Savissivik
Encyclopedia
Savissivik is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup
municipality, in northern Greenland
. Located on the northern shores of Melville Bay
, the settlement had 66 inhabitants in 2010.
s from 10.000 years ago that have been found in the area. The meteorite
is estimated to have weighed 100 tonnes before it exploded. The iron
from the meteorite attracted migrating Inuit
from Arctic Canada.
operates settlement flights to Qaanaaq Airport
via Thule Air Base
. The twice-weekly flights are subsidized by the Government of Greenland. Transfers at the airbase are subject to access restrictions by the Danish Foreign Ministry.
Qaasuitsup
Qaasuitsup is a new municipality in Greenland, operational from 1 January 2009. As of January 2010 its population is 17,749. The administrative center of the municipality is in Ilulissat...
municipality, in northern Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. Located on the northern shores of Melville Bay
Melville Bay
Melville Bay , is a large bay off the coast of northwestern Greenland. Located to the north of the Upernavik Archipelago, it opens to the south-west into Baffin Bay. Its Kalaallisut name, Qimusseriarsuaq, means "the great dog sledding place"....
, the settlement had 66 inhabitants in 2010.
History
In the Greenlandic language, the name Savissivik means 'place of meteorite iron' (savik = iron/knife), alluding to the numerous meteoriteMeteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
s from 10.000 years ago that have been found in the area. The meteorite
Cape York meteorite
The Cape York meteorite is named for Cape York, the location of its discovery in Savissivik, Greenland, and is one of the largest iron meteorites in the world.-History:The meteorite collided with Earth nearly 10,000 years ago...
is estimated to have weighed 100 tonnes before it exploded. The iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
from the meteorite attracted migrating Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
from Arctic Canada.
Transport
Air GreenlandAir Greenland
Air Greenland A/S is the flag carrier airline of Greenland, jointly owned by the government of Greenland, the SAS Group, and the government of Denmark...
operates settlement flights to Qaanaaq Airport
Qaanaaq Airport
Qaanaaq Airport is an airport located northwest of Qaanaaq, a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality in northern Greenland. It was established in 1991 to serve Qaanaaq and neighboring communities in light of the fact that Thule Air Base in Pituffik is not open for regular passenger traffic...
via Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base
Thule Air Base or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport , is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located north of the Arctic Circle and from the North Pole on the northwest side of the island of Greenland. It is approximately east of the North Magnetic Pole.-Overview:Thule Air Base is the...
. The twice-weekly flights are subsidized by the Government of Greenland. Transfers at the airbase are subject to access restrictions by the Danish Foreign Ministry.