ALKALINE ROCKS IN GREENLAND
The Gardar Province

Lotte Melchior Larsen and Thomas Vesterager Rasmussen

The Gardar Province is a Proterozoic rift system in South Greenland in which a number of alkaline lavas and intrusions were emplaced during the period c. 1300-1130 Ma. Because of its economic potential, it has been studied since the earliest times of geological investigations in Greenland, and the literature on the province is huge, particularly on the famous Ilímaussaq intrusion.
Known mineralisations include deposits of U, Be, Li, Y, Nb, Ta, Zr and REE in the Ilímaussaq intrusion and Nb and Ta in the Motzfeldt centre of the Igaliko complex.
The Survey's activities in the Gardar Province are low at present, apart from investigations for dimension stones, see . Other activities are chiefly cooperative projects with external groups.

Key publications from the Survey
Bailey, J.C., Larsen, L.M. & Sørensen, H. (eds) 1981: The Ilímaussaq intrusion, South Greenland. A progress report on geology, mineralogy, geochemistry and economic geology. Rapport Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse 103, 130 pp, 15 articles.

Kalsbeek, F., Larsen, L.M. & Bondam, J. 1990: Geological map of Greenland 1:500 000, Sheet 1, Sydgrønland. Descriptive text. Copenhagen: The Geological Survey of Greenland, 36 pp.

Schjøth, F., Garde, A.A., Jørgensen, M.S., Lind, M., Moberg, E., Nielsen, T.F.D., Rasmussen, T.M., Secher, K., Steenfelt, A., Stendal, H., Thorning, L. & Tukiainen, T. 2000: Mineral resource potential of South Greenland: the CD-ROM. Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 2000/57, 36 pp.

Steenfelt, A., Nielsen, T.F.D. & Stendal, H. 2000: Mineral resource potential of South Greenland: review of new digital data sets. Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 2000/50, 47 pp.

Sørensen, H. (ed.) 2001: The Ilímaussaq alkaline complex, South Greenland: status of mineralogical research with new results. Geology of Greenland Survey Bulletin 190, 167 pp, (18 articles).

Rose-Hansen, J., Sørensen, H. & Watt, W.S. (compilers) 2001: Inventory of the literature on the Ilímaussaq alkaline complex, South Greenland. Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport 2001/102 (CD-ROM included).