Maamorilik

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Maamorilik (place of marble)
Mâmorilik
Commune Avannaata Communia
District Uummannaq
Geographical location 71 ° 7 '33 "  N , 51 ° 16' 28"  W Coordinates: 71 ° 7 '33 "  N , 51 ° 16' 28"  W.
Maamorilik (Greenland)
Maamorilik
Residents 0
(since 1993)
founding 1933
Time zone UTC-3
particularities Marble quarrying

Maamorilik [ ˈmaːˌmɔʁilik ] (according to the old spelling Mâmorilik ; often also Maarmorilik ) is a desolate Greenlandic settlement in the district of Uummannaq in the Avannaata Kommunia .

location

Maamorilik is located at the mouth of the Affarlikassaa fjord in the Qaamarujuup Sullua at the foot of the Akuliarusikassak mountain . The next town, Ukkusissat, is about 24 km to the west-southwest .

history

First dismantling phase

In 1933 marble began to be quarried in Maamorilik . At first, around 300 miners lived in the village. The marble quarried here can be found, for example, in the building of the former Overformynderiet (Holmens Kanal 20) in Copenhagen or in the town hall of Lyngby . In 1945, marble quarrying in Maamorilik ended for the time being.

Second phase of dismantling

As early as the 1930s it was discovered that Maamorilik was not all about marble. In 1971 the Canadian-Danish company Greenex received approval to resume mining at the mine called Den Sorte Engel ( English The Black Angel ). Finally, from 1973 onwards, in addition to marble, zinc , lead , iron and small amounts of silver were mined. The 20 m thick ore layer contained u. a. the minerals sphalerite , galena , pyrite and pyrrhotite . At the time, between 200 and 360 people were employed in the Maamorilik mining industry, almost half of whom were Greenlanders. Every day around 2000 tons of ore were processed, a total of 11.3 million tons. The total cost of mining in Maamorilik was 2.6 billion Danish kroner (about 330 million euros), which was accompanied by massive environmental pollution, as demonstrated by the discovery of heavy metals in the fauna. In 1990 mining was abandoned again and Maamorilik was depopulated.

Planned third phase of dismantling

From 2006, the English mining company Angus & Ross began to be interested in the reopening of the zinc mine in Maamorilik. In 2008, a 30-year mining right was finally approved by the Greenland government through the subsidiary Black Angel Mining , which also operated the Nalunaq gold mine . The planned opening had to be postponed indefinitely a few months later due to the global financial crisis . It was only announced at the beginning of 2010 that Maamorilik would be operational again in 2011. After increased activities, the preparations had to be canceled again in summer 2010 for financial reasons.

Sons and daughters

Population development

Maamorilik accommodated over 300 miners and their family members in record times. The population dropped rapidly from the late 1970s, however, and when the mine closed in 1990, all residents were relocated. Maamorilik has been abandoned since 1993.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Map with all official place names confirmed by Oqaasileriffik , provided by Asiaq
  2. ↑ a b Maarmorilik in Den Store Danske
  3. ↑ Mineselskab vil genåbne Maarmorilik mines at Knr.gl
  4. ↑ Uummannaq ser strange til Maarmorilik mine at Knr.gl
  5. ↑ Financial crisis forsinker Maarmorilik-åbning at knr.gl
  6. ↑ Maarmorilikminen åbner næste år at knr.gl
  7. ↑ Maarmorilik lukket at Knr.gl
  8. ↑ Population of Maamorilik 1977–2018 at bank.stat.gl