Kaunisvaara Explained

Kaunisvaara is a village in northern Sweden, in Pajala Municipality, 100 km north of the Arctic Circle.

Mining

See main article: Kaunisvaara mine. There are large magnetite (iron ore) deposits in this area; Northland Resources began constructing the first mine in December 2011.^{[1] [2]} Ore production was expected to begin in 2012,^[3] with annual iron ore production reaching 12 million tonnes by 2014. Reserves are estimated at 176 million tonnes.^[1] The mine went bankrupt in October 2014 because of low iron ore prices and high debts.

History

In 2009, archaeologists commissioned by Northland Resources found evidence of stone-age settlements, dated to 9300BCE, in the area; this has shed new light on the timeline of deglaciation and human settlement in northern Europe.^[4]

References

67.3833°N 44°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Northland Resources breaks ground for Kaunisvaara project. 2011-07-06.
2. Web site: Northland - Kaunisvaara - Tue Jul 5, 2011. 2011-07-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20111023125319/http://www.northland.eu/s/Kaunisvaara.asp. October 23, 2011. dead.
3. Web site: Northland finalises Cat/Bucyrus fleet for Kaunisvaara . 2011-07-05. International Mining.
4. Web site: Drygt 11000 år gammal boplats invid inlandsisen - NLL. 2011-07-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20120119065944/http://www.nll.se/webb/Kultur--och-utbildning/Norrbottens-museum/Uppdragsavdelningen/Arkeologi/Forskning/Drygt-11000-ar-gammal-boplats-invid-inlandsisen-/. 2012-01-19. dead.