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Pegmatites and their potential for
mineral exploitation in Greenland.

Pegmatites are important suppliers of many commodities world wide. In Greenland pegmatites are wellknown, but their economic potential has only been explored at a few localities.

This ( 12 PAGE PDF ) 2008 review provides an overview of the genesis and general economic potential of pegmatite occurrences in Greenland. Field observations, archive information as well as maps of stream sediment samples
that are enriched in elements characteristic of pegmatites are the base for the
presentation. The prospective areas for pegmatite-hosted mineral occurrences in Greenland are outlined, and examples of prominent pegmatite minerals are demonstrated.

Introduction
Pegmatites are suppliers of rare metals like beryllium, lithium and tantalum. Pegmatites also represent an important source of gemstones such as emerald and tourmaline,
and some pegmatites are even mined for their large, clean crystals of quartz and feldspar. Pegmatites are abundant in Greenland, but few have been described or studied in detail and hence their economic potential is largely unknown at present.

LITHIUM (Li) is the most economically valuable of the lithophile elements because of its rarity and use in the electronics industry. The Geological Survey (GEUS)’ stream
sediment database does not contain data for Li, but the distribution of Cs serves as a good indicator of environments generally enriched in lithophile elements including Li.
In South Greenland, both granitic and alkaline intrusions have high Cs contents; hence the possibility of finding concentrations of Li minerals seems to be good.

http://www.geus.dk/minex/go10.pdf