Researchers makes stunning discovery buried deep beneath melting glaciers: 'The early stages of exploration'

Greater international attention is shifting to a melting island in the North Atlantic. 

At issue is human-caused planetary overheating that's contributing to Greenland's disappearing glaciers. The warming is also exposing land swaths that contain valuable battery-making minerals needed to power electric vehicles and other clean tech, according to CNBC and other news outlets. 

The lodes of graphite, copper, and other valuable deposits, which the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources says exist underground there, hold potential as a regional supply depot for the materials. The elements are now often subject to foreign supply chains, which can create greater expense and availability concerns. 

Earth has warmed about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1850, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. While a seemingly small mercury rise, it has contributed to noticeable changes, per the experts. 

Researchers from England's University of Leeds have used satellite images to mark glacier melt at 11,000 square miles in three decades, for example. 

"Warmer temperatures are linked to the land cover changes that we are seeing on Greenland," Leeds earth scientist Jonathan Carrivick said. 

The melting ice is causing concerns about rising sea levels and increased heat-trapping fume releases, according to CNBC. But mining outfits view the newly exposed terrain as having great potential, as well. 

That's because at least about 30 million tons of minerals are projected to be needed in 2040 to power a transition to cleaner energy, Sustainability by Numbers reported. And while that may seem like a lot, it's far short of the more than 16.5 billion tons of planet-warming dirty fuels pulled from the ground each year, per the report. 

"Greenland is what we would call a greenfield exploration area. So, [it is] in the early stages of exploration where, for many of the deposits, we don't have that much data," Jakob Kløve Keiding, senior consultant at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, told CNBC. 

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The island is an autonomous Danish territory of around 57,000 people that has been in other headlines lately. U.S. President Donald Trump has said he wants to acquire the land for America, though Danish and Greenland officials have maintained it's not for sale, according to the BBC and CNBC. Trump was reportedly interested in Greenland during his first term, citing international security, per the reports. 

The mineral deposits are likely not going unnoticed, as well. In fact, Greenland officials have said they are open to working with the United States on mining projects, CNBC added. 

The GINR noted that the island's mining history dates to the 1700s, including for coal, a dirty fuel source that Trump has been open to expanding. He even cited it as a solution to answer growing data center power demand, according to the Associated Press. 

If Greenland's natural resources are going to be hauled from the earth, the best-case scenario is to leverage the assets to make EV batteries and other, better technology that is already emerging as crucial to the transition to a cleaner energy future. 

EVs prevent thousands of pounds of air pollution when replacing gas-guzzlers, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Buying one stateside can also save you around $1,500 a year on gas and maintenance costs. Valuable tax credits are at this time still available, too. 

It remains to be seen how Greenland's mineral reserves will impact the clean energy sector. CNBC reported that infrastructure required for expanded mining would need to be built first. 

"There is huge potential … but, at the moment, there is not actually much mining going on," Keiding told the news outlet. 

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