Ivittuut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ivittuut
The cryolite mine in Ivittuut in 1940
Ivittuut Location in Greenland
State	Kingdom of Denmark
Constituent country	Greenland
Municipality	Sermersooq
Abandoned	1980s
Time zone	UTC-03

Ivittuut (pronounced "ee-vit-toot") is an old mining town that is now empty. It's located in southwestern Greenland, near a place called Cape Desolation. Today, it's part of the Sermersooq area. The name "Ivittuut" means "Grassy Place" in the local language, Kalaallisut.

This town was built on the remains of an old Norse settlement. Ivittuut is special because it's one of the few places in the world where a rare mineral called cryolite is found naturally. Cryolite is very important for making aluminum.

History of Ivittuut

Map of the "Middle Settlement" of the Norse in medieval Greenland. Red dots show old farm ruins.

Long ago, around the year 985, a group of Norsemen (people from Scandinavia) settled in this area. They built about twenty farms. Archaeologists call this area the "Middle Settlement." It was located between two larger Norse settlements.

We don't have many written records about the people who lived here. This makes it the least known of the three Norse settlements. It's thought that this settlement was built last and was also abandoned first. People lived here until at least the 1300s.

The Discovery of Cryolite

The valuable mineral cryolite was first found in Ivittuut in 1799. At first, people tried to mine silver-bearing lead nearby. However, there wasn't enough silver to make it worthwhile.

Danish engineers started mining the cryolite itself in 1859. By 1864, a Danish company called Kriolit Mine og Handels Selskabet got the only right to mine it. Early on, cryolite was used to get aluminum directly. It was also sold to a company in Pennsylvania to make a chemical called caustic soda.

Mining Becomes More Important

In 1884, a new way to make aluminum was invented. It was called the Hall-Heroult process. This process needed cryolite, which made the mine in Ivittuut much more important. The mining operations in Ivittuut played a big part during World War II. At that time, the United States took control of Greenland to protect the mine.

After World War II, a Danish company continued mining cryolite. This company even helped start Grønlandsfly, which is now known as Air Greenland.

Eventually, scientists learned how to make cryolite in labs. This meant that the natural mine became less important. Mining in Ivittuut was stopped in 1987 because it was no longer profitable. The town was soon abandoned after that.

In 1924, Ivittuut was a stop for the first aerial circumnavigation. This was when airplanes flew all the way around the world. New engines were put into two American biplane aircraft there.

Climate and Weather

Ivittuut has a tundra climate. This type of climate is very cold, but it is also close to a subarctic climate. Summers are cool with chilly nights. Winters are very cold with freezing nights.

Ivittuut holds the record for Greenland's highest recorded temperature. It was 30.1 °C (86.2 °F), recorded on June 23, 1915. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −28.9 °C (−20.0 °F) in February.

Getting Around

Ivittuut and a nearby place called Kangilinnguit are connected by a road. This road is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) long.

See also

In Spanish: Ivittuut para niños