Ivittuut

Ivittuut is an old mining town near Cape Desolation in southwestern Greenland. It is located in the Sermersooq municipality. The town was once called Ivigtût, which means "Grassy Place" in the Greenlandic language.

One of the most interesting things about Ivittuut is that it was one of the few places in the world where a special kind of mineral called cryolite was found naturally. Cryolite, made of sodium aluminum fluoride, is very important for making aluminum. This made Ivittuut an important place for mining and industry.

Today, Ivittuut is an abandoned town, but it still holds history from both Norse settlers and modern industry. It reminds us of how people lived and worked long ago.

History

The area was settled by around twenty farms of Norsemen, called the "Middle Settlement" by modern researchers because it lay between the larger Western and Eastern Settlements. It is the smallest and least known of the three, and no written records of its people remain. Researchers believe it was established last and abandoned first. Evidence shows people lived there after the year 985 and at least until the 14th century.

The town's cryolite deposit was found in 1799. Nearby silver-bearing lead was mined by a British engineer, but the silver was too little to make it worthwhile. Danish engineers began mining the cryolite in 1859. In 1864, a Danish company got exclusive rights to mine it. Early mines processed the cryolite for its aluminum content and sold it to a company in Pennsylvania.

The 1884 Hall-Heroult process made cryolite much more important because it helped improve aluminum production from bauxite ore. The Ivittuut mines were important during World War II. A naval base was built nearby by the United States Navy to protect the cryolite quarry.

After World War II, a Danish company continued mining the cryolite and helped start what is now Air Greenland.

Eventually, cryolite could be made in labs, so the mine's importance dropped. The mine ran out of cryolite but kept working with older waste rock. The mine finally closed in 1987, and the town was soon abandoned. In 1924, it was a stop for the first aerial circumnavigation, where new engines were added to two American biplane aircraft.^: 283

Climate

Ivittuut holds the record for Greenland's highest recorded temperature of 30.1 °C (86.2 °F), which was recorded on 23 June 1915. The coldest it has ever gotten there was −28.9 °C (−20.0 °F) in February.

Ivittuut has a tundra climate bordering on a subarctic climate. July temperatures average around 9.8 °C (49.6 °F). Summers are cool with chilly nights, and winters are very cold with very cold nights.

Transport

Ivittuut and the Kangilinnguit military base are connected by a road that is about 5 kilometers or 3 miles long.