Today's travels in Greenland were somewhat different, engaging in some industrial archeology by exploring the abandoned mining settlement of Ivittuut. The world's biggest cryolite mine operated here from 1854 to 1987. Cryolite is an extremely rare strategic mineral that was necessary to extract aluminium from bauxite until a synthetic substitute was developed. After travelling into the fjord from Arsuk, we anchored and then explored the abandoned town of Ivittuut and its mine (now a lake) on foot for an hour and a half - a fascinating experience – before exiting the fjord and continuing our travels southwards.
