Greenland’s rocky road to riches

The town of Narsaq, Greenland. Residents of the town opposed a rare earth mine over concerns about possible radioactive contamination. — Carsten Snejbjerg/The New York Times Company

MORE than a decade ago, Canadian miners prospecting for diamonds in western Greenland spotted a massive white hump on the horizon.

They named it White Mountain and soon discovered it was a vast deposit of anorthosite – a salt-and-pepper-coloured mineral used in paints, glass fibres and flame retardants. The same mineral gives the moon’s surface its ghostly glow.