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2003 Greenland Tour Geo-Adventure Report:
Experience a virtual tour through the Ilimaussaq Complex written by one of 2003’s Geo-Adventure participants. Lots of great scenery pics, rock pics
and a simply excellent story.

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Article (in HTML) - The Fluorescent Minerals
of the Ilimaussaq Complex,
South Greenland or click on image for a PDF File

Iceberg Arches

Mineral Data

Greenland Mineral Data

There are several key localities offering the collector access to many rare and unusual minerals. Some of these areas are small intrusions perhaps only meters wide. Many minerals in these areas are found nowhere else in the world. Due to the rapid weathering of the friable (brittle and easily crumbled) syenites most of the mountains have no vegetation (no soil), and the gray and reddish hues contrast nicely with the deep blue fjords and gleaming white icebergs.

Ilimaussaq Complex

Perhaps the most famous is the Ilimaussaq Complex in Southwestern Greenland - an 8x17km intrusion located between two fjords - Kangerdluarssuk fjord and Tunulliarfik fjord. Located near the city of Narsaq, access to certain parts of the complex (Kvanefjeld) can be made by foot, while other areas (Kangerdluarssuk and Tunulliarfik)

requires travel by boat. It is without a doubt the most mineral-rich area in Greenland. Many of these minerals are new finds for the fluorescent collector.

New fluorescent minerals from Greenland are being uncovered almost weekly. For the latest list and pictures of the most significant finds download our article “The Fluorescent Minerals of Greenland”. (printer ready)

(Requires Adobe Acrobat)

The complex consists of three different intrusions. First augite syenite formed a shell along the sides and the roof, next an alkali granite and alkali syenite formed two thin sheets near the top, and finally the biggest part and center of the intrusion was formed by a layered series of under-saturated syenites. The rocks close to the roof are the oldest. The most common rocks in these areas are a sodalite-nepheline syenite called naujaite, an arfvedsonite-aegrine bearing nepheline syenite called lujavrite, and a eudialyte-bearing nepheline syenite called kakortokite.

llimaussaq is the area with the most minerals in Greenland - more than 200 so far, half of them silicates. Here the silica content is much higher than elsewhere in the world. Numerous pegmatites and hydrothermal veins, streaks and patches are found all over the intrusion, but are most common in the areas of Kangerdluarssuk and Kvanefjeld. Some of the famous minerals from this area include:
Tugtupite
Sodalite
Polylithionite
Red Syenite (Kakortokite)
Ussingite

For more information on the formation of the Illimaussaq complex see the Minerology Pages.

For more information on tenebrescense visit our sodalite pages.

Fiskenaesset Complex

The Fiskenaesset area includes a matamorphosed layered magmatic complex. It occurs in granitic gneiss bordered by amphibolites. This area is most known for the occurrences of:
* sapphrine
* corundum (ruby)

Godthabsfjord Area

Located in West Greendland just east of the capital (Nuuk), this area is famous for the oldest known rocks in the world (over 3.8 billion years old). Several popular Greenland gemstones come form this granite complex and associated pegmatites:

* Greenlandite (chromian muscovite fuchsite) - considered to be the “oldest” gemstone in the world
* Nuummite (anthophyllite-gedrite masses) - a stone with dramatic gold and blue iridescense

Minerals found in the Ilimaussaq Complex
Aegirine Aenigmatite Albite * Allanite-(Ce) Allargentum Analcime * Ancylite-(La) Antigorite Antimony Arfvedsonite * Argentite Astrophyllite Augite Avicennite Azurite Barylite Bastnaesite-(Ce) Bertrandite Beryllite * Beudantite Biotite Bornite Breithauptite Britholite-(Ce) Brochantite Calcite * Cancrinite Carbonate-hydroxylapatite Catapleiite * Cerussite Chabazite Chalcedony Chalcocite Chalcopyrite Chalcostibite Chalcothallite Chkalovite * Chlorite-group Chrysocolla Connellite Cookeite Copper Covellite Cuprite Cuprostibite Diaspore Digenite Diopside Djerfisherite Djurleite Dyscrasite Elpidite Emeleusite Ephesite Epididymite Epidote Epistolite Eudialyte Eudidymite Evenkite	Famatinite Fayalite Fersmite Fluorapatite Fluorapophyllite Fluorite * Galena Garnet-group Genthelvite Gerasimovskite Gibbsite Gmelinite Goethite Graphite Gudmundite Halloysite Hastingsite Hedenbergite Helvite Hemimorphite Herschelite Hiortdahlite Hisingerite Hydrocerussite Ilimaussite Ilmenite Ilvaite Joaquinite Katophorite Komarovite (var. Sodium-K.) Kvanefjeldite Lead Lepidolite Leucophanite Leucosphenite Linarite Litharge Loellingite Lomonosovite Lomonosovite-ß Lorenzenite Lovdarite Lovozerite Lueshite Magnetite Malachite Marcasite Microcline * Molybdenite Monazite-(Ce) Montmorillonite Mosandrite Murmanite Muscovite Nabesite Nacareniobsite-(Ce)	Nahcolite Narsarsukite Natrolite Naujakasite Nenadkevichite Nepheline Neptunite Nickeline Niobophyllite Nontronite Odintsovite Orthojoaquinite-(La) Orthoclase Palygorskite Pearceite Pectolite Plagioclase Plattnerite Polybasite Polylithionite * Prehnite Pyrite Pyrochlore yrolusite Pyrophanite Pyrrhotite Quartz * Rhabdophane-(Ce) Riebeckite Rinkite Rohaite Rosenbuschite Rutile Sauconite Seinaejokite Semenovite-(Ce) Senarmontite Sepiolite Serandite Siderite Silver Skinnerite Skutterudite Sodalite * Soda-microcline * Soda-orthoclase * Sorensenite * Sphalerite * Stannite Steenstrupine-(Ce) Stilbite Stillwellite Synchysite-(Ce) Tetrahedrite Tetranatrolite	Thalcusite Thermonatrite Thorianite Thorite Tin Titanite Todorokite Troilite Trona Tugtupite * Tundrite-(Ce) Tundrite-(Nd) Tuperssuatsiaite Turkestanite Ussingite * Valentinite Vesuvianite Villiaumite * Vinogradovite Vitusite-(Ce) Vrbaite Vuonnemite Westerveldite Whewellite Willemite Zircon *
Bold – Type Locale * - Observed to be Fluorescent (by MinerShop)