Hands Off Greenland – some recollections of my trip there to a Molybdenum prospect

Mark Watson-Mitchell – 12.01.2026

I now realise what Donald Trump is doing on the international stage – he is creating tensions across the globe, so that he can then be lauded for ‘settling’ the various wars and conflicts that are created by his manoeuvres.

And then claim the Nobel Peace Prize for his valiant efforts.

Grabbing Out For Greenland

He is currently ‘bullying’ his way into the annexation of Greenland – such an intention of which I totally abhor.

It is the world’s largest island, lying in the North Atlantic Ocean, with two-thirds of its area within the Arctic Circle.

Extending 1,660m from north to south and more than 650m at its widest point, its total area is more than 836,000 sq.miles (more than 2,165,000 square km).

Greenland’s deeply indented coastline is 24,430m (39,330 km) long, which is a distance roughly equivalent to Earth’s circumference at the Equator.

It is some 1,280 miles from the States and similar to Denmark, which holds the protectorate.

With a population of some 57,500 people, it actually has its own home-rule government.

The nearest European country is Iceland, from which I flew when on a trip to visit a rare earth prospect on Greenland’s eastern coastline.

Trump Going For Security Or For Its Riches?

The Island has deposits of cryolite, lead, zinc, silver, and coal which were mined at various times in the 20th century, while its first gold mine opened in 2004.

Exploration has uncovered deposits of iron, uranium, copper, molybdenum, diamonds, and other minerals.

Climatic and ecological considerations had long limited the exploitation of these resources; however, global warming has not only melted sea ice and made oil and natural gas exploration more accessible but also opened tracts of land for mineral exploitation.

In the late 20th century, the island opened its first hydroelectric power plant.

The manner in which increasingly interested foreign firms were allowed to undertake exploration and mining became a pivotal political issue in Greenland in the early 21st century.

Oil drilling in the Arctic waters around Greenland began in mid-2010.

Licensing agreements were delayed, however, as environmental concerns grew in response to BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that year.

The Scotland-based Cairn Energy began drilling in 2010 but has yet to discover commercially viable sources of oil or natural gas off Greenland.

The Tanbreez Mine is said to hold massive deposits of Dysprosium, which the US and its Air Force desperately need to break its dependence on China, which supplies the US with this rare mineral.

This particular mineral is vital for missile guidance systems and their F35 Jets and much more, currently some 90% of the world’s supply come from China.

My Visit To Greenland

After a somewhat raucous evening in Reykjavik, I was in a party visiting the potential mine interest of a company’s licences in Greenland.

They were situated at Malmbjerg which has one of the largest undeveloped primary molybdenum deposits in the world.

This particular company was looking to develop two primary molybdenum licences having previously engaged specialist consultants who appraised the results of previous exploration programmes and classified the resources.

It was a fascinating trip, flying out to a lonely camp manned by two Danish Police personnel together with their Alsatian hounds.

From there, we flew by helicopter to the company’s mining camp, which was a number of large tents, flanked by an area covered by mining core samples neatly arranged.

It was absolutely freezing, but the views as we flew over the glaciers were impressive, especially seeing bears running, somewhat startled by the helicopter's whirring blades.

And what a machine that was to experience, particularly when it took four of us 700 feet up an ice-covered mountainside, to land on a 12ft square platform at the face of a mile-long tunnel which miners had previously scoped out for any valuable mineral seams.

Wearing cold-weather gear, helmets with lamps and following closely the experts already in the tunnel, we proceeded along the trolley rails, which were some six to nine inches deep in water.

The lights shone into the walls and made visible a mass of sparkling fissures.

I have to say that it did not mean a lot to me, but the experience of the trip was quite awe-inspiring, especially as I witnessed my first view that night of the Northern Lights.

I need not go on any more of my trip, needless to say though, I do believe that the Greenlanders and the Danish people should not ‘kowtow’ to Trump as he seeks to dominate the globe.