The Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland ("GEUS") has estimated that 10 billion tonnes of ilmenite exist in the original rock within the entire Thule region, with a further 7 billion tonnes of ilmenite present in the form of placer ilmenite.

The “black sand” ilmenite deposits along this south-facing stretch of coastline on Greenland’s Steensby Land peninsula are quite unusual in that they remain relatively proximal to the original source rock in the raised hinterland. It is likely that a combination of glacial and fluvial erosion has deposited the heavy minerals at the coast, where the action of the waves and changing sea-levels along with the high specific gravity of the material has over time led to more concentrated ilmenite-bearing deposits.

Other heavy minerals in the black sand in the Dundas project area include magnetite (iron-oxide mineral), pyroxene and amphibole (silicate minerals). Additionally, the black sands in the project area also contain a high proportion of lighter coloured and less dense ‘normal sand’ minerals such as quartz, feldspars and micas. All sand minerals in the Dundas project area are non-harmful, not toxic, and do not contain radioactive isotopes.

The mineralised zones at Dundas broadly cover four types of terrain:
- Raised Beaches: refers to the dunes up to the base of the escarpment, containing ilmenite accumulations over widths of more than 1km, of unknown depths, along more than 30km of coastline.