Trump’s proposed Greenland takeover could unlock untapped mineral resources for the US

US President-elect Donald Trump’s interest in taking control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, could be pivotal for gaining access to the rich mineral resources of the country. 

A 2023 European Commission survey revealed that Greenland hosts 24 out of 34 minerals classified as "critical raw materials," as per a Reuters report.

These resources are vital for various industries, including renewable energy technologies.

Despite this potential, Greenland’s mining sector faces challenges. The extraction of oil and gas is banned to protect the environment, and indigenous communities often oppose mining activities due to environmental and cultural concerns.

Greenland's rare earth materials and minerals could play a significant role in the US energy transition, aiding efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the world's largest economy while diversifying critical resource supply chains.

Three of Greenland’s largest deposits of rare earths are situated in the country’s southern Gardar province, Reuters said in a report. 

Several companies such as the Critical Metals Corp, Energy Transition Minerals Ltd, and Neo Performance Materials have investments in Greenland. 

Rare earth materials are pivotal for permanent magnets, which are used in electric vehicles (EVs) and wind turbines. 

Graphite

Deposits of graphite and graphite schist have been reported in several locations in Greenland. 

GreenRoc has applied for an exploitation license in Greenland to develop the Amitsoq graphite project. 

The Amitsoq Graphite Project is located in the Nanortalik region of southern Greenland and is one of the highest-grade graphite deposits in the world.

Graphite in its natural form is mostly used in steelmaking and EV batteries. 

Copper

In Greenland, most copper fields have only seen limited exploration operations, according to the Mineral Resources Authority. 

Several locations in Greenland with copper fields have been underexplored so far.

The most vital parts of copper deposits in Greenland are in the north-east and central-eastern regions of the island, which have been underexplored, Reuters said in its report. 

The London-based 80 Mile is vying to develop the Disko-Nuussuaq deposit in Greenland, which has copper, nickel, platinum, and cobalt deposits. 

Disko is circa the size of Luxembourg with the largest anomaly being over 6km long, according to the official website of 80 Mile. 

Nickel

This metal is found in Greenland in abundance in several locations around the island, according to the Mineral Resources Authority. 

The top miner, Anglo American was granted a five-year exploration license in western Greenland during the middle of 2019. 

Most of the nickel deposits in the island have been untapped and Anglo American have been looking for such deposits among other metals. 

Zinc and gold

Zinc is mostly found in Greenland’s northern geologic formation that stretches for more than 2,500 kilometres. 

The Citronen Fjord zinc and lead project was touted as one of the world’s largest untapped zinc reserves. 

The Citronen mine is one of the largest potential lead and zinc mines in Greenland.

The mine is located in Citronen Fjord, Northern Greenland, and companies have sought to develop this particular mine. 

Meanwhile, Amaroq Minerals launched a gold mine in 2023 in Mount Nalunaq in the Kujalleq Municipality. 

Mount Nalunaq is a mountain in South Greenland that's part of the Nalunaq Gold Project.

The mountain is home to a high-grade gold deposit in quartz veins and was the site of Greenland's only operating metalliferous mine until 2014. 

Diamonds, iron ore, and uranium

Small and large deposits of diamonds are found in the western regions of Greenland. Several other locations may also have deposits of diamonds across the island.

Among other things, iron ore deposits can be found in Isua in southern West Greenland, at Itilliarsuk in central West Greenland, and in North West Greenland along the Lauge Koch Kyst, according to Reuters. 

Uranium mining is banned in Greenland. The ban has halted development of the Kuannersuit rare earths project, which has the mineral as a byproduct. 

The Kuannersuit/Kvanefjeld Rare Earth – Uranium Project is a proposed mining project in Greenland that would involve extracting rare earth elements and uranium from a mineral deposit in the Kuannersuit mountain. 

Greenland is mostly covered by glaciers, however, the assessments of its coastlines show the potential for extracting several minerals.