Kirunavaara

Plant in Vasterbottens Lan, Sweden with commodity Iron
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Commodities
  6. Materials information
  7. Nearby scientific data
  8. Ore body information
  9. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  10. Ownership information
  11. Reserves and resources
  12. Workings at the site
  13. Links to other databases
  14. Bibliographic references
  15. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10134018
MAS/MILS ID 4010270003
Record type Site
Current site name Kirunavaara
Alternate or previous names Kiirunavaara, Kiruna

Comments on the site names

  • FORMERLY KIRUNAVAARA-LUOSSAVARAA.

Geographic coordinates

Point of reference Ore Body
Geographic coordinates: 20.28693, 67.832 (WGS84)
Location accuracy 5000(meters)

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Vasterbottens Lan(province)

Sweden(country)

Europe(continent)

Land(continent)

Geographic areas

Country State
Sweden Vasterbottens Lan

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Iron Primary

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Apatite Unknown
Feldspar Unknown
Magnetite Unknown
Quartz Unknown

Nearby scientific data

Ore Body (1) 20.28693, 67.832

Economic information

Ore body information

  • Thickness 1800M
    Length 4000M
    Width 90M
    Field Value
    MAS Matrix # 1
    MAS Column # 1
    Type of Orebody #1 SEDIMENTARY
    Shape of Orebody #1 TABULAR
    Primary mode of Origin SEDIMENTATION
    Secondary mode of Origin METAMORPHISM
    Primary Ore Control FOLDING
    Secondary Ore Control FAULTING
    Date of Last Modification 860708

Comments on the geologic information

  • THE KIRUNA IRON DEPOSITS ARE THOUGHT TO HAVE FORMED BY A PROCESS OF CHEMICAL SEDIMENTATION, HAVING BEEN LAID DOWN ON A SYENITE PROPHYRY THAT NOW CONSTITUTES THE FOOTWALL ROCK. FOLLOWING DEPOSITION OF THE IRON ORE, RENEWED VOLCANIC ACTIVITY RESULTED IN DEPOSITION OF THE QUARTZ-PORPHYRY HANGINGWALL ROCKS.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Operation type Underground
Development status Plant
Commodity type Metallic
Significant Yes
Mining method Open Stope - Sublevel
Plant type Beneficiation (Mill)
Plant subcategory Flotation
Milling method Flotation

Ownership information

  • Type Operator
    Owner Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag (Lkab)
    Year 1982
  • Type Owner
    Owner Swedish Government
    Interest 95
    Year 1982
  • Type Owner
    Owner Grangesberg Co.
    Interest 5
    Year 1982

Reserves and resources

  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1981
    Indicated 2315000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 2315000000mt ore
    Total resources 2315000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe 62.5 wt-pct Iron Major 1981
    Iron Fe 62.5 wt-pct Iron Major 1981
    Iron Fe 62.5 wt-pct Iron Major 1981
  • Type In-situ
    Estimate year 1993
    Measured 1300000000mt ore
    Demonstrated 1300000000mt ore
    Total resources 1300000000mt ore
    Commodity Subtype Grade units Group Importance Year
    Iron Fe 62.5 wt-pct Iron Major 1993

Workings at the site

  • Type of workings Underground
    Overall depth 910M
    Field Value
    MAS Development Schedule # 1
    Mining Record # 1
    Mining Method SUBLEVEL CAVING 10-75
    Number of Shafts 11
    Capacity 68800
    Capacity Units MT ORE/DAY
    Unit Production Cost 7.04
    Units of Production $/MT ORE
    Operating Days per Year 320
    Operating Shifts per Day 3
    Year of Information 1982

Comments on other economic factors

  • IN THIS REPORT THE CAPACITIES LISTED ARE BASED ON AN ANNUAL CAPACITY OF 22,000,000 METRIC TONNES. THIS PROPERTY IS EXPECTED TO REACH THIS MAXIMUM ANNUAL TONNAGE BY THE YEAR 1989 AND CONTINUE AT THIS RATE UNTIL 2045. CURRENTLY PRODUCTION HAS BEEN IN THE 10-18 MILLION METRIC TON RANGE. PRIOR TO THIS, THE ANNUAL PRODUCTION WAS AS HIGH AS 26.7 MILLION METRIC TONNES FOR THE YEAR 1974.

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Reserve-Resource

    AME MINERAL ECONOMICS QUARTERLY MINE ANALYSIS, 6/93, P. 36.

  • Deposit

    LKAB, GEOLOGY, MINING, PRODUCTION INFORMATION, COMPANY

  • Deposit

    BROCHURE.

  • Deposit

    E/MJ, NEW HAULAGE LEVEL AT KIRUNA, SWEDEN, HAS MASSIVE

  • Deposit

    CAPACITY AND A DESIGN FOR LONG LIFE, JUNE, 1978, PP 171-

  • Deposit

    179.

  • Deposit

    NILSSON, D., KIIRUNAVAARA - WORLD'S LARGEST UNDERGROUND

  • Deposit

    MINE, SKILLINGS' MINING REVIEW, NOVEMBER, 1978, PP 12-16.

  • Deposit

    STOCKEL, I., VENTILATION AT THE UNDERGROUND MINE

  • Deposit

    KIIRUNAVAARA, FABRICII TRYCKERI EFTR. KIRUNA, 1976, 10 PP.

  • Deposit

    MINING MAGAZINE, MECHANISATION AT KIRUNA, FEBRUARY, 1971,

  • Deposit

    VOL. 124, NO. 2, PP 96-105.

  • Deposit

    WESTERN MINER, NEW TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM DEVELOPED AT KIRUNA

  • Deposit

    MINE IN SWEDEN, JUNE, 1979, PP 29-34.

  • Deposit

    HEDEN, H., LIDIN, K., AND MALMSTROM, R., SUBLEVEL CAVING

  • Deposit

    TECHNIQUES OPTIMIZE KIIRUNAVAARA PRODUCTION, SOCIETY OF

  • Deposit

    MINING ENGINEERS, OCTOBER, 1979, PP 1458-1460.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 11-JAN-95 Bolis U.S. Bureau of Mines

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.