Overview of Talc Resources in the Altermark Talc Province, Northern Norway, and Possible Uses of the Talc Ore
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NGU-BULL 436, 2000 - PAGE 93 Overview of talc resources in the Altermark talc province, northern Norway, and possible uses of the talc ore TOR ARNE KARLSEN, EDVIN RIAN & ODLEIV OLESEN Karlsen, T.A., Rian, E. & Olesen, O.: 2000: Overview of talc resources and reserves in the Altermark talc province, northern Norway and possible uses of the talc ore. Norges geologiske undersøkelse Bulletin, 436, 93-102. Active prospecting during the past 10 years has proved that the Altermark area contains much more talc than previously recognised. In the Nakkan-Esjeklumpen area, 10 M tonnes or more of talc-carbonate ore are probably present, distributed in ultramafic bodies. The ore, which occurs as one of several layers within compositionally zoned ultramafic lenses dominated by antigorite serpentinites, has the following general mineralogy: talc (45-65 %), carbonate (30-50 %), chlorite (0-4 %) and magnetite (0-3 %). Relative to other known similar deposits, the ore is rather coarse-grained, and the minerals tend to be idioblastic. Several products can be made from the talc-carbonate ore. By applying flotation or other kinds of mineral separation techniques, it is likely that high-quality talc-concentrate could be made in addition to talc-carbonate mixtures. A concentrate of by-product breunnerite would possibly be of economic value. Tor Arne Karlsen, Geological Survey of Norway, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway; Edvin Rian, Norwegian Talc Altermark AS, N- 8616, Norway; Odleiv Olesen, Geological Survey of Norway, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway. Introduction Geological setting Economic talc1 mineralisation is normally associated either The Altermark area is situated about 20 km west of Mo i Rana, with dolomite or with ultramafic rocks (i.e. ‘ultramafic’ talc). northern Norway (Fig. 1). The rocks belong to the Rödingsfjäl- All known major occurrences of talc in Norway are of the let Nappe Complex (Gustavson & Gjelle 1991) of the Upper- ultramafic type, and are associated with serpentinised ophi- most Allochthon (Roberts & Gee 1985) of the Caledonides. olitic ultramafites, ultramafic conglomerates or solitary ultra- The Rödingsfjället Nappe Complex and the overlying mafic lenses. Helgeland Nappe Complex are the two dominating nappe Norwegian Talc AS, owned by Plüss Staufer AG, is the complexes along the Nordland coast. These nappe com- major talc company in Norway, and produces talc from ultra- plexes contain numerous ultramafic lenses of somewhat dis- mafic rocks in Altermark, Nordland county, northern Norway puted origin (Karlsen 1995). Immediately to the south of (Fig. 1). In the Altermark area, the ultramafic lenses are found Helgeland, ophiolitic ultramafite with associated talc occurs to be particularly well talcified, and the area is described as a on the island of Leka in Nord-Trøndelag. North of Rødøy talc province. Due to a shortage of ore reserves in the late (Bang 1985), ophiolite complexes as such have not been rec- 1980s, a prospecting campaign was carried out during the ognised, and the ultramafites occur as solitary lenses. Around following years (1989-1995). Work started with drilling and the basement windows Sjona, Høgtuva and Svartisen, soli- investigation of the Straumdalen talc deposit (Holter 1990), tary ultramafic or ultramafic/mafic lenses are widespread, sit- and was followed up by a more intensive survey including uated predominantly within the Rödingsfjället Nappe Com- airborne geophysics (Mogaard & Walker 1991, Karlsen & plex (Fig. 1). Olesen 1991), regional mapping, detailed deposit mapping, and comprehensive mineralogical studies (Karlsen 1995). This campaign, which has been followed up by drilling, Tectonostratigraphy turned out to be successful, and several millions of tons of In the investigated area, the Rödingsfjället Nappe Complex talc-carbonate rocks were detected, both within and outside consists of three tectonic units: the Tjørnrasta Nappe, the the existing talc mine. The Nakkan deposit was detected by Straumbotn Nappe (Søvegjarto et al. 1988) and the Slettefjel- airborne geophysical exploration (Mogaard & Walker 1991, let Unit (Fig. 2). The Tjørnrasta Nappe is dominated by Karlsen & Olesen 1991, 1996), and is today the major target quartzo-feldspathic gneisses and quartz-rich mica schists for future exploitation. In the present paper, the general while the Straumbotn Nappe comprises kyanite-staurolite geology and prospects in the Altermark area are presented. bearing garnet-mica schists, marbles and amphibolites. The tectonised transition from the Tjørnrasta Nappe to the over- lying Straumbotn Nappe is marked by occurrences of 1. Talc – both pure mineralogical talc and industrial talc which may strongly deformed graphitic schists, which outline the thrust contain variable amounts of magnesite, chlorite etc. zone of the ‘Straumbotn Nappe floor thrust’ (SNft). The Slet- NGU-BULL 436, 2000 - PAGE 94 TOR ARNE KARLSEN, EDVIN RIAN & ODLEIV OLESEN Fig. 1. Tectonostratigraphic map of western Helgeland and occurrences of ultramafic rocks. Scale of ultramafic rocks is exaggerat- ed by around 100 %. The investigated area is outlined. Compiled from Søvegjarto (1977), Johnsen (1983), Søvegjarto et al. (1988, 1989) and Gustavson & Gjelle (1991). tefjellet Unit, which is situated above the Straumbotn Nappe, Deformation events post-dating the peak of metamor- is interpreted to be a structural repetition of the Tjørnrasta phism are represented by D2 and D3, which created meso- to Nappe, and contains similar rock types (Karlsen 1995). macroscopic scale folds that deform the D1 structures. The The ultramafic rocks, which can be classified as so-called Slettefjellet fold, which is the dominant macroscopic struc- solitary alpine-type ultramafites (Quale & Stigh 1985), occur ture in the area, is interpreted to be an overturned, tight, F2 as lenses within the Straumbotn Nappe and are usually asso- antiform with an axial surface dipping at about 40° towards ciated with the SNft (Fig. 2). It is possible that certain revisions SE. The Slettefjellet fold changes trend when traced west- will have to be made to the standard tectonostratigraphy of ward along the Sjona gneiss dome (interpreted from Gustav- the region. son & Gjelle 1991), probably as a result of the dome geometry The structural history of the area is complex, and will be of the Precambrian window. described in detail in a separate paper; only a summary is Décollement thrusting is observed along the outermost given here. Four deformation events have been recognised, parts of the ultramafic rocks where the enveloping rocks D1, D2, D3 and D4 (Karlsen 1995). The first deformation event, have been intensively folded by F2/F3 and slid along the bor- D1, created the well-developed metamorphic foliation, S1, der of the ultramafites. which is the dominant micro-/mesoscopic structure, and Geothermobarometric investigations have indicated that defined by mica, hornblende, kyanite, staurolite, graphite, all the rocks of the Rödingsfjället Nappe Complex in the epidote and elongated aggregates of quartz and feldspars. investigated area were metamorphosed at amphibolite D1 also created microscopic to macroscopic F1 folds, which facies at high-pressure conditions during D1 (Karlsen 1995). are moderately inclined, and weakly plunging isoclinal folds with a strongly developed penetrative axial plane cleavage Compositional zoning of the (S1). Most of the F1 fold axes parallel the main E-plunging, L1 ultramafic lenses stretching lineation. L1a is a micro-/mesoscopic stretching lineation defined by strongly elongated aggregates of quartz The ultramafic lenses are actually parts of composite mafic/ and/or feldspars and by a parallel orientation of the minerals ultramafic lenses, although the mafic parts, now represented kyanite, staurolite and hornblende. The L1a lineation gener- by amphibolite, are not always easy to recognise. The ultra- ally plunges at about 0-30° towards E or ESE. L1b is a meso-/ mafic parts of the lenses are mineralogically zoned, and three macroscopic stretching lineation defined by the longest axes major zones occur (Fig. 3): (1) Serpentinitic core, (2) Talc-car- of meso- and macroscale boudins of serpentinites and locally bonate zone, (3) Monomineralic rocks in the rim. The serpen- amphibolites plunging at around 20-30° towards E. All of the tinite consists predominantly of interpenetrating textured interpreted nappe boundaries within the Rödingsfjället antigorite and 5-20 % magnetite. Especially ferrite-chromite, Nappe Complex are interpreted to be of early D1 age. but locally also relics of olivine and clinopyroxene, are TOR ARNE KARLSEN, EDVIN RIAN & ODLEIV OLESEN NGU-BULL 436, 2000 - PAGE 95 Fig. 2. Simplified geological map of the investigated area with names of the ultramafic lenses and localities of cross-sections. Abbrevations: A = Anna- bergan ultramafite, SE = Store Esjeklumpen, LE = Lille Esjeklumpen, R = Remlia. N = Nakkan (situated about 150 m below surface). Nappes: Tj.Na = Tjørn- rasta Nappe, Tj.Na2 = Tjørnrasta Nappe inverted, Str.Na = Straumbotn Nappe. Cross-sections are shown in Figs. 4 & 6. present in subordinate amounts. Some of the ultramafic chemically zoned breunnerite, while dolomite may be cores carry lenses of primary clinopyroxenite, dunite, chrom- present locally in subordinate amounts. A more detailed itite and also rodingite. The rodingite, which probably repre- description of this rock, which is the primary ore, is given sent metasomatised mafic rocks, has been described only below. The monomineralic rocks in the rim consist of talc once previously