Workshop on geology and mineral resources in Greenland and eastern North America

14-10-2005

The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum (BMP) organised a workshop to encourage future co-operation with Canadian earth scientists

The workshop was held at the main airport of Greenland, Kangerlussuaq, October 3. - 7., and had invited participants from the following institutions:

Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum, Nuuk, Greenland
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
Geological Survey, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. Johns, Canada
Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Canada - Nunavut Geoscience Office, Iqaluit, Canada
United States Geological Survey, Reston, U.S.

During the last decade, BMP and GEUS have co-financed several projects towards mineral resource assessments of selected regions in Greenland, e.g. Northeast Greenland, South Greenland, and central West Greenland. This is in accordance with Greenland's strategy to make the exploitation of mineral resources an important sector of society to the benefit of the population.

There are many geological similarities between the eastern part of North America and Greenland, and over the years co-operation between organisations working here has frequently taken place. The two countries on either side of Baffin Bay have common fields of interest within mineral resource assessment in the polar North Atlantic region and they face many of the same problems.

The objectives of this workshop were to develop and extend co-operation and networking between institutions and their researchers in this part of North America and Greenland. The workshop addressed issues of common interest on geological correlation, geological environments, and mineral resources.

The workshop was very successful and will be fruitful and beneficial for all participants. Concrete operation will emerge as a result of the discussions of several critical issues in the understanding of the geology of the region. It was agreed that similar workshops will be arranged every second year if possible and tentative plans for a meeting in Yellowknife in 2007 were initiated. GEUS will release a summary report on the different issues of the workshop in the near future. GEUS would like to take the opportunity to thank all participants for their excellent contributions and their willingness to share ideas and observations.

The participants of the workshop standing on the margin of the Inland Ice near Kangerlussuaq.

The participants of the workshop standing on the margin of the Inland Ice near Kangerlussuaq.