Native Iron Occurrences of Disko Island, Greenland

Field and petrographic relations indicate that the commonly accepted theory that the native iron of Disko formed by reduction of basalt or sulphides by inclusions of coal or carbonaceous sediments during eruption of basalt is not valid. Current models for basalt generation indicate that basalts are erupted through lithosphere. Xenoliths of iron in Disko Island basalt were, most likely, carried with the erupting basalt. Therefore, the iron xenoliths may be from the sub-lithosphere mantle, from regions deep enough for iron to have remained unoxidized.