A land whiter than green: the ice sheet
Greenland, literally "green earth", is 80% covered by an ice cap (the correct term is ice sheet). Some 18 million years old, it now covers some 1,710,000 km² of the territory, stretching 2,670 km from north to south, between Cape Morris Jesup (latitude 83° 39' N) and Cape Farvel (latitude 59° 46' N, the height of Oslo), and up to 1,060 km from east to west. It covered some 1,755,637 km² 10 years ago, when it was estimated that the ice had melted by around 2.5% of its total surface area. At its center, the ice is 3 km thick and over 100,000 years old. The total volume of the ice sheet is up to 2 million cubic km of ice, representing 10% of the world's freshwater (the rest is almost entirely occupied by the Antarctic ice sheet, except for 2% for lakes and rivers), or the equivalent of a 6.5 m layer of water spread over all the world's seas. The highest point is Mount Gunnbjørn in the east, at 3,700 m, while the center of the cap dominates at 3,300 m. The best-known is Mount Forel (3,360 m). It is named after Swiss professor François-Alphonse Forel, who in 1912 organized a subscription to finance an expedition to Greenland. Another nearby mountain is named after the French explorer and ethnologist Paul-Émile Victor. Along the coasts and on the islands are the areas that are not covered by ice, i.e. 341,700 km² over a maximum width of 200 km, but the fjords, which penetrate them deeply, connect the ice sheet with the sea.
The southern part of the ice sheet is estimated to be between 2 and 3 million years old, with a dome 400 km wide and 600 km long, reaching a maximum height of 2,760 m. The northern part is 4 to 5 million years older, with a dome 1,000 km wide and 1,700 km long. Due to the slow, unimpeded advance of the ice, seracs (irregularities in the glacier's surface separated by crevasses) are not observable on the northern edges, where a wall several tens of meters high rests on layers of moraine. Although the cap shows signs of being a cold glacier, with a negative temperature, no melting at the base and virtually no subglacial flow, significant melting is visible at the surface, with a dense network of intense turquoise-blue rivers known as bédières. These give rise to veritable sub-glacial basins, including the world's largest canyon beneath the ice sheet. In 2013, thanks to satellite observations, a team of scientists discovered the existence of a canyon at least 750 kilometers long and 800 meters deep in places, crossing the entire north-western part of the island. On average, the altitude of these basins varies between -250 m and +250 m, surrounded by mountain edges that have favoured and retained the accumulation of ice since the end of the Tertiary era. The weight of the ice caused the Earth's crust to sink by 800 metres; this phenomenon, known as isostasy, is reversed, like a cork held in the water and then released, when the cap melts.
Ice: icebergs and pack ice
Greenlandic, like other Inuit languages, allows us to describe the different states of ice with great precision. Iceberg is freshwater formed by the accumulation of snow over thousands of years on the ice cap, which gradually breaks up and dislodges into the sea. Iceberg water is so pure that it resembles distilled water. Its colors, from white to green to blue, and its translucent appearance, offer a grandiose spectacle, despite the fact that only a tenth of its volume is above water. Icebergs in the Arctic often take the form of biscornues, while the larger Antarctic icebergs are tabular in shape.
The Ilulissat Glacier is the most active in the Northern Hemisphere, advancing at a rate of 40 metres a day (one of the fastest-growing glaciers in the world) and discharging 8 billion tonnes of ice a year. A breathtaking spectacle to be admired from your room at theArctic Hotel orIcefjord Hotel. The Eqi glacier, several hours away by boat, is equally impressive, with its calving visible from the cabins of the Glacier Lodge Eqi. Another example is the Humboldt Glacier to the northwest, whose front is some 100 km wide. The resulting icebergs rarely exceed 70 metres in height, but the largest ever seen reached 170 metres! In 1912, it was one of these that the Titanic struck. The smaller ones are called bourguignons, after the size of a Burgundy barrel. Although not as gigantic, many icebergs are also generated in the Tasiilaq region to the east, in the south and finally in the north-west towards Uummannaq.
The largest icebergs can drift for several years before reaching the Labrador and Newfoundland coasts, where they melt on contact with warmer water. The International Ice Patrol keeps a close watch on the rare resistant icebergs - some 400 of which are recorded every year at around 48°N latitude - to avoid any accidents similar to those that occurred on the Titanic. Since its creation in 1914, the patrol has recorded an average of two collisions with icebergs a year, but no tragic accidents since the sinking of the Danish ship Hans Hedtoft in 1959 with 95 people on board. Between 1831 and 1972, icebergs were seen almost everywhere in the North Atlantic, from near Bermuda and the Azores to off the coast of Ireland!
Unlike icebergs, fast ice is formed from salty seawater, which freezes and covers the fjords in winter and early spring (generally between December and May), isolating many villages. Fast ice forms in the Arctic Ocean (not to be confused with permanent pack ice), drifts in patches after breaking up and slides along the east coast of Greenland. It then moves up the west coast. The pack ice can be up to several meters thick, and the rather smooth surface is ideal for long dog-sledding excursions. However, it is worth noting that part of the pack ice is melting, with the dramatic consequences of endangering Arctic wildlife such as the polar bear.
Geology
Greenland's landscape is the result of erosion during the Ice Age, but many places bear the traces of geological processes such as earthquakes, the formation of mountain ranges, volcanic activity... The island rests on one of the world's oldest bedrocks (Precambrian), and some of the rocks that make it up are among the oldest on the planet. So it's hardly surprising that Greenland is an Eldorado for those interested in geology. Greenland's relief takes the form of a bowl in which masses of ice rest, in some places up to 3,500 metres thick, sometimes sinking the bedrock 350 metres below the ocean. This formidable pressure prevents the ice from melting.
Greenland's astonishing peculiarity lies in the fact that its geological history is visible to the naked eye. Some of the oldest rocks on the planet have been discovered on its west coast. The amitsoq gneiss in Nuuk dates back 3.75 billion years, making it the oldest rock discovered to date. In Narsaq, more than 200 minerals have been found in a very small area. The iron ore at Isua, on the west coast, is one of the oldest in the world. On the east coast, you can see the rocks as they were molten hundreds of millions of years ago.
Aside from astonishing sights and rock formations, such as the mineral intrusions that can be seen on the east coast on a Red House boat tour, or the basalt ramparts that geometrically stripe certain islands in the Uummannaq region, the subsoil is a geologist's paradise. Lead, zinc, graphite, cryolite and molybdenum can all be extracted. Numerous other samples have attested to the country's fabulous wealth, including coal reserves of over 100 million tonnes, uranium reserves estimated at 10,000 tonnes, iron deposits in quantity and quality, rare earths such as zirconium, niobium and platinum, as well as garnets, moonstones and rubies.. Unusual gemstones are used in jewelry, such as pink-colored tuttupit and a very rare type of sandstone worn as jewelry by Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Sagalands in Qaqortoq offers gem-finding excursions! Greenland also has oil under the sea off the western coast. These fabulous resources have been carefully inventoried and mapped by the authorities, who expand their mining operations year after year. Following the controversy surrounding the opening of uranium mines in the south of the country, which split the population, the Greenland Parliament passed a bill in 2021 banning all mining projects.
The administrative division
Following Greenland's proclamation of greater autonomy, the country's administrative map was modified. Previously, the territory was divided into 3 regions, in turn subdivided into 18 municipalities. There are now 4 municipalities, plus two unincorporated areas (the Thule military base in the northwest and Greenland National Park in the northeast). These 4 municipalities are named according to their geographical position: Kujalleq for the south, Qaasuitsup for the north (west), Qeqqata for the centre-west and Sermersooq for the capital Nuuk (plus Paamiut and a few villages around Nuuk) and the east (but excluding the National Park). The touristic division is different and simplified: the south coast, the west coast, the north-west coast and the east coast.
