Fact Sheet for Deposit Area 522

					Norsk versjon
	THE ORE DATABASE
	Deposit Area 522 - 005
	(Last updated 13.mar.2024)

Name of Deposit Area : Veslegruva

(Object Id : 0522,005,00,00)

The deposit area belongs to the Province : Espedalen

Location

County :

Oppland (05)

Municipality :

Gausdal (0522)

Map 1:50000:

Svatsum (1717-1)

Map 1:250000:

Lillehammer

Marking point:

Longitude:

9.6449720

Latitude:

61.3627180

EU89-UTM Zone 32

(Coordinates IS confirmed)

X-coord:

534484 m.

Y-coord:

6803359 m.

Commodity

	Main Type:	Ferroalloys (Cr,Ni,Co,V,Mo,W)	Sub Type:	Nickel
			Element(s):	Ni Cu

Production

Activity:	Mining	Reserves:
Prod. method:	Underground mining	Production:	4 thousand tons
Prod. status:	Disused, closed	Volume of dump:

Importance

Public: Little Importance (reg. 13.03.2023)

Economical: Significant , (Confirmed 06.des.2005 by Are Korneliussen)

Products

Element/product Crude ore grade or quality

CO 0,06 %

CU 0,6 %

NI 1,9 %

Operations

From - To Activity Comments

1665 - 1666 Test mining Prøvedrift på kobber.Malmen ble smeltet på Svartsum

1850 - 1850 Regular production Company/Institution :Espedals Værk

Probably this year only. Recorded production: 340 tonnes.

1874 - 1878 Regular production Company/Institution :Espedalens Nikkelværk

Total recorded production: 3732 tonnes of ore.

2005 - 2008 Core drilling Company/Institution :Blackstone Venture Ltd

9 hull

Mineralization

Era: Proterozoic Period: Mesoproterozoic

Dating: Method:

Genesis: Orthomagmatic formation Form: Lens

Main texture: Vein network Min. distribution: Semi-massive (20-50 % ore minerals)

Main grain size: Medium grained (1-3 mm) Main alteration:

Strike/Dip: 315 / 25 Direction:

Plunge:

Stratigraphic classification of host rock

Era: Proterozoic Period: Mesoproterozoic

Province: Caledonian Basement Province

Geotec.unit: Jotun Nappe Complex

Tectonic complex: Espedalen Complex

Igneous complex:

Group: Formation:

Mineralogy

Relationship Mineral Amount

Gangue mineral Pyroxene Major mineral (>10%)

Gangue mineral Amphibole Subordinate mineral (1-10%)

Gangue mineral Feldspar Subordinate mineral (1-10%)

Ore mineral Pyrrhotite Major mineral (>10%)

Ore mineral Chalcopyrite Subordinate mineral (1-10%)

Ore mineral Chromite Subordinate mineral (1-10%)

Ore mineral Pentlandite Subordinate mineral (1-10%)

Lithology:

Relationship Rock Origin

Host rock Peridotite Intrusive

Metamorphic facies :Amphibolite

Wall rock Anorthosite Intrusive

Metamorphic facies :Amphibolite

Information(s) in free text format

Free text

The Espedalen Ni-Cu district is situated in an outlier of the Jotun Nappe Complex and consists of Proterozoic crustal rocks; mainly a high-grade anorthosite-gabbro-troctolite suite. Magmatic Ni-Cu sulphides have been mined in several periods in the region. Copper smelting is documented at Svatsum in 1665–1666 with description of ongoing mining of unknown duration. The first analysis and description of a new Ni-mineral, later named pentlandite, was reported from Espedalen by Scheerer (1845). The findings resulted in two mining periods of nickeliferous pyrrhotite (1846 to 1857 and 1874 to 1878) from Storgruva, Veslegruva and a number of smaller workings, making Espedalen one of the major mining districts at that time (up to 500 workers). An estimated total of about 50.000 tons of ore with 1.0 % Ni, 0.4 % Cu was produced. Modern exploration started in the late 1960s. Sulfidmalm and Norsk Hydro did extensive exploration until 1980. The latest period of exploration by Blackstone Ventures Inc. started in 2003 and has so far resulted in the discovery of two new deposits, Stormyra and Dalen. The inferred resources in the Stormyra deposit is 1.013 mill.t. with 1.09 % Ni, 0.48 % Cu and 0.04 % Co and at Dalen 4.625 mill.t. with 0.29 % Ni, 0.12 % Cu and 0.02 % Co. Drake refined the Mineral Resources at Stormyra (1.16Mt @ 1% Ni, 0.42% Cu & 0.04% Co) and Dalen (7.8Mt @ 0.28% Ni, 0.12% Cu & 0.02% Co) prospects in accordance with JORC (2012).

Historic

Account books for 1665-1666 from the Copper smelter at Masovn in Svatsum describe mining at that time. Veslegruva (the Small mine) and Storgruva (the Big mine) were allready old and well known long before the nickel production started at Espedal Værk in 1847. Total production from Veslegruva is reported to have been about 4000 tons, most of it during the last production period, 1874-1878.

Bibliography:

From NGU's Reference Archive:

Vogt, J.H.L. , 1917

Espedalen Nikkel-magnetkisfelt.

;Norges geologiske undersøkelse;FAGRAPPORT;Bergarkivet; No.BA 1419;27 pages

Abstract:

Lok. Nr. 10073 - 10078. Rapporten har følgende inndeling: - Beliggenhet. - Om verkets drift i eldre dager. - Om vannkraft osv. - Malmforekomstens geologiske karakter. - Malmens nikkelprosent. - Veslegruben. - Evans grube. - Stangs grube. - Andreasberg. - Oversikt.

References not to be found in NGU's Reference Archive.:

Forseth, Iver, 2004: Nikkelverket i Espedalen. Dølaringen boklag. 140s.

Often, M. & Nilsson, L.P. (2012): N017 Jotunheimen Ni-Cu-PGE. In Eilu, P. (ed.) Mineral deposits and metallogeny of Fennoscandia. Geological Survey of Finland Special Paper 53, p. 73-74.

Corfu, F., & Heim, M. 2014. Geology and U–Pb geochronology of the Espedalen Complex, southern Norway, and its position in the Caledonian nappe systems. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 390(1), 223-239. https://doi.org/10.1144/jgs2019-010

Mansur, E.T., Slagstad, T., Dare, S.A.S. & Sandstad, J.S. 2023. Geology and sulphide geochemistry of the Ni-Cu-Co mineralisation of the Espedalen Complex, Norway: Constraints for the distribution of magmatic sulphides within a variably deformed anorthosite suite. Ore Geology Reviews 161.

Fieldsamples

Sample No. Sample type Miscellanrous

JS-ES2214 Bedrock

Sampler :Sandstad/Mansur/...Stored :Løkken/...Size(kg) :2

Comment :Chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite, net-textured/aggregates in melanogabbro

No. of registrated element analyses = 1

JS-ES2215 Bedrock

Sampler :Sandstad/Mansur/...Stored :Løkken/...Size(kg) :2

Comment :Massive, fine-medium grained pyrrhotite+chalcopyrite

No. of registrated element analyses = 1

JS-ES2216 Bedrock

Sampler :Sandstad/Mansur/...Stored :Løkken/...Size(kg) :2

Comment :Chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite, net-textured/aggregates in melanogabbro

No. of registrated element analyses = 1

JS-ES2217 Dump

Sampler :Sandstad/Mansur/...Stored :Løkken/...Size(kg) :2

Comment :Massive/semimassive pyrrhotite-chalcopyrite

No. of registrated element analyses = 1

NB! All analyse values are shown at the end of the printout.:

Analyse Results

from

Deposit Area 522 - 005 Veslegruva

Element analyses
( *=parts pr. million, #=parts pr.billion, Negative values means below detection limit value.)

Sample No. Sample Type Cu* Zn* Pb* Co* Ni* Ag* Au#

JS-ES2214 Bedrock 15500 185 16 526 8250 3.4 28.0

JS-ES2215 Bedrock 5740 103 12 1270 17500 1.4 30.0

JS-ES2216 Bedrock 5940 424 7 305 4190 1.8 50.0

JS-ES2217 Dump 3620 133 10 460 7390 1.4 39.0

------------------

Sample No. Pt# Pd# As* Cd* Ba* Mo* Sb* Bi* Se*

JS-ES2214 71.0 74.0 0 3.4 20 0.50 -0 1 17.00

JS-ES2215 118.0 278.0 1 .6 10 0.47 -0 1 43.00

JS-ES2216 30.0 35.0 0 2.7 10 0.30 -0 0 10.00

JS-ES2217 48.0 67.0 0 1.0 20 0.30 -0 0 13.00

------------------

Sample No. Ga* Ge* S% V* Cr* Mn* Fe% Th* Rb*

JS-ES2214 7.58 0.20 11.90 200 2380 1440 27.40 0.03 0.7

JS-ES2215 5.75 0.45 21.70 146 1890 763 48.40 0.02 0.3

JS-ES2216 10.75 0.13 6.09 216 10000 1125 18.20 0.04 0.6

JS-ES2217 5.25 0.18 9.56 170 1910 1395 23.50 0.04 0.6

------------------

Sample No. Sr* Y* Zr* Nb* Ta* Cs* La* Ce* Li*

JS-ES2214 13.6 4.0 7 0.30 -0.05 0.21 0.60 1.50 5

JS-ES2215 10.0 2.5 4 0.20 -0.05 0.10 -0.50 0.92 3

JS-ES2216 20.0 3.6 6 0.20 -0.05 0.08 0.50 1.39 2

JS-ES2217 21.5 4.1 8 0.20 -0.05 0.13 0.60 1.56 6

------------------

Sample No. Be* Mg* Al* P* Ca* Sc* Ti* Te* Hf*

JS-ES2214 -0 71100 22600 70 29800 29.30 2150 1.54 0.20

JS-ES2215 -0 40200 9800 20 19700 18.00 1090 4.43 0.20

JS-ES2216 -0 ###### 29800 50 30900 22.50 1750 0.65 0.20

JS-ES2217 -0 ###### 20900 90 34300 32.20 1590 1.36 0.30

------------------

Sample No. Re* Tl*

JS-ES2214 0 0

JS-ES2215 0 0

JS-ES2216 0 0

JS-ES2217 0 0

	Element/product	Crude ore grade or quality
	CO	0,06 %
	CU	0,6 %
	NI	1,9 %

From - To	Activity	Comments
1665 - 1666	Test mining	Prøvedrift på kobber.Malmen ble smeltet på Svartsum
1850 - 1850	Regular production	Company/Institution :Espedals Værk
		Probably this year only. Recorded production: 340 tonnes.
1874 - 1878	Regular production	Company/Institution :Espedalens Nikkelværk
		Total recorded production: 3732 tonnes of ore.
2005 - 2008	Core drilling	Company/Institution :Blackstone Venture Ltd
		9 hull

Era:	Proterozoic	Period:	Mesoproterozoic
Dating:		Method:
Genesis:	Orthomagmatic formation	Form:	Lens
Main texture:	Vein network	Min. distribution:	Semi-massive (20-50 % ore minerals)

	Province:	Caledonian Basement Province
	Geotec.unit:	Jotun Nappe Complex
	Tectonic complex:	Espedalen Complex
	Igneous complex:

Relationship	Mineral	Amount
Gangue mineral	Pyroxene	Major mineral (>10%)
Gangue mineral	Amphibole	Subordinate mineral (1-10%)
Gangue mineral	Feldspar	Subordinate mineral (1-10%)
Ore mineral	Pyrrhotite	Major mineral (>10%)
Ore mineral	Chalcopyrite	Subordinate mineral (1-10%)
Ore mineral	Chromite	Subordinate mineral (1-10%)
Ore mineral	Pentlandite	Subordinate mineral (1-10%)

Relationship	Rock	Origin
Host rock	Peridotite	Intrusive
		Metamorphic facies :Amphibolite
Wall rock	Anorthosite	Intrusive
		Metamorphic facies :Amphibolite

	Abstract:
	Lok. Nr. 10073 - 10078. Rapporten har følgende inndeling: - Beliggenhet. - Om verkets drift i eldre dager. - Om vannkraft osv. - Malmforekomstens geologiske karakter. - Malmens nikkelprosent. - Veslegruben. - Evans grube. - Stangs grube. - Andreasberg. - Oversikt.

Sample No.	Sample Type	Cu*	Zn*	Pb*	Co*	Ni*	Ag*	Au#
JS-ES2214	Bedrock	15500	185	16	526	8250	3.4	28.0
JS-ES2215	Bedrock	5740	103	12	1270	17500	1.4	30.0
JS-ES2216	Bedrock	5940	424	7	305	4190	1.8	50.0
JS-ES2217	Dump	3620	133	10	460	7390	1.4	39.0

Sample No.	Pt#	Pd#	As*	Cd*	Ba*	Mo*	Sb*	Bi*	Se*
JS-ES2214	71.0	74.0	0	3.4	20	0.50	-0	1	17.00
JS-ES2215	118.0	278.0	1	.6	10	0.47	-0	1	43.00
JS-ES2216	30.0	35.0	0	2.7	10	0.30	-0	0	10.00
JS-ES2217	48.0	67.0	0	1.0	20	0.30	-0	0	13.00

Sample No.	Ga*	Ge*	S%	V*	Cr*	Mn*	Fe%	Th*	Rb*
JS-ES2214	7.58	0.20	11.90	200	2380	1440	27.40	0.03	0.7
JS-ES2215	5.75	0.45	21.70	146	1890	763	48.40	0.02	0.3
JS-ES2216	10.75	0.13	6.09	216	10000	1125	18.20	0.04	0.6
JS-ES2217	5.25	0.18	9.56	170	1910	1395	23.50	0.04	0.6

Sample No.	Sr*	Y*	Zr*	Nb*	Ta*	Cs*	La*	Ce*	Li*
JS-ES2214	13.6	4.0	7	0.30	-0.05	0.21	0.60	1.50	5
JS-ES2215	10.0	2.5	4	0.20	-0.05	0.10	-0.50	0.92	3
JS-ES2216	20.0	3.6	6	0.20	-0.05	0.08	0.50	1.39	2
JS-ES2217	21.5	4.1	8	0.20	-0.05	0.13	0.60	1.56	6

Sample No.	Be*	Mg*	Al*	P*	Ca*	Sc*	Ti*	Te*	Hf*
JS-ES2214	-0	71100	22600	70	29800	29.30	2150	1.54	0.20
JS-ES2215	-0	40200	9800	20	19700	18.00	1090	4.43	0.20
JS-ES2216	-0	######	29800	50	30900	22.50	1750	0.65	0.20
JS-ES2217	-0	######	20900	90	34300	32.20	1590	1.36	0.30