Gold Occurrences in Greenland

Greenland suffers from a split personality because geologically it is part of North America, but politically it is part of Europe; to be specific Denmark. Greenland geologically is part of the Canadian Shield although in many places it has been reworked. In the southwest corner is found some of the oldest rock on earth is taking the form of gneiss that has been intruded by a younger magma that provided the radiometric date. It is this younger magma from which a date of about 4 billion years ago has been derived. The gneiss itself is much older.

Like the rest of the Canadian Shield, Greenland is blessed with greenstone belts that are always associated with gold.  The east coast of Greenland lies just to the west of the IapetusSuture Zone making it similar to western Connecticut and Eastern New York.  Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Scandinavian Peninsula split off the eastern coast of Greenland during the period when the Atlantic Ocean was opening making a strip along the east coast similar to the eastern United States.  Some of the rocks in Scotland are identical to the Catskill Mountains in New York composed of what is called the Old Red Sandstone in Scotland.

A geological team at work in Greenland
Photo by Erik

Although much of Greenland hasn’t been explored as it is covered with up to two miles of ice enough has been explored so there are some active gold mines found on the Island.  The island could become the next mining frontier an idea that drew over 150 people to a meeting about the potential for mineral exploration in Greenland in Toronto.  Greenland itself is one indication about how the soaring prices for metals attracts miners to the out-of-the-way places that under usual conditions are normally overlooked.  Greenland is an extension of the Canadian Shield that contains many potential mineral deposits.  Just one deposit of cryolite sparked the whole aluminum industry during the late 19^th Century.

Greenland underwent two episodes of the breakup of a continent as recently as the Eocene about 40 million years ago and displays both extensional terrain and extensive volcanism just the place to look for gold.  Right across the middle of the island there are extensive flows of lava that cover the surface of the land beneath the ice.  One of these breakups formed the Davis Channel between Greenland and Canada the other involved the formation of the Atlantic Ocean that gave birth to Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia.  The ancient suture zone was just off the coast of present day Greenland.

Gold isn’t the only precious commodity found on Greenland; True North Gems has also found extensive deposits of rubies in southwestern Greenland.  There are also many other things then gold that are being mined on the island right now.  Exploration is ongoing for other commodities.  One of these is diamonds, although none have been discovered yet geologically there is no reason why they haven’t, and plenty of reasons why they should.

Although Greenland is off the beaten path it isn’t so far away that it can’t be in what is called in international trade a part of the Hudson – Rhine Axis of Trade.

The Ammonoosuc Gold Belt in New Hampshire:

The Ammonoosuc Gold Belt in New Hampshire is only a part of a much larger gold bearing district that extends out of southeastern Vermont and up the Connecticut River to New Hampshire and Québec even further north. In New Hampshire this belt contains the highest potential in the entire state where important discoveries of gold and other metals may be found.

This gold bearing district is closely associated with the Iapetus Suture Zone caused by the closing of the Iapetus Ocean hundreds of millions of years ago. This suture zone is traceable all away from Staten Island New York across the Atlantic Ocean to the mountains of northern Norway. Although this is one of the major suture zones on earth it has been little explored by miners.

Rocks found in this belt are metamorphic in origin for many of them were originally deposited as volcanics that could be endowed with gold. This zone is now the host of the most intense placer gold recovery in the state that in recent years has taken place in the sand and gravel deposits throughout the district.

The Ammonoosuc River at the Littleton Grist Mill during the Winter
Photo by Captain Tucker

The rocks found in the White Mountains and other genetically associated rocks to the South like those within the Patuckaway Mountains are also considered to be favorable for gold prospecting. Throughout the state the potential for gold being found along faults is high especially in those that have been acted upon by hydrothermal waters were quartz has been deposited in veins as so-called bull quartz. Bull quartz is a particular milky variety of crystalline quartz in veins that often has gold deposited on the interfaces of its crystals.

Gold has been found in many of the streams of northern and western New Hampshire included in this partial list:

Town Stream

Benton Tunnel Brook

Lincoln Notch Brook

Lisbon Salmon hole Brook

Wild Ammonoosuc River

Ammonoosuc River below the town of Bath

Northern Coos County

Indian Stream

Perry Stream

Dead Diamond River

Swift diamond River

Because of the potential damage that they can cause all gold panners should try to keep the disturbance of the stream beds of the low level of disturbance.

A great deal of information about gold found in New Hampshire is available from the geological survey of the state that is located in Concord. Another source of information is often to be found in old town histories.