wave ultraviolet light. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and is usually red, pink, or orange in colo ...
(NaF - sodium fluoride).
Kvanefjeld is already known among mineral collectors as a source of fluorescent minerals such as
tugtupite
Tugtupite is a beryllium aluminium tectosilicate. It also contains sodium and chlorine and has the formula Na4 Al Be Si4 O12 Cl. Tugtupite is a member of the silica-deficient feldspathoid mineral group. It occurs in high alkali intrusive igneou ...
and
chkalovite.
Exploration
The mineral deposit was first discovered in the 1950s. Much of the historical process development focused on uranium extraction, including a promotional visit by physicist
Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr (, ; ; 7 October 1885 – 18 November 1962) was a Danish theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and old quantum theory, quantum theory, for which he received the No ...
to the nearby town of
Narsaq
Narsaq ( Danish: ''Nordprøven'') is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. The name ''Narsaq'' is Kalaallisut for "Plain", referring to the shore of Tunulliarfik Fjord where the town is located.
History
People have liv ...
in 1957.
[
] In 1983, the Danish government decided not to pursue the option of nuclear power, and work programs on Kvanefjeld ceased.
Greenland Minerals and Energy
Energy Transition Minerals Ltd (formerly Greenland Minerals Limited, ASX Code: ETM) is an ASX-listed company focused on the exploration, development and financing of minerals that are critical to a low carbon future. The company’s current proj ...
acquired the area in 2007.
A 2010 relaxation of regulations by the government of Greenland opened up the possibility of large-scale mining. A mining licence application to the Greenland government was submitted in 2015
for an
open-pit mine
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique that extracts rock or minerals from the earth.
Open-pit mines are used when deposits of commercially useful ore or ...
.
In 2017, the major shareholder of GME was Chinese mining firm
Shenghe Resources
Shenghe Resources ( zh, 盛和资源) is a Chinese partly state-owned rare earths mining and processing company founded in 1998. The company is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and its largest shareholder is the Ministry of Natural Resource ...
.
The mine became a significant issue in the
2021 Greenlandic general election
Snap general elections were held in Greenland on 6 April 2021 alongside local elections.[Inuit Ataqatigiit
Inuit Ataqatigiit (, old spelling: , , , IA) is a democratic socialist, Greenlandic independence, pro-independence political party in Greenland. It is represented in the Folketing (the Danish parliament) by Aaja Chemnitz Larsen. Múte B. Egede ha ...]
and
Naleraq
Naleraq (), previously known as Partii Naleraq, is a centrist-populist pro-independence political party in Greenland. The party favors greater cooperation with the United States. While parties such as Inuit Ataqatigiit and Siumut also favor ind ...
, running on a platform opposing uranium mining. The subsequent ban on uranium mining effectively blocked development of the mine.
See also
*
List of countries by uranium production
This contains lists of countries by uranium production. The first two lists are compiled by the World Nuclear Association, and measures uranium production by tonnes mined. The last list is compiled by TradeTech, a consulting company which specializ ...
*
Rare earths trade dispute
*
Cryolite
Cryolite ( Na3 Al F6, sodium hexafluoroaluminate) is a rare mineral identified with the once-large deposit at Ivittuut on the west coast of Greenland, mined commercially until 1987.
It is used in the reduction ("smelting") of aluminium, in pest ...
*
List of countries by primary aluminium production
References
{{reflist
Uranium mines
Mines in Greenland
Geology of Greenland
Kujalleq