Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 07/30/2007 - 12:50
Forums
Greenland Seabird Ecology

Hi, Mary Anne and the science team,

I've been curious to try to look up and see what kinds and ages of bedrock are present in your part of Greenland.  I find it's quite a challenge--there aren't that many maps available (especially online) and it's pretty hard to locate a given site on the maps.  For a start, I'm having a tough time locating Kap Hoegh on the geologic maps I've found.  The PolarTREC-Seabird Ecology site doesn't seem to have any detailed map(s) showing the location, other than the general loc. on East Greenland, displayed on a pole-centered map of half the world.  Can one of you, for a start, give me the latitude & longitude of your study site?  That would be a bit of a help!  I've found a number of websites that describe visits to that general area, but none seem to include any clear index map showing the location.  Thanks!

Pete Modreski (Denver, CO, USGS and "Earthworks")

Wed, 08/01/2007 - 14:25

Pete Modreski

I'm going to write back with a partial answer to my own question.  After a little hunting on Google Earth I do see where you are, and the approx. coordinates are latitude 70 deg 29' 14" N, long. 21 deg 58' 44" west.  Scoresbysund is the only search location that came up on Google Earth; Ittoqqortoormiit seems to pop up when you view the GE map but not in its search engine; and Cap Hoegh does not appear on their map.I found a nice online geologic map of Greenland which shows each area in detail, but unfortunately the legend for doesn't appear findable online.  I see that your site is not on the East Coast itself, facing the Atlantic, but on a great peninsula that faces southward toward Scoresby Sund (Kangertitavaq), and in turn at the base and west side of a smaller peninsula, tipped by Kap Tobin (Unarteq).
 From what I can tell or infer from the geologic map of that region, the bedrock appears to be gneiss; Mary Anne, is that what the local rock looks like?  On the west side of the very large arm of the sea west of you--west of Kap Hope--(Hurry Inlet - Kangerterajiva) the bedrock looks totally different--appears to include volcanic rocks.
Have a great last week in Greeland and with those auks, Mary Anne!
 Pete

Thu, 08/02/2007 - 09:12

Mary Anne Pell…

Hi there Pete, Kap Höegh is located at 70°44̒N; 21°,35̒W. I have only seen one map that shows this location, and it is a local map. The map is produced by Saga Maps, and might be of Danish origin. I did enter it in my photos, but will attach a copy of it again.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It is located in one of the fjords to the north of Scoresbysund, or Ittoqqortoormiit. There is a book here, a Nature and Wildlife Guide to Greenland, by Benny Génsbøl. Here are a few pieces of geologic trivia, for anyone who is interested.

Greenland is the world’s largest non-continental island.
The ice cap covers 81% of this island.
The east and west coastlines of Greenland border the Atlantic Ocean, while the north coast borders the Arctic Ocean.
This portion of the Arctic ocean is un-navigable because it is ice bound all year around. The southern part of Greenland consists almost entirely of bedrock-ancient granites and gneisses from the Precambrian period-Earth’s oldest rocks.
On the west coast, in a location northeast of Nuuk, bedrock has been dated as being at least 3700 million years old, the oldest of any rocks recorded on Earth.

The team has planned for the last two years to have a few high school students from Ittoqqortoormiit come out to this site for a few days. Their high school teacher will accompany them. Last year, the scheduled date for them to be ferried on a 2 hour cruise along the coastline, was August 4. The trip had to be cancelled due to ice in the bay outside the village and along the coastline. This year’s anticipated trip is for tomorrow, August 2. It may again have to be cancelled because of the lack of ice breakup. I am so fortunate to have few restrictions placed on me by weather and natural phenomena.

Thu, 08/02/2007 - 09:17

Kristin Timm

Hello, Kristin at ARCUS here. Unfortunatly the map Mary Anne included above had to be downsized a lot in order for it to be sent to the website via satellite phone. Using the coordinates provided by Ann Harding before she departed for the feild I produced this Google Earth map with the location of Kap Höegh. I hope this helps!
Kristin
 

 

Thu, 08/02/2007 - 14:25

Pete Modreski

Thank you, Mary Anne and Kristin.  I see now that your site at Kap Hoegh is quite a bit farther from the town of Ittoqqortoormiit than I'd realized; and that it is, indeed, right on the Atlantic coast, unlike the town in its more sheltered site on the fjord.Keep up the good work on the birds!
Pete