economy
January 28, 2026
Why is Greenland so rich in natural resources?
Island’s mineral and resource wealth is result of mountain building, rifting and volcanic activity over 4bn years
TL;DR
- Greenland contains significant natural resources including oil, gas, rare-earth elements, gems, and gold.
- Its geological history over the past 4 billion years, marked by mountain building, rifting, and volcanism, is responsible for this wealth.
- Mountain building created faults and fractures where gold, diamonds, rubies, and graphite were deposited.
- Rifting related to the Atlantic Ocean's formation created sedimentary basins for oil and gas.
- Volcanic episodes deposited rare-earth elements.
- A warming world could make Greenland's resources more accessible.
- Exploiting these resources may come at a high cost to Greenland.
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