Copper in Finland

FINCOPPER Database

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Copper in Finland

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Copper mining in Finland has a relatively long history, commencing in the 1750s at Orijärvi, SW Finland. Except for a few intermissions, small-scale mining activity at Orijärvi continued until the 1950s. The best years of copper production, however, were experienced in the 1860s, when as much as 20000 t ore per year was mined.

The beginning of the modern development of the Finnish mining industry was related to the discovery of the Outokumpu copper deposit in 1910. The production of the now exhausted Outokumpu mine (1913- 1988) was 28.5 Mt of ore grading 3.8% Cu, 0.24% Co, 0.12% Ni, 1.07% Zn, 0.8 ppm Au and 8.9 ppm Ag. Much later, a number of other Outokumpu-type Cu deposits were discovered. The ore resources at the Luikonlahti mine (1968-1983) were 7.5 Mt grading 0.99% Cu, 0.11% Co and 0.50% Zn. The Vuonos mine (1972-1986) yielded 5.89 Mt of ore grading 2.45% Cu, 0.15% Co and 1.6% Zn. The Outokumpu, Luikonlahti and Vuonos deposits together produced ca 1.3 Mt Cu. Recently, a definitive feasibility study has been completed at Kylylahti (8.1 Mt ore grading 1.18% Cu, 0.24% Co, 0.22% Ni, 0.47% Zn and 0.66 ppm Au), ca 25 km NE of Outokumpu. However, as markets failed in September 2008 the project was put on hold for the present.

Copper deposits in Finland usually comprise a heterogeneous group of Palaeoproterozoic ores, which generally contain other base metals (zinc, cobalt, nickel) and/or precious metals (gold, silver). In this case, some deposits in which copper is or has been an economically significant metal are included in the FINZINC or FINGOLD Database (e.g. Hammaslahti, Orijärvi, Pyhäsalmi, Rauhala, Säviä/Zn-database; Riikonkoski, Jouhineva/Au database). In addition, some nickel deposits may also contain notable amounts of copper (e.g. Kotalahti, Petolahti, Sääksjärvi/Ni-database).

Finland’s most important Cu deposits were/are located in the Outokumpu area (Outokumpu, Vuonos, Luikonlahti, Kylylahti), where they are closely related to the 1.96 Ga Outokumpu rock assemblage comprised of serpentinite massifs with rims of dolomite, skarn and quartz rock.

The Palaeoproterozoic Central Lapland greenstone belt hosts a number of smaller Cu deposits (Haarakumpu, Riikonkoski, Pahtavuoma), of which only a couple have been exploited. The Uusimaa belt (Orijärvi, Aijala) and the Höytiäinen belt (Hammaslahti) are also known for their now exhausted Cu deposits.

In the NW part of the Saimaa schist area there are a number of Cu deposits closely associated with amphibolites, skarns and limestones. However, only the Virtasalmi deposit has been exploited.

Archaean Cu deposits are extremely rare in Finland. One example is a tiny Larinsaari deposit occurring within a small remnant of a greenstone belt in eastern Finland.

Exploration

Copper in Finland

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