Resumé
This report contains an account of the 1990/91 Ornamental Stone Project. This was suggested and financed by the Greenland Home Rule government and aimed at presenting an overall assessment of the ornamental stone potential of Greenland. The project focused on the geological possibilities for stone production with special emphasis on export.
Most of the major tows on the west coast of Greenland and their surroundings were visited during the project's field phase; from Uummannaq in the north to Nanortalik in the south. Samples from Am m assalik on Greenland's east coast were examined in Denmark. During the field w o rk special attention was given to areas known from earlier work (GGU, municipal authorities, others) to be potentially interesting for ornamental stone prduction, including some existing town quarries.
The report com prises to main parts. The first part, ch. 1-5, contains the main conclusion, project description etc., recommendations and a sum mary of the field investigations listed by municipality. The second part, ch. 6-15, gives a full account of the field investigations listed by m unicipality.
It is concluded that there are major problems with export-oriented exploitation of stone from W est and South Greenland. Although a range of potentially interesting stone types occurs, the apparently ubiquitous presence of closely-spaced fractures makes the inherent demand for a low -cost, stable output of commercial-quality blocks very difficult to meet.
Exceptions from this general rule occur, such as the rapakivi granites from the municipality of Nanortalik in South Greenland. Here, easily accessible outcrops of very modestly fractured granites occur, w hich are very suitable for low -cost quarrying. The main obstacles fo r a production is th a t rapakivi granite is a medium-priced product not suited for tom bstones, and that other countries such as Finland are well established on the market.
Other rocks which possibly could be of some interest to the international m arket are a green alkali granite and an unusual, red, spotted sandstone, both from the municipality of Narsaq in South Greenland.
The most interesting area seems to be the to w n of Am m assalik and its surroundings, situated on the southern part of Greenland's east coast. Here, suitable brown- and pale-coloured building stone can probably be quarried w ith success. However, the fracture pattern is presently not very well known, although fractures are reported to be relatively widely spaced. Detailed investigations in the Ammassalik area are required before a more accurate statem ent about the ornamental stone potential can be made.
Most of the major tows on the west coast of Greenland and their surroundings were visited during the project's field phase; from Uummannaq in the north to Nanortalik in the south. Samples from Am m assalik on Greenland's east coast were examined in Denmark. During the field w o rk special attention was given to areas known from earlier work (GGU, municipal authorities, others) to be potentially interesting for ornamental stone prduction, including some existing town quarries.
The report com prises to main parts. The first part, ch. 1-5, contains the main conclusion, project description etc., recommendations and a sum mary of the field investigations listed by municipality. The second part, ch. 6-15, gives a full account of the field investigations listed by m unicipality.
It is concluded that there are major problems with export-oriented exploitation of stone from W est and South Greenland. Although a range of potentially interesting stone types occurs, the apparently ubiquitous presence of closely-spaced fractures makes the inherent demand for a low -cost, stable output of commercial-quality blocks very difficult to meet.
Exceptions from this general rule occur, such as the rapakivi granites from the municipality of Nanortalik in South Greenland. Here, easily accessible outcrops of very modestly fractured granites occur, w hich are very suitable for low -cost quarrying. The main obstacles fo r a production is th a t rapakivi granite is a medium-priced product not suited for tom bstones, and that other countries such as Finland are well established on the market.
Other rocks which possibly could be of some interest to the international m arket are a green alkali granite and an unusual, red, spotted sandstone, both from the municipality of Narsaq in South Greenland.
The most interesting area seems to be the to w n of Am m assalik and its surroundings, situated on the southern part of Greenland's east coast. Here, suitable brown- and pale-coloured building stone can probably be quarried w ith success. However, the fracture pattern is presently not very well known, although fractures are reported to be relatively widely spaced. Detailed investigations in the Ammassalik area are required before a more accurate statem ent about the ornamental stone potential can be made.
| Originalsprog | Engelsk |
|---|---|
| Udgivelsessted | Copenhagen |
| Forlag | GGU |
| Antal sider | 143 |
| DOI | |
| Status | Udgivet - feb. 1994 |
Publikationsserier
| Navn | Open File Series Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse |
|---|---|
| Nummer | 2 |
| Vol/bind | 94 |
| ISSN | 0903-7322 |
Emneord
- Greenland
- West Greenland
Programområde
- Programområde 4: Mineralske råstoffer