Thursday, August 11, 2022

Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and other billionaires are backing an exploration for rare minerals buried beneath Greenland's ice

bnguyen@insider.com (Britney Nguyen) - Yesterday 

A drop of water falls off an iceberg melting in the Nuup Kangerlua Fjord in southwestern Greenland, August 1, 2017. David Goldman/AP Photo

Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are among a group of billionaires backing a mineral exploration startup.

KoBold Metals wants to mine minerals in Greenland that can be used to power electric car batteries.

Greenland's ice is melting due to climate change, and it's providing access to precious minerals.

Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates are among a group of billionaires backing a company they hope will find resources for clean energy under melting ice in the western part of Greenland.

KoBold Metals, a mineral exploration startup powered by AI, is looking for rare and precious metals and minerals beneath Greenland's melting ice that can be used to build electric cars and renewable batteries.

"We are looking for a discovery that will be one of the largest, most significant nickel and cobalt deposits in the world, potentially capable of powering 100 million EVs," a spokesperson for KoBold Metals, told Insider.

A team of 30 people, including geologists, geophysicists, and pilots, is exploring Disko Island and Nuussuaq Peninsula, where the minerals and metals for the batteries and electric vehicles are believed to be in the hills and valleys.

KoBold is working with Bluejay Mining on the exploration. CNN reported it was the first media outlet with video of the team's work in Greenland.

"Fully electrifying the global economy is our generation's greatest challenge," the KoBold spokesperson said. "Partnering with this broad set of world-class investors will accelerate our efforts to find the key materials for the EV revolution."

The team in Greenland is using AI to find areas for drilling that can start next summer, according to CNN. In addition, the team is taking soil samples and using drones and helicopters to scope out the layers below the surface.

"It is a concern to witness the consequences and impacts from the climate changes in Greenland," Bo Møller Stensgaard, CEO of Bluejay Mining, told CNN. "But, generally speaking, climate changes overall have made exploration and mining in Greenland easier and more accessible."


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobold

A kobold (occasionally cobold) is a mythical sprite. Having spread into Europe with various spellings including "goblin" and "hobgoblin", and later taking root and stemming from Germanic mythology, the concept survived into modern times in German folklore. Although usually invisible, a kobold can … See more

The kobold's origins are obscure. Sources equate the domestic kobold with creatures such as the English boggarthobgoblin and pixy, the Scottish brownie, and the Scandinavian nisse or tomte; while they align the … See more

Domestic kobolds are linked to a specific household. Some legends claim that every house has a resident kobold, regardless of its owners' desires … See more

The Klabautermann (also spelt Klaboterman and Klabotermann) is a creature from the beliefs of fishermen and sailors of Germany's north coast, the Netherlands, and the Baltic Sea, and may represent a third type of kobold or possibly a different spirit that … See more

• Kobold (Dungeons & Dragons)
• Niß Puk, the kobold of Northern Germany See more

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