Unlike many of the province’s better-known deposits, Ilua benefits from relatively favourable topography, supporting easier access and aiding future development considerations. Initial analytical work has also confirmed that uranium and thorium concentrations are below Greenland’s regulatory thresholds. Ongoing mineralogical studies indicate the REE mineralisation may be hosted within more conventional REE-bearing minerals, including monazite. Monazite is one of the world’s most important commercial REE minerals and forms the basis of several advanced and producing rare earth projects globally, including Mt Weld in Australia, Eneabba in
Australia and Steenkampskraal in South Africa, providing encouragement that the Ilua Project may offer a more straightforward development pathway, than some of the more mineralogically complex REE projects elsewhere within the Gardar Province.
Ilua Rare Earth Project, drilling, South Greenland, rare earth elements, uranium, thorium, regulatory thresholds, mineralogical studies, monazite, Mt Weld, Eneabba, Steenkampskraal, Gardar Province
So they’re drilling and it’s “below thresholds”… cool cool.
Wait, uranium and thorium are below the regulatory thresholds but they’re still starting drilling? I’m confused how that works. Also Greenland is already freezing enough, why are we doing mining out there.
Sounds like it’s basically good news because monazite is a “straightforward pathway” or whatever, but didn’t they say rare earth projects can still screw up water or something? Like I don’t trust the word “favourable topography” lol. Also Mt Weld and South Africa… so are we just importing the same problems?
I saw “Ilua” and thought it was a TikTok thing or something, not actual mining. They mention uranium and thorium like that’s nothing but it feels like a big deal anyway. If it’s rare earths, then it’s for phones and EVs right? So basically we’re trading Greenland nature for my iPhone upgrade, love that for us. Can’t wait for somebody to say it’s safe after the fact.