Operating in Greenland
The Greenland Geological Survey (GEUS) has been active for years, producing high quality maps, large geochemical databases, mineral occurrence databases, and airborne geophysical surveys. The Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum (BMP: http://www.bmp.gl/ ) promotes Greenland as an attractive destination for mineral explorers through international trade shows such as the PDAC (Toronto) and the Cordilleran RoundUp (Vancouver), and presents at mining forums in Australia. Exploration is generally carried out in the Greenlandic summer and shoulder seasons (May to October), as is done in other high latitude areas such as Canada and Alaska. A number of exploration and mining service providers operate out of Greenland and provide drill crews and well-trained personnel.
Climate of South Greenland
In a study over a 30 year period from 1960 – 1990 the mean annual temperature of south Greenland (as measured in Qaqortoq, located near Narsaq) was 0.6°C. Across the peak of winter the average minimum was -9°C, and the average maximum was -3°C, whereas across the middle of summer the average minimum temperature was 4°C and the average maximum was 13°C. The relatively low temperature range reflects the moderating influence of the close proximity to the ocean.
The town of Narsaq is located between the towns of Narsarsuaq and Qaqortoq. During the thirty year study period between 1960 – 1990, the average annual precipitation was 615 mm in Narsarsuaq, and 857 in Qaqortoq, which is located closer to the open ocean. Peak precipitation tends to occur in mid-late summer (July to September), with a secondary peak around November. Summer precipitation largely falls as rain, with snow in the winter months.
Greenland Minerals has numerous weather stations in place around the Ilimaussaq project area to accurately monitor and record the current weather patterns.
Owing to the relatively mild winter temperatures, there are no particularly specialized machinery requirements beyond heavy duty alternators and air conditioning. Periods of unusually low temperature, or elevated snowfall, are restricted to short time intervals.
