malmberget mine tour

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LKAB’s Visitor Centre

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The mine in Kiruna is the world’s largest underground iron-ore mine. It is a fascinating operation where the ore is mined far below the surface using remotely operated machines and driverless trains. One of the best attractions in Sweden, the LKAB’s Visitor Centre, is located here – a show mine that the Lonely Planet international guide book gave its highest rating.

We go by bus directly from the Tourist Center into the mountain and down to the show mine LKAB’s Visitor Centre situated at level 540 metres. LKAB is currently mining down to level 1365 metres. Our guide will show you around the visitor premises that cover 20,000 square metres. This is an authentic mining environment where displays, films and machines illustrate ore mining and the production of iron. The mining museum relates the century-long history of the mine. The guide will talk about modern mining and how it can cause a whole town to be moved.

LKAB is facing the biggest transformation in the company’s 130-year history. This could become the biggest industry investment ever in Sweden and is the most efficient contribution Sweden can make in lowering global emissions. LKAB’s strategy paves the way for zero carbon dioxide emissions from our own processes and products by the year 2045 and secures the company’s operations beyond the year 2060.

Limited number of tours and seats. Pre-book your spot now!

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From mine to port

Everything starts in the mine, with our iron ore. It is the foundation of our operations and a prerequisite for leading the transformation of our industry towards a sustainable future. This is the story about the road from mining iron ore underground to loading the ships in our harbours with highly upgraded products.

Our mines and processing plants are located in Kiruna, Malmberget and Svappavaara. The mines are the heart of our business; everything starts in the mine.  

The road from mine to steel is a long journey that begins with exploration, which involves testing the bedrock for mineral deposits. If exploration is successful, mining and processing can follow. Our main products from the mines are iron ore pellets and fines , which are transported by rail to our ports in Luleå and Narvik and then shipped further out into the world.   

Exploration

The foundation of our business is securing mineral resources and reserves; resources are what can be mined commercially, while reserves are what can be extracted profitably. We plan our entire mining operations on these assets.

Mineral resources are what may be mined commercially, while reserves are what can be extracted profitably.

Exploration drilling involves little or no intervention in the area being explored. It is carried out with mobile drilling rigs, which usually leave no significant trace behind. The visible result is a borehole about five centimetres in diameter with a plastic sleeve marking the site.

The work generates important information about the deposit, but to assess the resources and reserves we must also take into account the costs of mining and the price at which the extracted material can be sold.

Every year, we calculate and compile the mineral resources and reserves in order to assess and make decisions on the development of our business.

Our mineral reserves and resources

After major investments in exploration, LKAB can report a continued increase in mineral reserves and mineral resources, and for the first time report the mineral resources of rare earth elements.

Our iron ore is mined both above and below ground. The vast majority of our mining takes place several hundred metres underground, in the mines in Kiirunavaara (Kiruna) and Malmberget (Gällivare), which are the world’s two largest underground iron ore mines. In Svappavaara, the ore is mined in the Leveäniemi surface mine.

In Kiruna, the iron ore we mine every day would be enough to build the equivalent of 6.5 Eiffel Towers, while in Gällivare and Svappavaara we could deliver raw materials for building 4.5 and 2 copies of the same tower respectively.

Mining is a complex process that places great demands on safety, which is our top priority at LKAB. We see safe, secure and pleasant workplaces as a prerequisite for efficient mining production.

How our underground mining works

In LKAB’s underground mines, the ore is extracted by sub-level caving. This is an efficient mining method for steep ore bodies and allows maximum extraction from the ore body with a high degree of safety.

• Drifting : Construction of transport tunnels, or drifts, into the ore body.
• Production drilling : Using a remote controlled drilling rig, long holes are drilled upwards through the ore body in a fan-shaped pattern, known as a fan cut.
• Blasting : A creamy-textured explosive is pumped into the holes. Blasting is done every night.
• Production loading : The resulting ore is removed by large haulers, dumped into vertical chutes and collected in rock cavities.
• Chute loading and transporting : From the rock cavities, the ore is transported to large crushers using trains or trucks, depending on which mine.
• Emptying and crushing : The trains and trucks are emptied into rock bins for onward delivery to the crushers. The ore is crushed into pieces measuring about ten centimetres.
• Hoisting : The ore is then transported to the surface by ore elevators, called skip hoists. Each skip can carry 40 tonnes of ore at a speed of 60 kilometres per hour, or 17 metres per second.

The crushed iron ore is then processed above ground to either fines or iron ore pellets.

It is a complex process that takes place in several stages:

• Sorting : The ore is roughly sorted and residual waste rock removed. After that, the iore ore is crushed into smaller fractions. This increases the iron concentration from approximately 45 to more than 60 percent.  
• Concentration : The ore is then finely ground and further purified, to remove silicon, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, apatite etc. Additives like olivine, quartzite, limestone and dolomite are then mixed into the resulting slurry (a mix of ground iron ore and water).
• Pelletisation : In large rotating drums, the slurry are rolled into small balls called pellets. The iron ore pellets are then dried and preheated before finally being heated at 1,250°C to a point where the iron ore particles partially fuse together. Before delivery, the pellets are cooled down.

The ore used to produce fines is separated from the crude ore directly after sorting, processed by screening to a size of less than two millimetres, and upgraded by magnetic separation.

Transporting

The iron ore’s journey out into the world goes along the Iron Ore Line and Ofotbanen to the ports of Luleå and Narvik (Norway). The ore transports are carried out on a total of 500 kilometres of railway line operated by the world’s strongest electric locomotive – the IORE locomotive. Every day, four trains leave for the port in Luleå – the southern loop – and ten trains go to Narvik – the northern loop.

With its impressive tractive effort of 1,200 kilonewtons, 17 IORE locomotives operate on the route. These are 750-metre-long trainsets consisting of 68 ore wagons. Each journey carries 6,800 tonnes of iron ore products. On the return journey, additives are transported to the processing plant. This makes LKAB’s transport both large-scale and efficient.

The ports are the backbone of our logistics system and the link between the mine and our customers. Every year, several million tonnes of iron ore products are shipped out through the ports. Narvik, which has a capacity of around 30 million tonnes per year, accounts for two-thirds of those exports.

Common questions on iron ore

More on lkab and our business.

Products and services

In addition to iron ore, we sell products and services like minerals, drilling equipment, explosives, and rock and steel works.

Our transformation

We are setting a new world standard for mining, introducing carbon-free sponge iron and extracting critical minerals.

Building community

As our operations affect our communities and vice versa, we take active part in the development of our places and spaces.

LKAB is an international group that sells sustainable iron ore, minerals and special products. We are also leading the transformation of the iron and steel industry towards a sustainable future.

© LKAB, Box 952, SE-971 28 Luleå, Sweden Phone +46 771 760 000, e-mail  [email protected]

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LKAB Iron-Ore Mine

Descend into the bowels of the earth to marvel at the immense, noisy trucks labouring in the darkness of the underground LKAB iron-ore mine. Malmberget (the whole town!) is being phased out for mine expansion and won't be here by 2032.

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Description

The Gruvtur (Mine Tour) starts at the open air museum town Kåkstan in Malmberget and then visits the open-cast mine at Aitik. Kåkstan was built in 1888, in the early years wages were high and housing rare. Aitik Mine is a copper and gold mine, producing two tons of gold per year. It is the largest gold mine of Sweden and the largest operating copper mine in Europe. But as it is an open cast mine this tour is not underground. And as it is a working mine there are numerous security rules. But being able to visit a working mine while enormous trucks transport huge amounts of ore around you is quite impressive.

The mine tours were closed during the pandemic, and so far we have no idea if they will be open in 2022. No matter if you have missed to make a reservation or if they are still closed, you should definitely look for the impressive outlooks around the huge pit. There is a public road which branches off E10 which runs rather close to the edge of the open cast on the eastern and southern side, and there are numerous spots which offer a great view. Just be careful and do not obstruct mine traffic.

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Malmberget mine tours.

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Visit Malmberget Mine

You'll soon find out why this Koskullskulle mining operation is popular with travelers. If you're searching for more to explore, Fjällnäs Castle, Gällivare-Malmbergets Golfklubb, and Lappkyrkan Church are in this area too. They won't take you very long to get to from Malmberget Mine.

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Hike up a picturesque summit overlooking a stunning Arctic landscape, ski down challenging slopes and keep an eye out for the northern lights at this superb resort.

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Explore Sweden’s largest forest national park, a stunning stretch of wilderness that’s part of the Laponian World Heritage Site.

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You can enjoy some culture when you stop by LKAB Gruv/Mining Museum in Malmberget. Discover the northern light views while you're in the area.

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Enjoy a round of golf in Malmberget at Gällivare-Malmbergets Golfklubb. While you're in the area, wander around the natural setting.

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Malmberget Iron Ore Mine, Sweden

LKAB's Malmberget (ore mountain) iron ore mine, located at Gällivare, 75km from Kiruna, contains 20 orebodies spread ove

Producer of

Gallivare, northern Sweden

Geology type

Precambrian apatite-bearing iron ores

Mineral type

Magnetite and haematite

Reserve base

350Mt proven and probable (2009)

Annual production

4.3Mt of iron-ore pellets (2009)

Mining method

Sub-level caving underground

Processing method

Wet beneficiation and pelletising

Underground

Atlas Copco drilling rigs

Bison underground wheel loaders

Sisu haul trucks

LKAB’s Malmberget (ore mountain) iron ore mine, located at Gällivare, 75km from Kiruna, contains 20 orebodies spread over an underground area of about 5 by 2.5km, of which 10 orebodies are currently being mined. Mining began in 1892 and since then over 350Mt of ore have been won. LKAB employs around 1,000 people at Malmberget, of whom 900 work in mining, processing and administration.

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In 2009, Malmberget produced around 4.3Mt of pellets out of LKAB’s total production of 17.7Mt of iron-ore products.

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Malmberget’s ores are hosted in Precambrian volcanic rocks that have largely been metamorphosed to gneisses.

Containing apatite-bearing iron ore, the entire deposit complex has been strongly folded and now consists of a number of ore sheets that may have originally been connected.

Most orebodies lie within the 6.5km-long main ore zone.

Magnetite is the principal iron ore mineral, although some areas contain significant amounts of haematite. Apatite contents vary considerably from orebody to orebody, with the average phosphorus content lower than 0.8%. As of the end of 2009, Malmerbeget’s proven and probable iron reserves totalled 350Mt at 43.8% (proven) and 37.8% (probable). Measured, indicated and inferred resources were 73Mt, with the orebodies remaining open at depth.

Due to presence of many orebodies, mining at Malmberget is conducted at different levels. The main haulage levels are at 600m, 815m and 1,000m.

Large-scale sub-level caving, developed in Malmberget, is the predominant mining method. As at Kiruna, electric-powered, remote-controlled drilling and loading equipment is used, allowing very high labour productivity. Wassara water-hydraulic in-hole hammers and Atlas Copco Simba 469W production jumbos are used, the ore being handled by 25t-capacity Bison electric-drive wheel loaders.

Broken ore is trammed to orepasses that run from the production sublevels to the haulage level, located since 1989 at 815m. Here, the ore is transported by 120t-capacity Sisu Mammut (mammoth) trucks to the underground crusher stations. Vehicle haulage is used in preference to a rail system to give better control over the blending of ore from each of the seven operating areas. After primary crushing underground, the ore is skip hoisted to surface for processing.

Because of the abrasive nature of the ore, the Mammut truck bodies are constructed from SSAB Oxelosund’s special wear-resistant steel, Hardox 400. The Bison loader buckets are also made of Hardox 400, with Hardox 500 cutting edges.

All of the ore mined at Malmberget is crushed and screened and is then upgraded using magnetic separation technology. Concentrator output is then processed to give sinter fines, olivine pellets or concentrate for iron powder production.

In 2004, LKAB announced a $350m investment in a third pelletising plant for Malmberget. Designed and built by Outokumpu Technology, the new MK3 plant includes a BUV sinter unit, Metso Minerals’ balling drums and filters, ABB power and control equipment, and Midroc electrical installations.

The attached concentrator includes Outukumpu mills, Metso separators and Roxon belt conveyors. Commissioned in 2006, MK3 has increased Malmberget’s pellet capacity by 2.5Mt/y, with the potential to increase this by a further 1.5Mt/y in the future, depending on market conditions.

Output from the plant is used to supply domestic markets, releasing pelletising capacity at Kiruna for exports.

The SSAB steel plant in Lulea takes one-third of the mine’s production, with other main customers being SSAB Oxelosund and various Finnish steel mills.

Future projects

The completion of the KK4 pelletising plant at Kiruna in June 2008 resulted in Malmberget becoming LKAB’s sole producer of iron-ore fines.

The main haulage level, M1000, lies at a depth of 1,000m. The first mine hoist was delivered by ABB in November 2007. It is scheduled for commissioning in 2011.

In July 2010, LKAB awarded ABB a contract for the second mine hoist. The hoist will be installed at the new haulage level M1250 that is under construction as of April 2011.

The first and second mine hoists will be used to transport the ore from the M1250 level. The second mine hoist is expected to begin operations in 2013.

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Things to do around Gällivare

Gällivare has a couple of very good places to stay , but it still hasn’t really hit the big-time with foreign tourists in the same way as Kiruna, the other big mining town in the far north of Sweden.

However, a lot of the outdoor activities that draw people to Kiruna are also on offer here. Gällivare has the additional benefit of being right beside an excellent ski resort , which has some good accommodation, along with family friendly slopes for beginners (and even a few black runs for more experienced skiers and snowboarders).

Here are some suggestions for things to do when you’re in Gällivare. Some of these activities are only possible in winter; others are summer only.

Winter activities in and around Gällivare

Skiing at the Dundret Ski Resort is usually possible from late October to the very start of May – a pretty long season, but bear in mind that the dead of winter is extremely cold, not to mention rather dark (though floodlights illuminate the slopes when necessary).

The resort itself is well equipped, with five lifts, a snow park, and a good mix of green, blue, red and black runs. There are also a few cross-country skiing tracks, including a 50km-long route that stretches around the base of the mountain. Even if you’re not planning to ski or snowboard, the resort makes a scenic place to spend the night.

Dog sledding

A couple of independent companies offer dog-sled tours around Gällivare, with rates generally lower than those charged at tourist hotels. Even if you book direct with these companies, dog sledding is hardly a steal: expect to pay around 1000 SEK per person for an hour-long tour, and be sure to do your research first – our guide to dog sledding in Sweden has tips on choosing the right tour.

Snow scooter tours

It’s a lot noisier than dog sledding, but bombing across a frozen lake on a snow scooter is every bit as fun as it sounds. The local tourist office will be able to hook you up with a guide – otherwise, ask at your hotel. Two people can usually share one scooter, taking it in turns to drive. The prices for snow scooter trips around Gällivare normally start at around 900 SEK per person for a full day including lunch.

See the northern lights

The long nights of winter mean there’s an increased chance of seeing the northern lights, and Gällivare gets frequent displays. Don’t bother paying to go on an northern lights safari unless you’re really interested in learning more about the phenomenon; if there’s activity overhead, just get yourself far away from sources of artificial light and you shouldn’t have any trouble seeing the lights (unless it’s cloudy, of course).

Things to do in summer

See the midnight sun.

Gällivare is far enough north that the midnight sun is visible for 40 days in a row, roughly from the start of June until the second week in July. During this time the sun never really sets – you’ll see it sink down towards the horizon around midnight, but it never disappears completely.

For the best views, aim to get yourself up high. The car park at the Dundret Ski Resort has amazing views. If you fancy it, you can head up to the café at the top of the mountain (it’s called Fjällstugan), which sells waffles and coffee and stays open late during the midnight sun season.

Ride the Inlandsbanan

The train line that cuts a north-south line through the centre of Sweden, the Inlandsbanan, makes its final stop in Gällivare. This northernmost section of the line is only open during the summer, from mid-June to early August.

You could ride the entire line south through Dalarna and on to Kristinehamn, but that’s a bit of a slog; the total journey covers more than 1,200km. A more practical option for a day trip from Gällivare is to take the Inlandsbanan to Jokkmokk , around two hours south. You can spend the day looking around the town’s museums and craft shops and then head back to Gällivare in the evening – see the Inlandsbanan website for current timetables.

The state-run mining company LKAB runs tours into its iron-ore mine at Malmberget, one of the world’s largest such operations (only the mine at Kiruna is bigger). Helmets and boots are provided for the journey down to 1,250 metres below ground level, where giant machines scoop out the precious ore. Tours run on weekdays in June and August only – at the time of writing, tickets for the three-hour tour cost 300 SEK per person. Book at the tourist office in Gällivare (see below) or email them in advance.

Year-round activities

Walking trail around gällivare.

At Gällivare’s tourist office, which is located inside the train station , you can grab a free map that highlights some of the town’s cultural landmarks. These are arranged into an almost-circular walking tour (around 3km) that takes in the local church and the old school house, which now houses the town’s museum . Two hours will allow plenty time for stops along the way.

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Tag Archives: Malmberget

LKAB to bring GHH LF-19EB tethered-battery electric loader to Malmberget

LKAB is set to add to its electric fleet at the Malmberget mine in northern Sweden after agreeing to acquire a LF-19EB tethered-battery electric loader from Germany-based GHH.

The manufacturer welcomed a team of LKAB team experts to its factory and testing ground in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, this month, with a successful Factory Acceptance Test of the LF-19EB taking place.

The LF-19EB is a 19-t-payload LHD initially designed for feeder breaker loading in the soft rock, salt and potash mining industries. It has a 34 kWh on-board battery for panel-to-panel electric tramming, with a tractive effort force of 380 kN and an average of 250 kVA under permanent load and 315 kVA peak. It has a maximum cable length of 310 m, which provides loading flexibility when plugged into the mine grid.

The loader heading to Malmberget has been upgraded for hard-rock applications with input from the customer, GHH says.

LKAB has tested and used several pieces of battery-electric equipment from different vendors at its Malmberget mine, while its Kiruna mine was among the industry’s earliest adopters of cable-electric loading, trialling its first Sandvik unit in 1985.

Epiroc makes the ‘impossible possible’ with launch of Boltec ABR

Epiroc has taken another significant step forward in its rock reinforcement automation journey with the release of the Boltec Auto Bolt Reload (ABR).

Combining the company’s ground support nous with its mechanisation and automation knowledge has resulted in a solution able to remove operators from the front end of the bolter – where personnel are most at risk of rock falls from unsupported ground – and increase bolting productivity, especially in poor ground conditions.

With mining operations steadily going deeper as they develop existing and newly discovered orebodies, the rock stresses associated with mining these orebodies are typically increasing, too. This often results in more challenging rock conditions with fractured rock mass, rock burst and squeezing ground, requiring more regular rehabilitation work. The Boltec ABR, with improved operator safety, flexibility and productivity, is the obvious choice for such conditions, Epiroc says.

Epiroc claims the Boltec ABR is the first ever underground rock reinforcement drill rig designed in such a way that the bolt type and machine work together in synergy to deliver optimal safety, performance and quality. The machine can also be equipped with a mesh delivery system.

This synergy also leads to improved accuracy in bolt installations and a reduced need for re-bolting, according to Peter Bray, Global Product Manager, Rock Reinforcement at Epiroc’s Underground division.

“By using a Boltec ABR, you are better able to install bolts and mesh correctly with high quality, reducing the need for re-bolting, re-meshing…and rehab work in the future,” he told attendees of a webinar announcing the product launch today.

The mechanisation of the bolting process – in tandem with the use of self-drilling anchors (SDAs) and pumpable resin – should provide operations with the comfort to follow recommended bolting patterns, reducing the need for the installation of additional bolts that go above and beyond optimal industry practice.

The main design feature of the Boltec ABR is the fully mechanised bolt reloading system. The system automatically feeds bolts from a large carrier magazine – able to hold 44 bolts in 2.4-m or 3-m lengths – to the feed magazine – able to hold eight bolts – all while the operator remains safe inside the cabin. This innovation removes the need for manually reloading the feed magazine, thereby reducing the associated risk to the operator.

The fast auto reloading sequence speeds up the production cycle, with a total of 52 bolts able to be installed in a heading before manual reloading of the carrier magazine. The carrier magazine is mounted on a swing arm that lowers the magazine to ground level for easy reloading behind the machine’s front support jacks – where ground support should already be in place.

Productivity can be further boosted with the operator carrying out the reloading process when bolting is being carried out in multi-bolt auto mode, according to Bray.

The Boltec ABR opens the door to other safety and productivity-enhancing autonomous functionalities previously not compatible with underground bolting machines, according to Epiroc. Tele-remote control and the aforementioned multi-bolt auto are now available options that can provide bolting potential during shift changes or when conditions preclude having an operator physically on the machine. The machine is also available with a battery-electric driveline.

Bray said the development and integration of SDAs and pumpable resin on conventional Boltec machines have been integral to achieving this new functionality.

“If you think about our face drills and long hole production rigs, they have had automation for many years,” he said. “There hasn’t been a mechanical reason why we couldn’t automate a bolting machine; the stopping point has been the type of legacy rock bolts used.”

SDA bolts, which, according to Epiroc, offer faster bolting times and higher quality installation, are not sensitive to varying conditions and will achieve consistently fast installation. This provides easier scheduling accuracy for mine planning and forecasting.

The pumpable resin, developed to address inconsistent and unreliable bolt installations as mines go deeper and rocks become less competent under added pressure, offers fast setting times and full bolt encapsulation, ensuring speed and quality of installation, the OEM says. An added plus is the resin’s insensitivity to wet ground conditions, which can be a desirable characteristic for many deep underground operations.

“Given that it is much cleaner and easier to use than traditional cement, the pumpable resin reduces hours spent on cleaning the machine,” Bray said. “Hence, it is increasing productivity by providing more bolting time.”

Like other Boltecs in the range, the Boltec ABR comes with a boom-mounted bolting system, providing flexibility in terms of coverage and bolt installation angles, according to Bray.

“It’s very rare that you have perfect straight drive profiles in underground mining,” he said. “The boom-mounted bolting system offers the flexibility to address this.”

LKAB, along with the European Institute of Innovation & Technology, have been key partners in the development of this machine, with the prototype tested out at both the Kiruna and Malmberget mines in northern Sweden.

Kiruna suffered a significant seismic event during May 2020 where several areas underground were adversely affected, providing a good test case for the new machine.

These affected areas required rehabilitation with bolts and mesh to make them safe for production again, according to Bray – a process the iron ore miner is continuing to carry out at Kiruna with the prototype Boltec ABR unit.

“The Boltec ABR was the perfect machine for the challenge; it has proven to allow safer operation and significant productivity increases when compared to LKAB’s conventional bolting fleet,” he added.

Epiroc said that up to double productivity gains were achieved in a trial with the Boltec ABR in LKAB’s Malmberget mine when compared with the miner’s conventional bolting fleet.

Bray concluded: “This solution has made the impossible possible. We can now install bolts where it used to be extremely difficult. Giving some relief to the bottleneck that rock reinforcement had become.”

LKAB to trial ‘first-of-its-kind’ Scania electric heavy tipper truck at Malmberget

An electric Scania Heavy Tipper truck is set to operate at LKAB’s iron ore mine in Malmberget, northern Sweden, alongside an electric crane truck specially adapted for these mining operations, giving Scania a chance to test and operate fully-electric trucks in a demanding underground mine environment.

The heavy tipper has a total weight including load of 49 t and will transport residual products, Scania said. The second truck is equipped with a crane, purpose-fit to transport drill steel to underground drill rigs. The electric truck with the crane will be charged at the depot, but mobile charging at the sites will also be possible to increase flexibility. The vehicles are expected to start operations at Malmberget during 2022.

Peter Gustavsson, Project Manager at LKAB, said the electric Scania trucks are part of an ambition to set a new standard for sustainable mining, where fossil-free solutions are used.

“We are shifting our fleet away from fossil diesel and as we are testing the capacity of battery-powered electric vehicles; decisions are taken with respect to the choice of trucks must not only contribute to higher productivity but, above all, also a more sustainable mine and a safer work environment.”

Fredrik Allard, Head of E-mobility, Scania, said: “We continue to work with customers that are willing to try innovative solutions together with us. For Scania it is very valuable to be able to test electric vehicles in the extreme environment in real customer operations in the mine. On top of that, the electric heavy tipper is the first of its kind in the industry and another really big step on the journey towards sustainable transport solutions across all applications.”

Gustavsson concluded: “Scania’s entry into our transformation process is valuable because it gives us the opportunity to evaluate their battery-powered vehicles. Together we hope to develop and build fossil-free vehicles that are as productive or even more so than the ones we currently have.”

LKAB starts core logging automation, digitalisation process with Minalyzer CS

LKAB has become the first iron ore miner in the world to implement the continuous XRF scanner Minalyzer CS, starting the process of automating and digitalising its drill core logging workflow.

By collecting data in an automated system, LKAB is aiming to improve the consistency and efficiency of its core logging process, Minalyze said.

LKAB and Minalyze initiated the collaboration in March 2020 when the first scanner was installed at the Kiruna iron ore mine for a test. It was then expanded to Malmberget where data from the Minalyzer CS was used to help geological logging of the drill core. The focus for the tests was to assess the datasets: geochemistry, high resolution images, RQD and specific gravity generated by the scanner and to determine how these datasets can assist in the core logging process.

Following these developments, the two companies plus Sentian, in May 2021, said an artificial intelligence application developed by the trio would be trialled to make drill core analysis faster, with the time to evaluate a drill core reduced from weeks to minutes, with increased accuracy.

LKAB Senior Vice President Exploration, Strategy and Business Development, Pierre Heeroma, said: “The tests with the Minalyzer in Kiruna and the more complex Malmberget geology confirmed that this Swedish technology is disrupting the core logging process – now we have fast access to rich data as guidance when classifying the rocks. Our core logging is now consistent and efficient.”

Annelie Lundström, CEO Minalyze AB, said: “The rest of the iron ore industry should closely follow the transformation LKAB is undergoing. With the Minalyzer they have one of the more automated and digitalised core logging workflows in the world. And they are setting a new world standard for sustainable mining with the fossil-free iron ore and steel making.

“We are very proud to be part of LKAB’s transition into the future.”

LKAB to boost remote drilling operations with new Epiroc Boomer, Boltec and Simba rigs

Epiroc says it has won a large order for a variety of underground mining equipment including Boomer face drilling rigs, Boltec rock reinforcement rigs and a Simba production drilling rig from LKAB in Sweden.

LKAB, Europe’s largest iron ore producer, is set to use the rigs at its Malmberget and Kiruna underground iron ore mines in northern Sweden. The order is valued at SEK105 million ($12.2 million) and was booked in the third (September) quarter of 2021.

“Epiroc and LKAB have a long history together as partners around innovative technologies, always aimed at optimising operations in the most productive and sustainable way,” Epiroc’s President and CEO, Helena Hedblom, said.

The machines include many advanced automation features, according to Epiroc.

For example, the Simba production drill rig will be operated remotely from a control room in the Kiruna mine. This rig adds to LKAB’s existing fleet of six Simba production drill rigs that are remotely controlled from the control room and two that are remotely controlled in the mine environment.

One of the Boltec machines (an example pictured) will also be equipped with a new automated pumpable resin system, a key component in Epiroc’s automated bolting development. All the machines come with Epiroc’s telematics system Certiq, which allows for intelligent monitoring of machine performance and productivity in real-time.

LKAB to trial AI-backed XRF drill core logging with help of Minalyze and Sentian

LKAB, Minalyze AB and Sentian say they have joined forces in a consortium to develop the latest technology for scanning drill core.

In March 2020, LKAB started a test with the Minalyzer CS drill core scanner where the goal was to improve the workflow for core logging – ie how the results of exploration drilling are analysed. The test led to a permanent installation in Kiruna (Sweden) and expansion to Malmberget where data from the Minalyzer CS is used to help geological logging of the drill core.

The consortium of LKAB, Minalyze and Sentian are now set to take the use of data to the next level when boreholes in LKAB’s deposits are to be investigated. The new artificial intelligence application being developed by the trio will make the analysis much faster, with the time to evaluate a drill core reduced from weeks to minutes, with increased accuracy.

This could see Minalyze’s X-ray Fluorescence-backed CS scanner analyse LKAB drill core while leveraging Sentain’s industrial artificial intelligence solutions to make real-time decisions relating to drilling and exploration activities.

The technology development driven by the consortium will be a world first, changing the entire industry, the companies say.

Jan-Anders Perdahl, Specialist at LKAB’s Exploration Department, said: “With the collaboration, the core logging takes a big step through machine learning and artificial intelligence. The geologist can, at an early stage, place greater focus on the parts of the core that show chemical or other changes. Opportunities are opened up to gain increased knowledge about ore formation processes and alterations in a completely different way than before. One can also get indications that you are close to mineralisation and where it may be located, and thereby streamline exploration.”

The technological leap will give LKAB’s staff increased competence, increased quality in and efficiency of the work, as well as reduced need for other analysis methods, according to the companies.

Annelie Lundström, CEO of Minalyze AB, said: “We are at an interesting time when the hardware to extract consistently high-resolution data from drill cores is available and we can now take the next step and generate value from data together with our customers. In this collaboration, we will develop algorithms that can map rock layers in so-called lithological logs with very high confidence. This can only be done by combining expertise from all three parties.

“The results from our collaboration will forever change how drill core logging takes place everywhere and will result in a more efficient, non-subjective and consistent process.”

Martin Rugfelt, Sentian CEO, added: “We see great power in the application of modern artificial intelligence to data from the mining industry and there is major potential in further combining our machine learning technology with Minalyze’s unique capabilities in data collection and analysis.”

LKAB plots carbon-free pathway with direct reduced iron switch

LKAB has presented its new strategy for the future, setting out a path to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from its own processes and products by 2045, while securing the company’s operations with expanded mining beyond 2060.

Jan Moström, President and CEO of LKAB, said the plan represented the biggest transformation in the company’s 130-year history, and could end up being the largest industrial investment ever made in Sweden.

“It creates unique opportunities to reduce the world’s carbon emissions and for Swedish industry to take the lead in a necessary global transformation,” he said.

The strategy sets out three main tracks for the transformation:

• New world standard for mining;
• Sponge iron (direct reduced iron) produced using green hydrogen will in time replace iron ore pellets, opening the way for a fossil-free iron and steel industry; and
• Extract critical minerals from mine waste: using fossil-free technology to extract strategically important earth elements and phosphorous for mineral fertiliser from today’s mine waste.

The transformation is expected to require extensive investments in the order of SEK10-20 billion ($1.2-2.3 billion) a year over a period of around 15 to 20 years within LKAB’s operations alone. The company said the new strategy was a response to market developments in the global iron and steel industry, “which is undergoing a technology shift”.

The move could cut annual carbon dioxide emissions from the company’s customers worldwide by 35 Mt, equivalent to two thirds of Sweden’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions, it said.

Developments under the HYBRIT project, in which SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall are collaborating on a process to enable the reduction of steel from iron ore using hydrogen instead of carbon, will be keenly observed following the miner’s announcement.

On top of this collaboration, LKAB is working with Sandvik, ABB, Combitec, Epiroc and several other industry leaders to develop the technology that will enable the transition to fossil-free, autonomous mines, it said.

Moström added: “The market for iron and steel will grow and, at the same time, the global economy is shifting towards a carbon-free future. Our carbon-free products will play an important part in the production of railways, wind farms, electric vehicles and industrial machinery.

“We will go from being part of the problem to being an important part of the solution.”

The market for steel is forecasted to grow by 50% by 2050. This growth will be achieved by an increase in the upgrading of recycled scrap in electric arc furnaces, according to LKAB. Today, the iron and steel industry accounts for more than a quarter of industrial emissions and for 7% of the world’s total carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to an IEA report.

The company said: “The global market price for recycled scrap is now twice that of iron ore pellets. The carbon-free sponge iron that will in time replace iron ore pellets as LKAB’s main export product is suitable for arc furnaces, allowing the company to offer industries throughout the world access to carbon-free iron.”

Moström said the switch from iron ore pellets to carbon-free sponge iron was an important step forward in the value chain, increasing the value of its products at the same time as giving customers direct access to “carbon-free iron”.

“That’s good for the climate and good for our business,” he said. “This transformation will provide us with good opportunities to more than double our turnover by 2045.”

During the transformation period, LKAB will supply iron ore pellets in parallel with developing carbon-free sponge iron.

To reach the new strategy’s goals, rapid solutions must be found for various complex issues, according to the company. These include permits, energy requirements and better conditions for research, development and innovation within primary industry.

Moström said: “Our transformation will dramatically improve Europe’s ability to achieve its climate goals. By reducing emissions primarily from our export business, we will achieve a reduction in global emissions that is equivalent to two-thirds of all Sweden’s carbon emissions. That’s three times greater than the effect of abandoning all cars in Sweden for good.

“It’s the biggest thing we in Sweden can do for the climate.”

Göran Persson, Chairman of the Board of LKAB, said: “What Swedish industry is now doing, spearheaded by LKAB, is to respond to the threatening climate crisis with innovation and technological change. In doing so, we are helping to secure a future for coming generations. This will also create new jobs in the county of Norrbotten, which will become a hub in a green industrial transformation. Succeeding in this will create ripples for generations to come. Not just here, but far beyond our borders.

“Now we are doing, what everyone says must be done.”

Sandvik enters LKAB-led SUM project as Volvo Group departs

Sandvik has joined the Sustainable Underground Mining (SUM) project being run by LKAB at the same time as the Volvo Group has exited the Sweden-based collaboration.

The moves come as the iron ore miner looks to “further strengthen a joint endeavour towards sustainable underground mining at great depths”, it said.

To develop the digitalised, autonomous and carbon-dioxide-free mine of the future, in collaboration with other globally leading Swedish companies, LKAB initiated SUM in 2018.

After 2030, LKAB must be ready to mine iron ore deeper in the mines in Kiruna and Malmberget, in northern Sweden. For this, one of Sweden’s biggest industrial investments ever, decisions will have to be taken in the mid-2020s.

“This type of strategic collaboration project is very complex, each company contributes its specific expertise, and the partners will link together both digital systems and operations,” LKAB says. “Providing unique possibilities for SUM, the test mine, Konsuln, in Kiruna will serve as a real mine environment where technology, machines and working methods will be tested.”

Sandvik will be joining LKAB, Epiroc, ABB and Combitech in trying to achieve this goal. The Volvo Group’s earlier partnership in SUM will now take the form of other collaboration with LKAB, the miner said.

Jan Moström, President and CEO of LKAB, said: “In the coming years, LKAB must have a solution in place to be able to mine iron ore at depths approaching or exceeding 2,000 m in a cost-effective way by employing technology that is safe, autonomous, electrified, digitalised and carbon-dioxide-free.

“To enable this, collaboration with other leading industrial companies will be decisive. Sandvik’s longstanding experience of producing underground vehicle systems will complement the ongoing work in an important way.”

Stefan Widing, President and CEO Sandvik, said: “LKAB has used automated equipment from Sandvik for many years and we look forward to the opportunity to extend our collaboration and introduce new and advanced solutions that will set an industry standard.”

Epiroc and Sandvik will be relied on for battery-powered, autonomous and efficient mining equipment and related solutions that will ensure improved productivity and safety in LKAB’s mines. ABB’s role is to contribute knowledge and solutions for electrification, automation, service and maintenance. Combitech, meanwhile, will bring broad expertise and experience when it comes to connecting autonomous processes and people via so-called digital ecosystems.

LKAB says significant progress has been made on the project to date, including:

• Successful establishment of the test mine, Konsuln, in Kiruna, where testing is carried out in a real mine environment;
• An integration and collaboration platform, ‘LOMI’ (LKAB Open Mine Integrator) has been developed to enable an open systems architecture whereby all partners can develop modules and solutions that work together;
• ABB has delivered ABB Ability System 800xA, the control-room console Extended Operation Workplace and a “Collaboration table” for visualising key functions and key figures in the mine, allowing the operator to monitor and control equipment in the best, most sustainable way. The ambition is that everything that is done in the test mine can be approved, planned and controlled via a project office at surface level, so that underground work can be done more efficiently;
• Epiroc has delivered the drill rig Easer L and Scooptram ST18 LHD, both equipped for automation functionality, for the test mine, and operators and service personnel have been trained. The Easer L, commissioned in 2019, has shown good results in drilling over 50-m-long holes in the test mine, which is an important step for planning the future mine layout . For the loader, during Autumn 2020, the plan is to conduct tests with increasing complexity in terms of automation and interoperability ; and
• Combitech has delivered new solutions for systems platforms on an ongoing basis together with LKAB’s IT department. The aim is to synchronise new technology with existing systems.

In March 2020, the “Testbed for integrated, efficient and carbon-dioxide-free mining systems”, a part of SUM, received funding amounting to 207 million Swedish kronor ($23 million) from the Swedish Energy Agency.

SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall start up world’s first pilot plant for fossil-free steel

SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall have celebrated the start-up of their HYBRIT pilot plant as part of a project to produce fossil-free sponge iron.

Sweden Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven, started up the plant together with Isabella Lövin, Minister for Environment and Climate and Deputy Prime Minister in Sweden, Martin Lindqvist, President and CEO of SSAB, Jan Moström, President and CEO of LKAB, and Magnus Hall, President and CEO of Vattenfall, today.

The achievement comes just over two years since ground was broken to mark the start of the pilot plant build for fossil-free sponge iron (direct reduced iron/hot briquetted iron) with financial support from the Swedish Energy Agency.

At the plant, HYBRIT will perform tests in several stages in the use of hydrogen in the direct reduction of iron ore. The hydrogen will be produced at the pilot plant by electrolysing water with fossil-free electricity. Tests will be carried out between 2020 and 2024, first using natural gas and then hydrogen to be able to compare production results.

The framework for HYBRIT also includes a full-scale effort to replace fossil oil with bio oil in one of LKAB’s existing pellet plants in Malmberget, Sweden, in a test period extending until 2021. Preparations are also under way to build a test hydrogen storage facility on LKAB’s land in Svartöberget in Luleå, near the pilot plant.

The HYBRIT initiative has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10% in Sweden and 7% in Finland, as well as contributing to cutting steel industry emissions in Europe and globally. Today, the steel industry generates 7% of total global carbon-dioxide emissions, according to the companies.

“With HYBRIT, SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall aim to create a completely fossil-free value chain from the mine to finished steel and to introduce a completely new technology using fossil-free hydrogen instead of coal and coke to reduce the oxygen in iron ore,” they said. “This means the process will emit ordinary water instead of carbon dioxide.”

Visualising the future of particle measurements with 3DPM

The 3DPM vision system has had quite a journey. Since the first prototype was installed at LKAB’s Malmberget iron ore to help the miner optimise its pellet production, the system has helped ‘settle the argument’ between mine and mill at base metal mines in Europe and improve the quality of coke being fed to blast furnaces in Japan.

The future looks bright too, with the potential for the system to play a major role in the automation of mine process plants.

Users of 3DPM have seen the importance of having a high-quality vision system that can measure material from a few millimetres to as big as 300 mm in size at relatively high speeds on conveyor belts.

Matthew Thurley, Principal Scientist at Innovative Machine Vision and one of the inventors of the system, has seen the system evolve at the same time as the industry’s understanding of orebody characterisation has grown.

Sweden-based MBV Systems was involved from the beginning on the system, working in partnership with Thurley during his time at Lulea University. It was a three-way collaboration between the university, the SME, and mining companies that got the product to market.

3DPM stands for three-dimensional particle measurement. The system consists of high-performance hardware for 3D scanning of particles and state-of-the-art software for analysis of the size and distribution of particles on a conveyor belt.

“Each system is optimised regarding the hardware and software to best fit each individual installation site and customer preference,” MBV Systems said. “A few examples include OPC communication, heating options to allow functionality in freezing environments, bulk volume calculation, rock bolt detection, and alarm triggering on oversize material.”

Back in 2006, the system installed at Malmberget was very different.

Thurley said the physical hardware, mounted above a conveyor, was pieced together to function properly, but required integration of many individual parts which was hard to maintain.

Still, it provided the iron ore miner with a detailed particle size distribution down to mm-size classes of its high-grade iron ore pellets.

And, in the 14 years since first installation, the principle of the system has remained: to provide increased knowledge of particle size distribution to generate value in, for instance, crusher/mill control, blast furnace effectiveness, process optimisation, or process knowledge.

As more companies have become familiar with the system, the advanced features such as algorithms to detect fines and partially embedded particles have come to the fore. The hardware has been reinforced for rough environments with IP65 rating and the need for very low maintenance even when running 24/7.

This has meant the system has potential in projects focused on improved quality control, automation and process control; three topics the industry is looking at to improve its bottom line, increase its revenues and remove people from operations.

MBV Systems said: “Our customers, who are already highly automated, must continually make their operations more efficient and reduce costs in increasingly tougher international competition. MBV Systems’ machine vision systems constitute a decisive factor for higher productivity, improved efficiency and for complete quality control.”

LKAB started using the system more than 10 years ago. Over that timeframe, the system won many admirers.

Boliden is a big fan of 3DPM, with installations at its Garpenberg, Aitik and Tara operations.

Earlier this year, the miner decided to install another 3DPM system at Garpenberg, four years after the first system was delivered to the Aitik mine to help boost process knowledge and control strategies for crushers and grinding mills.

The way the Sweden-based miner has applied this technology makes for a great case study, according to Thurley.

At Tara, the system is being used for increased process knowledge – “settling the argument between mine and mill”, Thurley says – while, at Garpenberg, the vision system is being leveraged to detect boulders and rock bolts online in a safe way.

This shows 3DPM can be used for multiple purposes.

Such flexibility is down to the system’s ability to provide full size distribution measurements from 0-300 mm and the use of newer algorithms, with the accuracy dependent on the speed of the conveyor belt and the target size of the material under scrutiny.

One of the differentiating factors of 3DPM compared with other vision systems – many of which are now used within ore sorting projects – is the ability to provide a good 3D data profile of the surface of the rock mass. This helps distinguish between rocks and fines, for instance, even when the two are interwoven.

“With the system, we can classify fines and embedded rocks,” Thurley explained. “In other systems, fines may be mistaken for large ‘rocks’ and significantly skew the measured size distribution resulting in bad data and bad decision making.”

This is particularly important in operations that produce several products within one mine – for instance iron ore lump and fines – ensuring that the correct product ends up in the correct stockpile.

The vision system can be tailored to each application.

“At a pigment producer, for instance, we are looking for material that is 3 mm in size,” Thurley said. “In order to carry out that sort of classification, we use the latest technology to measure 3D points at 0.3 mm resolution.”

Typically, visualisation down to this size of material is not required in mining operations, where the company is really competing with batch ‘mine-to-mill’ ore characterisation studies carried out through sieving or some type of other manual process. Such classification can work well for that ‘sample’ but can be misrepresentative depending on the orebody’s heterogeneity.

“3DPM can, instead, provide an end-to-end analysis that can now start to be used as a decision-making tool,” Thurley said.

Analysis of the ore coming through just after blasting can help provide the reconciliation tool miners require to check how effective the blasting practice is, for instance, helping provide the “pre-crusher size distribution feedback much earlier in the value chain”, he said.

With the incorporation of new software and camera technology, the company is expecting more complex analysis to be carried out on bigger amounts of material, according to Thurley.

“These new technologies will allow us to analyse material on a conveyor belt going at 6 m/s where the previous generation was limited at around 2 m/s,” he said.

This could open opportunities at much bigger operations – some large copper or iron ore mines, for instance – as well as automated plants of the future.

It is not farfetched to see the system operating in the same blasting reconciliation position but providing crusher operators with the analysis required to optimise operations ahead of receiving the material.

Moving one step further, it could provide the same information to a system that operates autonomously.

“This could eventually lead to automatic control of the crusher,” Thurley said.

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Malmberget/Gallivare Mine

Location: 5 km N from Gällivare, Sweden

Kullevägen 5 LKAB Malmberget Malmberget Sweden SE-983 81

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Deposit Geology The host rocks to the Malmberget mineralisation comprises a package of mafic to felsic, mildly alkaline, volcanoclastic to sub-volcanic metavolcanic rocks. The ore bodies and the metavolcanic rocks have been intruded by dolerite dikes, as well as, several generations of pegmatitic and aplitic dikes, and granitic bodies (Lund, 2013). U-Pb dating of oscillatory zoned zircons from the metavolcanic rock yields magmatic ages between 1.89 and 1.87 Ga and metamorphic ages between 1.80 and 1.77 Ga (Sarlus et al., 2020). Amphibolite facies metamorphism, deformation and several phases of hydrothermal alteration have transpositioned primary bedding, and partly to completely destroyed the primary features of the ore and the volcanic rocks (Skiöld and Cliff, 1984; Bauer et al., 2018). The high metamorphic grades have significantlly coarsened the grainsize of the Malmberget rocks. Alteration typically consists of pervasive K-feldspar and albite alteration, and patchy to disseminated amphibole-, biotite-, hematite- and magnetite-alteration. High temperature metamorphism is more prevalent in the western part of the deposit, proximal to the large Lina type granitic intrusion, typically evident as sillimanite- and muscovite-bearing gneisses. Massive biotite zones (i.e., biotite schist) occur in the proximity of the ore-zones and are interpreted to be mylonites that were formed as a result of strain partitioning between the metavolcanic host rock and the massive ore during deformation (SRK, 2012; Bauer et al., 2018). Apatite Iron Ores The Malmberget deposit is considered an amphibolite facies equivalent of the Kiirunavaara deposit. The origin of IOA deposits have been subject to a long-going scientific debate and several different modes of formation have historically been proposed, namely, hydrothermal exhalative, hydrothermal replacement, and high-temperature magmatic (Geijer, 1910; Parák, 1973; Hildebrand, 1986). Recent evidence predominantly supports a high-temperature origin, either by magmatically derived fluids, or by direct crystallisation from an iron-rich magma (Jonsson et al., 2013; Knipping et al., 2015; Tornos et al., 2017; Troll et al., 2019). Fe-O isotope thermometry on massive magnetite samples from the Fabian and Viri ore bodies in Malmberget indicates magmatic formation temperatures at = 800 °C (Henriksson et al., 2022). U-Pb dating of zircons from the Kiirunavaara ore suggest formation of the IOA mineralisation between 1.88 and 1.87 Ga (Westhues et al., 2016). Mineralisation Currently 15 of the historically defined ore bodies in the Malmberget deposit are mined. The IOA mineralisation predominantly consists of massive magnetite, but breccia-style and disseminated mineralisation also occur in the proximity of the massive ore bodies. Density plots of the Zr/Al2O3 vs Al2O3/TiO2 data reveal that the mineralisation in Malmberget is mainly hosted in dacitic to basaltic rocks. The ore bodies in the Malmberget deposit can be divided into the Western Field (Välkomman, Baron, Johannes, Josefina, Hens, Tingvallskulle), Printzsköld-Alliansen, the Eastern Field (Dennewitz, Parta, Viri, Östergruvan) and FabianKapten. The Western Field and Printzsköld-Alliansen form two continuous, openly folded ore-zones with moderate dips towards the south-southwest, whereas the Fabian-Kapten and Eastern Field ore bodies have tabular geometries and are elongated along the plunge of the ore body at ca. 40° to 50° towards the south-southwest (Geijer, 1930; Bergman et al., 2001; Martinsson and Virkunnen, 2004). The ore mineralogy is dominated by magnetite, with subordinate amounts of hematite, fluorapatite, titanite, Cu-Fe sulphides, and REE-bearing phosphates. Gangue minerals include amphiboles, anhydrite, gypsum, and calcite. Massive hematite and mixed magnetite-hematite mineralisation mainly occurs in the Western Field and in the hinge of the Printzsköld-Alliansen fold structure. Apatite contents have a similar spatial distribution, with high concentrations (P2O5 > 3%) dominantly occuring in Printzsköld-Alliansen and in the Western Field. In general, the massive magnetite ore is medium- to coarse-grained with well-developed granoblastic textures. Lund (2013) described five different massive ore-types in the Malmberget deposit: fine-grained massive magnetite, coarse-grained massive magnetite, apatite-banded, fine-grained amphibole-rich, and coarse-grained amphibole-rich ore. The different ore-types are not exclusive to any particular ore body, but the massive fine-grained and coarse-grained magnetite is most common in the Fabian-Kapten and the Eastern Field ore bodies, whereas the apatitebanded ore type is most prevalent in Printzsköld-Alliansen, Fabian-Kapten, and the Western field. Amphibole-rich ore types occur in all ore bodies. Further, the magnetite from the different ore bodies can be distinguished from each other based on chemical composition. The Western Field magentite is charaterised by low V- and high Ticontents, while the Eastern Field magnetite has moderate to high V- (0.1-0.3%) and high Ticontents (0.2-1.0%). Magnetite from the Printzsköld-Alliansen ore-zone has moderate V- (0.1- 0.18%) and low Ti-contents (0.05-0.3%). On the contrary, the magnetite from the FabianKapten ore body does not form a distinct cluster, but rather range from low to high V- and Ticontents. Lund (2013) attributes this wide range of the magnetite composition in the FabianKapten ore to reflect a primary variation within the ore body. Mineralisation at Malmberget mine has historically been identified to comprise 30 orebody areas which are either active, inactive or mined-out. The orebodies are distributed over an area of about 5.0 km by 2.5 km and are grouped into Eastern Field and Western Field. The average width of the orebodies ranges from 20 m to 100 m, and iron mineralisation is comprised around 90% magnetite and 10% hematite. The host rocks are metamorphosed volcanic rock such as gneisses and fine-grained feldspar-quartz rock called leptite. Granite veins often intrude into the ore zones.

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Malmberget Mine

Malmberget Mine is located in Gallivare Kommun, Sweden. Before your visit, find out more about Malmberget Mine’s address, opening hours, and location on this page.

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