Why is Greenland so rich in natural resources? | Geology
AAs recent maneuvers over Greenland have made clear, this largely ice-covered island contains some of the world’s largest reserves of natural resources, with enormous volumes of oil and gas, rich deposits of rare earth elements, and rocks containing precious stones and gold. So why did all the planetary gifts end up here?
In The Conversation, geologist Dr Jonathan Paul from Royal Holloway, University of London, explains how this mineral and resource wealth relates to the country’s geological history over the past 4 billion years. Greenland is something of a geological anomaly, with land that has been hit in three different ways: mountain building, rifting and volcanism.
Periods of mountain building created a network of faults and fractures in which gold, diamonds, rubies and graphite were deposited. Rifting associated with the creation of the Atlantic Ocean basin 200 million years ago formed sedimentary basins capable of storing oil and gas. And over time, volcanic episodes deposited the rare earth elements on which so many high-tech objects depend. About 80% of Greenland is covered in a thick layer of ice, but global warming will begin to make resources more accessible. Arguments will be made as to why these resources should be plundered, but such a move would cost Greenland dearly.
