Gemstone industry in Greenland

Greenland is the world's largest island located between the Arctic Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Numerous gemstones have been found in Greenland, including diamond, ruby, pink sapphire, kornerupine, tugtupite, lapis lazuli, amazonite, peridot, quartz, spinel, topaz, and tourmaline (Thirangoon, 2009). Most of Greenland's ruby and pink sapphire occurrences are located near the village of Fiskenaesset/Qeqertarsuatsiaat on the southwest coast.

A total of 31 ruby and pink sapphire occurrences have been confirmed in the Fiskenaesset/Qeqertarsuatsiaat district. One of these occurrences, Aappaluttoq, is currently being developed for a potential mining operation. All of the most important ruby prospects are at relatively low ice-free elevations near the Greenland coast.

Ruby and sapphire are the red and multi-coloured gemstone varieties of corundum (Al₂O₃). Ruby is colored red by the presence of the element chromium, whereas blue sapphire is normally coloured due to the presence of the elements iron and titanium (Hughes, 1997). In gemmological terms, when sapphire becomes less saturated with chromium it ceases to be described as ruby and is described as pink sapphire.

Gemmology

Ruby and pink sapphire are the red and pink varieties of the mineral corundum, an aluminum-oxide mineral Al2O3. The pink to red colour is formed in corundum by adding the element chromium to its crystal structure. Spectroscopy of rubies from the Aappaluttoq occurrence in Greenland confirm the presence of chromium as well as showing absorption in the UV region indicating high Fe (iron) content (Thirangoon, 2009).

The rubies and pink sapphires from Greenland have been described in published gemmological literature on several occasions (Rivalenti, 1974; Goodger, 1976; Gübelin, 1979; Bank, Lenzen, & Henn, 1988; and Thirangoon, 2009).

Numerous characteristics have been reported in Thirangoon, 2009, including:

- Most of the ruby crystals examined contained bohmite or kaolinite crystals as inclusions. The presence of these minerals indicates the samples were not heat treated.

- Laser ablation studies confirm the presence of trace elements Ti, V, Cr, Fe, and Ga, which are similar to rubies from other sources. Aappaluttoq samples contained high Fe, low V, and low Ga content. Chromium content varied widely depending on the colour of the samples, ranging from light pink to dark red.

- Population-field plotting of trace elements shows a good separation of Aappaluttoq rubies from many other sources.

- Inclusions (identified by Raman spectrometry) noted in the sample suite examined include: bohmite, catapleiite, chlorite, cordierite, corundum, cosalite, dolomite, feldspar, magnesite, margarite, mica, pargasite, pyroxene, rutile, sapphirine, and sillimanite. Other inclusions observed included iridescent fine needle-like inclusions (possibly rutile), clouds of reflective thin films, and iridescent platelets. Many samples showed lamellar twinning.

Geology

The ruby deposits of Fiskenæsset are Archaen aged and are contact metasomatic replacements in micaceous anorthosites. Corundum forms locally in both regional and contact metamorphic environments, as well as in hydrothermal settings. Ruby-bearing metasomatic zones typically formed along the amphibolite hangingwall contact of the chromite bearing and cumulate-layered Fiskenæsset anorthosite complex in close proximity to altered ultramafic rocks. Individually, ruby-bearing zones can measure up to 20 metres in thickness and up to 200 metres in length. They may occur as single showings, but are usually found in alignments of multiple showings, with some of the occurrences such as The Ruby Island Line collectively up to 3.5 kilometres in strike length, and as much as 100 metres in width. (Weston, 2009)

History

The Fiskenaesset area is known as the type locality where the rare mineral sapphirine was first described in 1809 by European mineralogists (Gieseke, 1816). Early references do not mention the identification of corundum in Greenland and, to date, no gem quality sapphirine has been described from Greenland. At Fiskenaesset, the sapphirine was spatially associated with anorthosite.

The first occurrence of corundum in the Fiskenaesset district was in 1949 (Sorensen, 1955), where non-gem white to brown, barrel shaped corundum crystals of 0.5 cm or more were found in association with sapphirine. Although an occurrence of emery (industrial corundum used in sandpaper) was noted in Giesecke (1816, page 341), Boggild (1953, page 107) subsequently confirmed that the emery described by Giesecke was actually sapphirine.

Detailed exploration in the Fiskenaesset area began in the summer of 1964 when the Geological Survey of Greenland (GEUS) completed a mapping project and identified chromite hosted within anorthosite. In 1967, GEUS reported the discovery of numerous ruby corundum bearing outcrops in the Fiskenaesset district. In association with the minerals sapphirine, kornerupine, pargasite, and phlogopite, six ruby deposits were confirmed in the Fiskenaesset district (Petersen and Secher, 1993). No gem quality ruby was observed, however the fine colour and high fluorescence of the stones was noted by GEUS. Additional occurrences were found in 1971 and 1972. All of the ruby prospects were in close spacial association with a chromite bearing anorthosite.

During the 1970’s and 1980’s, a succession of junior Canadian mining companies, among them Platinomino, Fiscannex, and Valhalla, explored the region for chromite and platinum and also evaluated the commercial potential of ruby occurrences near Fiskenaesset (Geisler, 1983). The ruby collected during this period of time was subjected to several gemmological descriptions and evaluations. (Rivalenti, 1974; Goodger, 1976; Gübelin, 1979; Bank, Lenzen, and Henn, 1988) Peter Appel (1995) with GEUS , published a comprehensive review of the six ruby deposits then known in the Fiskenaesset district and recognized sufficient potential to encourage further exploration. Based on his recommendations, two independent geologists Bill Brereton and Bill Anderson consolidated the land holdings at Fiskenaesset (Anderson, 1995).

In 2004, Brereton and Anderson completed an option agreement with True North Gems Inc, a Canadian venture capitalized exploration company. The agreement provides True North the right to earn a 100% ownership interest in the land holdings (www.truenorthgems.com). True North Gems was established in 2001 to search for coloured gemstones at high northern latitudes.

Recent Exploration

The Greenland Ruby discovery at Fiskenaesset is now becoming recognized as the most important colored gemstone occurrence in the entire Arctic.

True North Gems hired local Greenlanders from Fiskenaesset and Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, to help explore the district and, over the course of the next five years, increased the number of ruby occurrences known from the original six acquired by Brereton and Anderson to thirty one, as of 2008. True North bulk sampled the main deposits and demonstrated the economic potential for a ruby mine (Rohtert and Ritchie, 2006). During this period, True North Gems sponsored Canadian gem and jewellery experts to visit the community and train the locals in developing a cottage industry making ruby jewelry and mounting collector specimens.

In five years between 2004 and 2008, True North has collected a total of thirteen (13) mini-bulk samples; from seven (7) ruby showings: Siggartartulik; Lower Annertusoq; Upper Annertusoq; Kigutilik; Ruby Island; Qaqqatsiaq; and, Aappaluttoq. In 2004 and 2005, True North collected 3 tonne samples from each of Siggartartulik, Lower Annertusoq, Upper Annertusoq, Kigutilik, Ruby Island, and Qaqqatsiaq. In 2006, True North collected 30 tonnes from Kigutilik and from Aappaluttoq. In 2007 True North collected three separate samples at Aappaluttoq totalling 82.8 tonnes. In 2008, an additional 125 tonnes of material was collected from Aappaluttoq by blasting and 30-40 tonnes of ruby bearing overburden was collected (Weston, 2009).

A total of 6,974 metres of diamond drilling has been completed in 65 holes drilled in 2007 and 2008. Ruby and pink sapphire has been found in 48 of the holes. At Aappaluttoq, the ruby and pink sapphire mineralization occurs in a corundum (ruby-sapphire) alteration band that exhibits trench-to-trench and drill hole-to-drill hole continuity. This corundum band is contained within a broader phlogopite and pargasite-enriched alteration zone referred to as the Host Zone Alteration. The ruby mineralization at the Aappaluttoq prospect has now been traced in drilling and surface exposures over a strike length of 135 metres and a vertical depth of 143 metres. The closely associated Aappaluttoq Deep Zone has now been traced in drilling over a strike length of 85 metres and continues to vertical depths of 70-143 metres below surface. Both zones remain open along strike and to depth (Weston, 2009)

After replacing management over the ruby project, in 2007 True North Gems began to drill a ruby deposit in the Fiskenaesset district at a place called Aappaluttoq Ridge. The new management was accused of discouraging the villagers from Fiskenaesset, as well as Inuit from elsewhere in Greenland, from coming onto the area of their exploration license, even though it was argued that the Greenlanders had the right of mineral access under “Section 32” of the country’s Mineral Resources Act administerd by the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum (www.bmp.gl). Section 32 was argued to confirm not only native people's right of access to the land to hunt and fish and prospect for minerals for their own purposes, but also to hand mine gem grade ruby material, even on the legal exploration licenses of other parties. Later interpretation of this clause revealed that Danish Colonial Laws excluded this clause from being used for the commercial exploitation of gem grade material, even though Denmark as a signature to the UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights should allow such activity as a sustainable livelihoods opportunity.

Recent Politics

This summer the 16 August Union have generated an ongoing paper and electronic email petition in support of their cause (http://www.sten.underskrifter.dk/) They have currently obtained over 3500 signatures from a country with only 57,000 people, about 4.5% of the population. Another 1000 people internationally signed over the internet. As of September 2008, the Greenland Parliament is now debating the rights of the native people under Section 32, versus a new proposal by the BMP that would require Greenlanders to follow the same rules and regulations of large scale mining companies, which are accountable for their mining activities and must pass a number of hurdles in demonstrating public benefit before they mine and generate any profit. The 16 August Union contends that the natives cannot afford the high cost and the new burdens. They claim that BMP’s actions amount to an economic Apartheid, where the government favors foreign mining interests who have followed old mining laws set out for mining over Greenlanders such as Madsen. True North Gems the foreign mining company contends that it has the support of the Greenlandic community of Fiskenaesset, where the rubies are located, and that the 16 August Union are self-interested Greenlanders who do not represent the local community or Greenlanders in general.This contention is contestable as in July 2008 at a public meeting in Fiskenaesset in the presence of True North Executives the majority of this community expressed desire for True North to leave the area and that their presence was resented. True North Gems is operating in full compliance with Greenlandic law, which allows sampling and documentation of material for the purposes of proving economic viability of a commercial operation. To date True North Gems has not sold any ruby, received any legal bankable income from the exploration of the Greenland Ruby and paid no royalty or taxes to the Greenland exchequer. The 16th August Union is looking for the the law makers to uphold their constitutional claim to traditional rights under section 32 of the mineral act and in doing so create the opportunity for responsible small scale mining to take place. (http://www.fairjewelry.org/archives/364)

See also

• Greenland
• Inuit

References

• Anderson, W.J., 1995, Economic geology and exploration potential of the Frederikshab Isblink – Sondre Stromfjord area: Greenland Geological Survey Open File Series 94/18, 30 pp.
• Bank, H., Lenzen, G. and Henn, U. (1988) Laboratory notes. Gemmologie Aktuell. 2. 1‐3
• Boggild, O.B., 1953, The mineralogy of Greenland: Meddr. Greenland, v. 149, n. 3, 442 pp.
• Geisler, R.A., 1976, The ruby deposits at Fiskenaesset, Greenland: Canadian Gemmologist, v. 1, n. 2, p. 4.
• Ghisler, M., and Windley, B.F., 1967, The chromite deposits of the Fiskenaesset region, west Greenland: Greenland Geological Survey Report No. 12, 39 pp.
• Giesecke, K.L., 1833, Mineralogiske Rejse I Gronland (1806-1813): ved C.F. Jornstrop v. 35.
• Goodger, W. D. (1976) Ruby with kornerupine and associated minerals from Greenland. Canadian Gemmologist. 1. 2. 2–3
• Gübelin, E. J. (1979) Fiskenaesset: Rubinvorkommen auf Grönland. Lapis. 4. 3. 19–26
• Hughes, R.W., 1997, Ruby and sapphire: RWH Publishing, Colorado, 511 pp.
• Petersen, O.V., and Secher, K., 1993, The minerals of Greenland: Mineralogical Record, v. 24, n. 2, 88 pp.
• Rivalenti, G. (1974) A ruby corundum pegmatoid in an area near Fiskenaesset, South‐west Greenland. Bolletino del Servizio Geologico d'Italia. 93. 23‐32
• Rohtert, W.R., and Ritchie, M.R., 2006, Three parageneses of ruby and pink sapphire discovered at Fiskenaesset, Greenland: Gems and Gemology, v. 42, n. 3, p. 149-150.
• Thirangoon, K., 2009, Ruby and pink sapphire from Aappaluttoq, Greenland. Status of on-going research. GIA Laboratory, Bangkok.
• Weston, B.C.P, 2009, 2008 Report on field activities for the Fiskenaesset ruby project, Greenland. 43-101 report, True North Gems Inc.

News

• BBC: Country profile
• The Politically Hot Greenland Ruby
• Andrew Lee Smith, CEO of True North Gems: An Exclusive Fairjewelry.org Interview
• Inuits From Greenland Ask You to Support Their Mining Rights!
• Greenland's Apartheid Rubies