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THE ORE DATABASE
Deposit Area 1253 - 011
(Last updated 29.jan.2025)

Name of Deposit Area : Hosanger (Lien)
(Object Id : 1253,011,00,00)
Location
County : Hordaland (12) Municipality : Osterøy (1253)
Map 1:50000: Stanghelle (1216-3) Map 1:250000: Bergen
Marking point: Longitude: 5.4768630 Latitude: 60.5552910
EU89-UTM Zone 32 (Coordinates IS confirmed)
X-coord: 306853 m. Y-coord: 6718429 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: 120 thousand tons
Prod. status: Disused, closed Volume of dump:

Importance
Public: Little Importance (reg. 18.02.2015)
Economical: Minor interest , (Confirmed 18.feb.2005 by Havard Gautneb)

Products
Element/product Crude ore grade or quality
NI 0.52 %

Operations
From - To Activity Comments
1915 - 1920 Test mining Company/Institution :Kristiansand Nikkelraffineringsverk A/S
1938 - 1943 Regular production Company/Institution :Kristiansand Nikkelraffineringsverk A/S

Mineralization
Era: Proterozoic Period: Mesoproterozoic
Dating: Method:
Genesis: Orthomagmatic formation Form: Irregular
Main texture: Structureless Min. distribution: Massive (>50 % ore minerals)
Main grain size: Medium grained (1-3 mm) Main alteration:
Strike/Dip: Direction:
Plunge:
Stratigraphic classification of host rock
Era: Proterozoic Period: Mesoproterozoic
Province: Caledonian Basement Province
Geotec.unit: Lindås Nappe Complex
Tectonic complex:
Igneous complex:
Group: Formation:

Lithology:
Relationship Rock Origin
Host rock Norite Intrusive
Original rock :Norite

Information(s) in free text format
Free text
De første kjente undersøkelsene ved Lien på nordsiden av Litlandsvatnet ble gjort i 1915. Fram til 1920 var det tatt ut 5450 t malmholdig berg, hvorav 3 900 t ble skeidet til 335 t med 1.5% Ni og 0.5% Cu. Driften ble tatt opp igjen i 1938 og ble drevet fram til 1942. Deretter ble det drift på den nedforkastede del av malmen Lien II, også kalt Smith Meyers gruve, i 1943. Denne var imidlertid fattig, og driften ble innstilt etter bare noen måneder og uttak av 20 000 t malm. Det er beregnet at det totalt er tatt ut 120 000 t malm i Liengruvene med gjennomsnittlig 0.52% Ni. Stollinngangen er i dag gjenmurt og gjenfylt og det er ingen tilgjengelige mineraliseringer å finne.

Photo(s) from the Deposit area:
Photo no. 1 showing Gruvekart"

Bibliography:
From NGU's Reference Archive:
Bjørlykke, Harald , 1949
Hosanger nikkelgruve.
;Norges geologiske undersøkelse;TIDSSKRIFTARTIKKEL;NGU; No.172;1-38 pages
Abstract:
(forkortet) The Hosanger nickel deposits are situated on the western coast of southern Norway, about 20 km NE of Bergen. Nickel ore has been produced in 4 mines, Nonås, Litland, Lien I, Lien II Smith Meyers mine). The mining district at Hosanger belongs geologically to the Bergen Arch System which has been described by C.F. and N.H.Kolderup (1940). During the geological mapping it was only possible to distinguish two types of rocks: the intrusive gabbroic rocks which on the map has been named gabbro, and the surrounding migmatic gneisses with. The gneisses are of very different composition including granite gneisses with mineral composition: microperthite, quatrtz, oliggoclase, biotite, chlorite, garnet and epidoter and albite- zoisite-gneisses with quartz, albite zoisite and biotite. The intrusive has been the shape of a phacolite chiefly composed of noritic rocks, analysis of which are given in table 1(p.12) together with an analysis of ore diorite from the Flåt nickel mine in Setesdal, Southern Norway. J.H.L. Vogt (1923) has calculated the following mineral composition from the analysis of ore norite from Hosanger: Labradorite 20, hypersthene (with 27 FeSi O3 and some diallag) 60, amphibole 12 and biotite 5.

The fact sheet was created on 06.06.2026
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