Ane Egede looks anxiously out of her kitchen window as fog from the sea presses against the nearby hills and swallows up the icebergs. “Up there in the valley, that’s where the mine is to be built.” She only returned to her hometown of Narsaq with her husband in 2020, when the mining project seemed to be off the table. However, the residents still have no final certainty.
The small town has been caught up in geopolitics, as a treasure lies beneath the steep slopes of the surrounding fjords: large quantities of rare earths, but also uranium. The discovery brought the region into the international spotlight: China wanted to buy the mining licenses from the licensees and former US President Trump wanted to acquire the entire island state.
The reportage takes a look at a city divided between tradition, economic downturn and potential wealth.
View over Narsaq. The small town in the south of Greenland was once an important trading center. However, the population has been shrinking for years as there are hardly any economic prospects in the region. The Kvanefjeld mining project, which could bring jobs, has been opposed by the population for decades due to the unquantifiable risks.
Left: Ane Egede in her home in Narsaq. She left the town decades ago and returned with her husband in 2020. They firmly believed that the planned mining project was off the table, but there is still no guarantee. She is very insecure and now believes that the government is conspiring against her hometown. Right: Sodalite under UV light.
Sheep farmers in particular voiced their opposition to the planned mine in Narsaq. They feared that it would damage their image and cause a slump in sales of lamb. They feared that the mine would stir up radioactive dust, spread it in the surrounding area and end up in the sheep's diet.
Left: Aerial view of the Kvanefjeld plateau. Until recently, open-cast mining was planned here to extract the rare earths contained in the rock. A by-product of this would have been a large amount of uranium. Right: Entrance to the old mine shaft. As the rock has a high concentration of uranium, the entrance was permanently sealed.
Left: Aerial view of the Kvanefjeld plateau. Until recently, open-cast mining was planned here to extract the rare earths contained in the rock. A by-product of this would have been a large amount of uranium. Right: Entrance to the old mine shaft. As the rock has a high concentration of uranium, the entrance was permanently sealed.
Left: John Small on his ATV in the center of Narsaq. He collects and processes gemstones to sell to tourists. Tugtupite, a deep red gemstone that only occurs in the Kvanefjeld complex, is particularly sought after. Right: A Geiger counter on the Kvanefjeld plateau shows a dose equivalent of over 30 microsieverts on the surface. In the UK, only rock up to 7.5 microsieverts may be mined.
Left: Josep Peterson is one of the few supporters of the mine project. He was a politician for a long time and campaigned for the mine. After the landslide victory of the opposition party, which campaigned against the mining of uranium, he retired from politics. Today he runs a B&B and teaches young adults who have not finished school. Center: Greenland Minerals advertising banner in the local sports hall. The company tried to gain support for the project in various ways, including by sponsoring the local soccer club. Right: Blood from a freshly dismembered seal in the port of Narsaq.
View of the Motzfeldt Plateau, where rare earths are suspected. In the summer of 2023, a team of geologists set off to investigate the plateau on behalf of a British company.
Jack Ness Sebulonsen, a Greenlandic helper on an expedition, with his ground penetrating radar. The expedition is investigating an area in southern Greenland on behalf of a British company.
Jack Ness Sebulonsen, a Greenlandic helper on an expedition, with his ground penetrating radar.
Weathered rock on the Motzfeldt plateau.
Prof. Adrian Finch (center) examines a rock on the Motzfeldt Plateau. Due to drilling in the 1980s, it is known that rare earths can be found in the rock beneath the plateau (left: old borehole).
Anna Szreter, Curtis Rooks and Prof. Adrian Finch examining stones on the Motzfeldt Plateau.
The geologists come from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. It was founded in 1413, making it the oldest English-speaking university in the world after Oxford and Cambridge. View of the university's teaching collection.
Prof. Adrian Finch in his office at the University of St. Andrews. He has been traveling in South Greenland for decades and knows the area like no other. In addition to his teaching activities, he often works on resource exploration projects for companies.
Rare earth ores from the teaching collection of the University of St. Andrews. Rare earths are not fundamentally rare, there are only extremely few places where they are concentrated. Mining is therefore very rarely economically viable.
Curtis Rooks (right) in a lecture hall at the University of St. Andrews. He is writing his doctoral thesis on the Motzfeldt Plateau and the geological processes that led to the formation of minerals containing rare earth elements. The work is being paid for by a British company that currently holds the exploration rights to the area.
Detail of a rare earth ore (left). Thin sections can be used to trace geochemical processes in rock samples (right).