FIELD ACTIVITIES IN GREENLAND 2003
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1. Qaanaaq Geologists will follow up the surveys from previous years in the Qaanaaq area that show increased traces of gold in stream sediments. The work will take place in July and August, and it will include combing the area to find, describe, and take samples of possible fixed mineralisations of gold. Activities will be by boat and on foot in five areas located on Northumberland Island as well as north and south of Inglefield Bredning. Responsible scientist: Bjørn Thomassen Task: Mineral resource investigations Period: July-August Number of participants: 2
2. Pituffik/ Thule Air Base GEUS will undertake seismic surveys and sonar soundings in the fjord outside Pituffik in order to map the geology below the seabed, as well as its shape. The activity is being carried out in cooperation with the Risø National Laboratory, and the objective is to analyse the radioactivity in the sediment on the seabed. The work will be carried out in August, and is being funded by the Dancea programme (Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic) Responsible scientist: Jørn Bo Jensen Task: Geological investigations Period: August Number of participants: 1
3. The area north of Upernavik In August, geologists will survey large structures in the earth's crust, and the age of rocks representing the roots of an ancient mountain range known as the Rinkiske fold belt. The surveys will take place in a large area north of Upernavik. One of the objectives is to investigate whether the entire area between Kangerlussuaq/Søndre Strømfjord and Upernavik is one large cohesive mountain range that could be as wide as the Himalayas. The results will also shed light on the early movements of the earth's lithosphere plates as the Rinkiske fold belt connects with the formation of mountain ranges in Labrador, Baffin Island, the southern part of West Greenland, East Greenland, and on to the Baltic. The work will be carried out using the ship Søkongen as a floating base, and it will be in cooperation with the University of Texas, USA, the University of Adelaide, Australia, and Kingston University and Durham University in England. The work is being funded by the Carlsberg Foundation. Responsible scientist: Adam Garde Task: Geological investigations Period: August Number of participants: 5
4. The Uummannaq area In the first two weeks of August, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) will have field groups in two areas near Uummannaq. The first area is on the Drygalski peninsular, east of Uummannaq, where surveys will examine some old volcanic rocks that could contain mineralisations of gold and nickel. The volcanic rocks have been transformed and deformed, and at first the work will aim at determining their formation. The other area is some red fracture zones at Ubekendt Ejland, south of Illorsuit. One of the fracture zones has been shown to contain small amounts of gold, and GEUS work will aim at assessing whether the fracture zones could have larger mineralisations of gold. Responsible scientist: Stefan Bernstein Task: Mineral resource and geological investigations Period : August Number of participants: 3
5. Illulissat In connection with the possible inclusion of Ilulissat Isfjord in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the site will be inspected in August. Employees from UNESCO, the Cultural Heritage Agency (Kulturarvsstyrelsen), Greenland Home Rule, the municipality of Ilullisat, and GEUS will take part in the inspection. Responsible scientist: Naja Mikkelsen Task: Inspection Period : August Number of participants: 2
6. Aassiaat - Disko Bay From mid June to early August GEUS will complete a number of field activities in the area from Sisimiut to Disko Bay. Geological mapping and studies of fracture systems in the terrain is included in the programme, and geologists will survey the entire region from ships, helicopters, and by foot. A lot of the work will take place using the ship Søkong as a floating based. Geologists will examine the roots of a now disappeared ancient mountain range known as Nagssugtoqiderne in order to elucidate the geological environment and the processes that have ruled over billions of years. The results of this work will be included in the assessment of whether there are minerals in the area. In the area from Sisimiut to Aassiaat geologists will study the fractures in the rocks on land in order to understand the development of a large fault structure that continues beyond the coast in the area, and has helped the formation of large sediment basins that may contain oil deposits. The work includes determining the structural nature and age of the fractures. The work will be carried out in cooperation with geologists from the University of Lund, Sweden, the University of Wroclaw, Poland, the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and Durham University in England. Responsible scientist: Jeroen van Gool Task: Geological mapping Period: June-August Number of participants: 16
7. West and South Greenland The hunt for rocks for use in facades begins in July and August. A group of geologists will visit several locations at Nassuttooq in West Greenland and at Tunulliarfik in South Greenland; locations where the geological conditions indicate that such rocks could exist. In particular, rocks with few fractures and special colours and texture interest the geologists in this connection. The surveys will take place using boats, and funding is from Greenland Resources A/S. Responsible scientist: Thomas Rasmussen Task: Mineral resource investigations Period: July-august Number of participants: 2
8. Isukasia From mid July to the end of August GEUS will survey a number of mineralisations of gold in the old Archean greenstone at Isukasia near the edge of the Inland Ice east of Nuuk. Activities will be by helicopter from Nuuk and will aim at examining whether the mineralisations represent a basis for exploring for gold in the area. Responsible scientist: Peter Appel Task: Mineral resource investigations Period: July-August Number of participants: 3
9. The Kangerlussuaq and Maniitsoq area In August, geologists will continue their diamond survey in West Greenland. The work will concentrate on the area around Kangerlussuaq/Søndre Strømfjord, but there will also be activity near Maniitsoq. The work is a follow up to mining companies' previous exploration for diamonds. Despite the extensive activity, there are still areas that have not been thoroughly surveyed. The geologists will look in particular for the so-called kimberlites; rocks that may contain diamonds. This year, at three selected locations, tonnes of heavy kimberlite samples will be extracted and analysed in order to examine the chemistry and diamond potential of the kimberlites. The work will be backed up by helicopter from Nuuk airport, and it will be funded by the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, Greenland Home Rule Government. Responsible scientist: Sven Monrad Jensen Task: Mineral resource investigations Period: August Number of participants: 4
10. Maniitsoq - Kangerlussuaq In August, the landscape between Maniitsoq and Kangerlussuaq will be surveyed in order to map the distribution of large plains, valleys, and more Alpine landscape elements. The surveys of the landscape and samples taken are to contribute to understanding why, and how much bedrock has been eroded by water, wind, and ice over millions of years. The bedrock contains the so-called kimberlites that can contain diamonds, and the activity will reveal how much of this type of rock is left. The work will be carried out by helicopter from Kangerlussuaq, and it will be carried out in cooperation with the University of Stockholm and funded by the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum. Responsible scientist: Peter Japsen Task: Geological investigations Period: August Number of participants: 2
11. The Inland Ice at Nuuk In June measurements began of the climate and ice melting near the edge of the Inland Ice in the Nuuk area. Work includes installation of a number of new automatic measuring stations which, together with GEUS' existing network of measuring stations will help chart the interplay between the Inland Ice and the climate. The work is being carried out by helicopter from Nuuk. Responsible scientist: Carl Egede Bøggild Task: Climate investigations Period: June Number of participants: 1
12. Nuuk In September, GEUS and ASIAQ will carry out preliminary surveys for a tunnel in Nuuk. The work includes mapping the grey gneiss and geological surveys of the band-structures and fractures in the rocks. The work is being funded by the Nuup Kommunea. Responsible scientist: Peter Roll Jakobsen Task: Geological investigations Period: September Number of participants: 1
13. Offshore West Greenland In August, the seabed off West Greenland between 63 N and 68 N will be surveyed in order to gather older sediment from the Paleozoic or Mesozoic eras. Information from previous seismic surveys indicates that it may be possible to gather information about these older deep-lying sediments in defined areas. The activities will include mapping the seabed's shape and sediments with sound waves in order to define the places where older strata may be on or close to the seabed itself. Subsequently, samples will be taken from these strata with a view to biostratigraphic dating and identifying oil and gas seepages. The work will be carried out from the Russian research ship Professor Logachev during its 13 th Cruise in the UNESCO/IOC Training Through Research Programme. Funding for the project is from the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, Greenland Home Rule Government, and Nunaoil. Responsible scientist: Finn Dalhoff Task: Petroleum geological investigations Period: August Number of participants: 4
14. The Narsaq area Measurements taken by the US space administration, NASA, show extensive thinning of the inland ice in the southernmost part of Greenland. In May, glaciologists continued their surveys of the climate and how the ice is melting and moving in the Narsaq area to examine this thinning. The work is also aiming at dating the ice with a view to possible exports of ice cubes. The activity is being funded by the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, Greenland Home Rule Government. Responsible scientist: Carl Egede Bøggild Task: Climate and resource investigations Period: May Number of participants: 3
15. Tasiilaq Glaciological fieldwork was already underway in April, gathering data about the snow structure and temperature on the Greenland ice sheet at Tasiilaq in East Greenland. The aim of the work is to shed light on how satellite signals are dispersed in snow, which is important for the precision of the elevation change measurements which the Cryosat satellite is recording on the ice sheet. In addition measurements have been taken of the climate and ice melt in an area of the Inland Ice that has become significantly thinner in recent years. The work is being carried out in cooperation with the National Survey and Cadastre, and funding is by the Danish Natural Science Research Council. Responsible scientist: Carl Egede Bøggild Task: Climate investigations Period: April Number of participants: 2
16. The Kangertittivaq / Scoresby Sound area In August, geologists will collect samples and map the sediments in the area around Scoresby Sound as a contribution to understanding the upheaval and the geological development of the East Greenlandic rift basins. The work includes a core drilling at Kap Brewster, where the goal is to drill through the sediments from the Cretaceous and Tertiary eras that lie under the stratified basalts. Basalt-covered sediments are also in focus at Gåseland, but here the deposits can be investigated in deep extensive valleys preserved under the basalts. Finally, in the Rødefjord area, west of Milne Land, the sandstone and coarse-grained mixed sediments (conglomerates) will be examined in order to date these rocks. The work will be carried out by boat from Scoresbysund and helicopter from Constable Point. Responsible scientist: Stefan Piasecki Task: Geological investigations Period: August Number of participants: 6
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