The Tanbreez rare earth minerals site rings a fjord near Narsarsuaq, the gateway settlement to southern Greenland. Carsten Snejbjerg / Bloomberg via Getty Images filer
How valuable would Greenland's rare earth minerals be to the U.S.? It can depend on who -- and when -- you ask.
With President Donald Trump recently revisiting his interest in making the island part of the U.S., Greenland's national security upsides -- including many important minerals crucial for modern technology -- have again become the subject of geopolitical importance.
In an interview with The Hill this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that America's pursuit of Greenland "has to do with national security and critical minerals and many other reasons." However, in December, Trump said, "We need Greenland for national security, not for minerals."
Despite that split, there is broad agreement that Greenland holds untapped deposits of critical minerals and rare earth elements. What is far from clear is just how much or whether it would be worth the effort for the U.S. to mine them.
"I think it's a great idea to expand America's presence in Greenland to counter Russia and China," said Ted Feldmann, an expert on mineral exploration and the founder of Durin Mining Technologies. "But I don't think we should go there for the minerals."
The U.S. Geological Survey identifies 60 minerals as critical for the American economy and national security. A subset of these minerals, termed "rare earth elements," like neodymium and dysprosium, are necessary for manufacturing the magnets and motors that power America's tech industry, while others are key for the semiconductors driving the artificial intelligence boom.
Access to rare earth minerals is seen as a key choke point for many of today's high-tech supply chains. China, one of America's tech rivals, has grown to dominate the rare earths production and refining market and has used access to rare earths as a negotiating chip with Trump. On Thursday, a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation to establish a $2.5 billion strategic reserve of rare earths.
Due to ancient geological processes, Greenland hosts a variety of valuable ore and mineral deposits, from gold and iron to copper and graphite. Yet much of the country's resources remain untapped due to the island's isolation, harsh conditions, environmental stewardship and the mining industry's price sensitivity. According to the USGS, Greenland has the largest rare earth reserves of any territory or country in the world with no active mines.