Greenland Rock Explorers

Drop in for some fun with us, investigating fascinating igneous rocks from Greenland. The rocks contain rare earth elements, which are important components of electric vehicles, wind turbines and devices such as mobile phones and laptops.  

Handle these rocks that have been collected by researchers from the Department of Earth Sciences, and see the rocks glow and sparkle under UV light. Get stuck into some sweet-squashing fun as we use sweets to investigate how different rock types are formed.

Find out about the scientists’ work to investigate why and where the rare earth elements are found in igneous rocks. Through a combination of fieldwork, chemical measurements of rocks and minerals, and computer modelling, the scientists are revealing the hidden history of ancient magma chambers. They are also trying to understand why some of the magma is so rich in these valuable rare earth elements.  

Undertake your own fieldwork challenge across two museums. Search for igneous rocks and expedition essentials like those used by the Greenland research team, which will be on display at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and at the Polar Museum.