A glimpse into Greenland’s rare earth riches

Under ultraviolet light, these sodalite rocks at the Kvanefjeld mineral deposit in South Greenland glow with an eerie luminescence against a bleak mountainous backdrop.

The photo was taken by photographer Jonas Kako on a trip to Greenland, where he investigated how mining for rare earth elements and minerals on the island affects the local population. It sees the sodalite in the Kvanefjeld area – in itself not valuable, just beautiful – absorbing ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation, which is outside the spectrum that humans can detect. The sodalite then emits light in a wavelength visible to the naked eye.

The Kvanefjeld area contains many of the rare earth elements and minerals that are essential for batteries that can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, but also for the space and defense industries. Right now, around 90 percent of these materials come from Chinese mines and processing plants, which puts Western countries in a vulnerable position. But 25 of the 34 minerals that the European Commission has classified as critical raw materials are found in Greenland.

These kinds of resources mean that Kvanefjeld and other similarly mineral-rich places in Greenland are of interest to both researchers and politicians. And it’s no coincidence that Greenland has found itself making rare international headlines as global tensions rise, with President Donald Trump’s bellicose and worrisome rhetoric first about a potential purchase of the island, then threats of a forceful takeover.

Kako’s photos, collected in the photo history Treasure Islandexplore the situation on an island where many already sought to distance themselves from the Danish government. Full independence is a goal of many of the autonomous territory’s political parties, which also largely reject the notion of becoming part of the United States. The already complex political situation on the island has grown even more tangled, while Greenland’s somewhat frightened inhabitants suddenly find themselves in the international spotlight.

For now, Greenland’s economy still rests on fishing, which generates around 90 percent of export earnings. Resource extraction can change that dramatically. But residents are also worried about the environmental impact that large-scale mining could cause, even if it could help the island pay its own way as a sovereign state – especially since many of the minerals are found mixed with radioactive uranium.

In Kako’s photo above, two Greenlanders are shown in the Amitsoq mine, which was operated by the Danes more than a century ago, pushing graphite samples into a wheelbarrow for analysis to assess future mining prospects. The site is one of the largest deposits of graphite in the world, which is a resource of increasing importance for green technologies and batteries. The European Union classified the mine as strategically important last year, and it can now expect to receive financial support. Below is a shot of a sample of graphite.