The small town of Narsaq in Southern Greenland 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 deposits are among the largest in the world and could help break China‘s quasi-monopoly on rare earth metals on the world market. The Kvanefjeld deposit is the second largest rare earth deposit after the Bayan Obo mine in China but is also the sixth largest uranium deposit in the world. The discovery brought the region into the international spotlight: China wanted to buy the mining licences from the licensees Greenland Minerals, while US President Trump renewed his claim to the entire island state after the US election in 2024.

The protests against the mine in Narsaq led to a change of government in the 2021 election. The new government under Mute B. Egede implemented the Uranium Act, which effectively banned the mining of rock with radioactive components. This was followed by a lawsuit by the licence holder against the state of Denmark and the Greenlandic government, with a claim for damages of USD 11.5 billion.

At the same time, other deposits are being explored in this geologically unique region. Tanbreez, an Australian company, received a mining licence in 2020. In the summer of 2024, managing director Greg Barnes sold the mining rights to the US company Critical Metals Corp. which intends to develop the project and mine rare earths from 2028. The company‘s shares in Tanbreez changed hands for around USD 200 million.

Although the Uranium Act has temporarily brought peace to Narsaq, it can be renegotiated with any new government and elections are due to be held in Greenland in April 2025. Independence from Denmark is being sought. Greenlandic scientists believe that the annual 500 million euros in Danish subsidies can only be offset by a stronger focus on mining.

The reportage takes a look at a divided region that has unwittingly become the focus of international attention and whose inhabitants are exhausted by the conflict that has been going on for decades.

View over Narsaq. The small town in the south of Greenland was once an important trading centre. 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 incalculable risks.
Left: Ane Egede in her house 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.
Jack Ness Sebulonsen, a Greenlandic helper on an expedition, with his ground penetrating radar. The expedition around the Motzfeldt Plateau is being financed by a British company that suspects large quantities of rare earths and tantalum here.
Left: Participating geologist of the expedition on the Motzfeldt Plateau in July 2023. centre: Borehole on the Motzfeldt Plateau, where initial exploratory drilling took place in 2010. Right: Thin section of a stone from the Motzfeldt Plateau at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Autoradiograph of a drill core from the Kvanefjeld plateau. The core was wrapped in a film and exposed to the radioactive elements in the core for almost 2 weeks. The white areas were exposed to radioactivity.
Participants of the expedition on the Motzfeldt plateau in July 2023.
left: Test drilling has been carried out at almost 250 locations on the Kvanefjeld plateau and the surrounding areas since 1958. Around 58 kilometres of drill cores have been extracted, from which the raw material deposits can be derived. Right: The extracted drill cores are stored in two drill core repositories in Greenland, the larger one is in Kangerlussuaq, the smaller one (pictured here) is located at Narsarsuaq airport in the south of Greenland.
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.
Left: Participant of the expedition on the Motzfeldt Plateau in July 2023. Right: View from Narsaq towards the Kvanefjeld Plateau (left flank of the valley).
Left: Geiger counter on the Kvanefjeld plateau. The rock contains the radioactive elements uranium and thorium, which always occur together with the coveted rare earth metals due to the geological formation process of the minerals at this location. Centre: A sheep farmer‘s barn in Tasiusaq, north of Narsaq. Sheep farming is an important economic factor in South Greenland. The farmers were the driving force behind the anti-uranium protests surrounding the planned mine, as they feared that their products would be damaged by the radioactive dust from the planned open-cast mine. Right: Entrance to the test tunnel that Danish geologists excavated in 1979. In the process, 15,000 tonnes of rock were extracted from the mountain, which was then examined in Denmark. The aim was to extract uranium.
Left: Hard drive magnets at the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Materials Recycling and Resource Strategies (IWKS) in Hanau. Strong magnets are essential for the desired energy transition. They can be used to build compact electric motors for electric cars, while generators such as those in wind turbines also require strong magnets. In Hanau, research is being conducted into the recycling of rare earth magnets in order to become less dependent on imports from China in the long term. China is the largest miner of rare earths, the largest producer of magnets and also the most important recycler of magnets. Right: Sheep on a pasture in Qassiarsuk.
Rock formation on the Motzfeldt plateau.
Clouds over the Motzfeldt plateau and the fjord below.
Autoradiography of rocks from the Kvanefjeld plateau. The rocks were placed on photographic film and exposed for almost 2 weeks. The dark areas were exposed to radioactivity.
Greg Barnes, Australian geologist and owner of Tanbreez, in Narsarsuaq. His company holds the mining licence for rare earths in the area south of Narsaq called ‚Kringlerne‘. In the summer of 2024, he sold shares in his company to the American Critical Metals Corp. which is driving forward the development of the project. Critical Metals Corp. plans to mine rare earths on the site from 2028.
Left: Ice on a fjord in southern Greenland. Right: Stone from Kringlerne at the University of St Andrews in Scotland under UV light.
Left: Burnt-down shed in Narsaq. Due to the town‘s uncertain future, many investments have been cancelled. Centre: Greenland Minerals (now Energy Transition Minerals), holder of the exploration licence on the Kvanefjeld plateau, was a sponsor of the local football club at the beginning of its activities in Narsaq. Right: Blood in the harbour basin of Narsaq after a seal was dismembered. The inhabitants of Greenland are still allowed to hunt seals.
There are only a few jobs left in Narsaq. The largest employer, a fish factory, closed in 2013, and today there is only a slaughterhouse that needs seasonal workers. Tourism also only plays a seasonal role and is largely controlled by foreign providers. Left: Two Spanish canoe guides. Right: The Qajaq Brewery opened in Narsaq in 2015 and is run by the Icelandic owners of the local hotel.
Participant of the expedition on the Motzfeldt Plateau at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is writing his doctoral thesis on the geological processes that led to the formation of the mineral deposit. His work is being funded by the holder of the exploration licence, who in return hopes to be able to better evaluate the deposit.