Uranium in Finland

Uraninites from Vihanti

Finland has a long history in reporting its uranium resources and exploration for uranium internationally in what is known as the "Red Book", periodical updates of uranium resources, production and demand jointly collected and published by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The 22 ^nd edition of the Red Book (Uranium 2007: Resources, Production and Demand) was released in June 2008. OECD/NEA published " the Red Book Retrospective" in 2006, a compilation of the information collected since the publication of the first Red Book in 1965.

Red Book

Red Book Retrospective

Uranium production in Finland is mainly confined to the now restored Paukkajanvaara mine, operated as a pilot plant between 1958 and 1961. A total of 40,000 tonnes of ore was hoisted, and the concentrates produced equalled about 30 tU. As listed in the Red Book Retrospective, the total historical production calculated from the MTI Mining Bureau statistics is 41 tU from 1958 to 1961.

The uranium resources reported by Finland in the present edition of the Red Book comprise 1,500 tU (in situ) in two deposits, Palmottu at Nummi-Pusula and Pahtavuoma-U at Kittilä. With an estimate for mining losses, these resources are listed as 1,125 tU in cost category RAR 80-130 USD/kgU (RAR – Reasonably Assured Resources). The annual reactor-related requirements are about 500 tU (as natural uranium) for the four nuclear power plant units presently in operation in Finland.

As shown in the Red Book Retrospective, Finland has previously reported 2,900 tU of reasonably assured resources in the cost range USD 130 or more/kgU, included in several deposits. Because this cost category has not been used in the Red Book for some time, these resources were excluded from the reported resources. In addition, for environmental and technical reasons many of these deposits will not be mineable anymore.

Uranium exploration was carried out in Finland from 1955 to 1989, first by several organisations but from the late 1970s mainly by the Geological Survey. Since their beginning in the early 1970s, the regional aerogeophysical and geochemical mapping programmes have played an important role in uranium exploration. Following the global resurgence, exploration for uranium commenced again in Finland in 2004 as the first claim reservations of this new exploration stage were registered.

Map of uranium deposits in Finland as in the 2001 edition of the Red Book

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The distribution of uranium provinces and the geological settings of uranium deposits have been summarised in the previous editions of the Red Book as follows; the grades (% U) and tonnages of (in situ) uranium of the deposits are given in brackets:

The Kolari-Kittilä province in western Lapland, including the Kesänkitunturi sandstone deposit (0.06%; 950 tU) and the Pahtavuoma-U vein deposit (0.19%; 500 tU) in Paleoproterozoic quartzite and greenstone-associated graphitic schists, respectively.
The Kuusamo province in northeastern Finland, with metasomatite uranium occurrences associated with mineralisations of gold and cobalt (e.g. Juomasuo deposit) in a sequence of Paleoproterozoic quartzites and mafic volcanics.
The historical Koli province in eastern Finland, with several small sandstone (Ipatti, Martinmonttu and Ruunaniemi: 0.08-0.14%; 250 tU) and epigenetic uranium deposits (the former Paukkajanvaara mine) and occurrences of uranium and thorium-bearing quartz-pebble-conglomerate in Paleoproterozoic quartzites, with an additional prospect of unconformity-related deposits (Riutta) in a Paleoproterozoic regolith.
The Uusimaa province of intrusive uranium occurrences in Paleoproterozoic granites and granitic migmatites of southern Finland, represented by the Palmottu deposit (0.1%; 1,000 tU) and the Askola area.

The geological settings further include:

Uraniferous phosphorites associated with sedimentary carbonates of the Paleoproterozoic sequences, e.g., the Vihanti-U (Lampinsaari) deposit (0.03%; 700 tU) and the Nuottijärvi deposits (0.04%; 1,000 tU).
Uranium mineralisation and uraniferous carbonate veins in Paleoproterozoic albitite and albite diabase dykes, mostly in northern Finland.
Uranium- and thorium-bearing dykes and veins of Paleoproterozoic pegmatite granites.
Surficial concentrations of young uranium in recent peat.

Possible by-product uranium occurs in the low-grade Ni-Cu-Zn deposit of Talvivaara (0.001-0.004% U), hosted by Paleoproterozoic black shales, in central Finland, and in pyrochlore of the Paleozoic Sokli carbonatite (0.01% U) in eastern Lapland.

The FINURANIUM Database is a compilation of uranium and thorium deposits in Finland. The purpose of the database is to provide information for exploration and for research in economic geology as well as for research and monitoring of radioactivity in the environment. The data has been collected from public sources and from various GTK data banks. The format follows that of the deposits databases for other commodities at GTK (FINGOLD, FINZINC, FINNICKEL). In case of polymetallic deposits, the FINURANIUM database provides links to these other databases.

The test version of the FINURANIUM Database was published on 30th June 2008, with the rest of the deposits to be completed to the database by the end of the year 2008. The test version shows 15 deposits, including the deposits of Palmottu, Pahtavuoma-U, Nuottijärvi and Vihanti-U with most of the known uranium resources, and the Koli Province in eastern Finland, where all of the presently active exploration companies in Finland have claims or claim applications and where some of the known deposits are located within the Koli National Park.

The FINURANIUM database also tends to complete the international databases FODD (Fennoscandian Ore Deposits database) and UDEPO (World Distribution of Uranium Deposits Database/IAEA).

Contact person: Olli Äikäs (olli.aikas gtk.fi)

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