News Archive

Dr. Leon Bagas (CET) recently found himself alongside Polar Bears and ice bergs working with the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). Leon was employed as part of a collaborative project looking at the regional structural geology in southeastern Greenland. GEUS is managing the program with which Leon is involved, and is co-financed by GEUS and the Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum which is part of the Government of Greenland.

GEUS' aim is to gather data and gain a better understanding of the geology and economic potential of the region. This is particularly important because exploration companies have done minimal mineral exploration in this region and the existing geological maps that were completed approximately 30 years ago are still at regional scale.

The current geological investigation by GEUS is carried out in teams of two or four people operating out of tents or from a ship-based base-camp onboard the expedition vessel M/V Fox with the aid of a helicopter and zodiac dinghies.

As observed in the field by Dr. Bagas, the characteristics of the southeastern part of Greenland are magmatic orthogneiss, mafic granulite, narrow bands and lenses of possible paragneiss, and ultramafic gneiss. The region is structurally complex with evidence of at least 7 deformation events including newly recognized Neoarchean deformation, associated with regional metamorphism up to granulite facies, partial melting and syn- to late-orogenic magmatism. Interestingly, later deformation events at greenschist facies are occasionally associated with anomalous semi-massive sulfides, gold, and nickel.

More work is required in southeastern Greenland particularly with interest being expressed by various exploration companies. Leon will be part of this exciting scientific study along with two UWA honours students, John Owen and Steve Rennick, who also participated in the GEUS field program. Hopefully, this collaboration between GEUS, CET and UWA will develop further in the years to come.

For further information about southeastern Greenland contact Leon Bagas ([email protected]). Alternatively contact Dr Karen Hanghøj ([email protected]) or Dr Bo Møller Stensgaard ([email protected]) at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.

Media references

Cindi Dunjey (Academic Coordinator)

Leon Bagas (Research Professor)