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	THE ORE DATABASE
	3441 - 001 Espedalen
	(Object Id: 37007) (Last updated: 14.05.2019)

Location

County:

Innlandet

Municipality:

Gausdal (3441)

Map 1:50000:

Svatsum (1717-1)

Map 1:250000:

Lillehammer

Coordinate system:

EU89-UTM Zone 32

East:

534484 m.

North:

6803359 m.

Longitude:

9.6449720

Latitude:

61.3627180

Show on map

Resource

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

Importance

Raw material meaning:

Little Importance (reg. 13.03.2023)

Resources and production

	Activity:	Mining	Reserves:
	Operating method:	Underground mining	Historical production:	4 thousand tons

Products

	Element/product	Crude ore grade or quality	Reg. date
	Co	0,06 %	17.09.2007
	Cu	0,6 %	17.09.2007
	Ni	1,9 %	17.09.2007

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
	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.:

Location

County:

Innlandet

Municipality:

Gausdal (3441)

Map 1:50000:

Svatsum (1717-1)

Map 1:250000:

Lillehammer

Coordinate system:

EU89-UTM Zone 32

East:

533840 m.

North:

6805039 m.

Longitude:

9.6332150

Latitude:

61.3778560

Show on map

Resource

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

Importance

Raw material meaning:

International Importance (reg. 13.03.2023)

Resources and production

	Activity:	Exploration	Reserves:	7800 thousand tons
	Operating method:		Historical production:

Products

	Element/product	Crude ore grade or quality	Reg. date
	Co	0.02 %	12.10.2017
	Cu	0.12 %	12.10.2017
	Ni	0.28 %	12.10.2017

Mineralization

	Era:	Proterozoic	Period:	Mesoproterozoic
	Genesis:	Orthomagmatic formation	Form:	Lens
	Main texture:	Vein network	Min. distribution:	Disseminated (<20 % 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:
	Geotec.unit:
	Tectonic complex:	Espedalen Complex
	Igneous complex:

Group:

Formation:

Mineralogy

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

Lithology:

	Relationship	Rock	Origin
	Host rock	Gabbronorite	Intrusive Original rock :Gabbro norite
			Metamorphic facies :Amphibolite
	Host rock	Harzburgite	Intrusive Original rock :Peridotite
			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).

Bibliography:

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

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.

Reddick, J., & Armstrong, T. 2009. Technical Report on Resource estimates for Ertelien, Stormyra and Dalen Deposits, Southern Norway. NI43-101 technical report.

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The fact sheet was created on 23.04.2024

Questions or comments regarding the fact sheet can be emailed to: ressursdatabaser@ngu.no

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