Paper Number: 1906 Metallogeny of Arctic Norway Sandstad, J.S.1, Bjerkgård, T.1, Ihlen, P.M.1, Henderson, I.H.C.1, Melezhik, V.A.1, Torgersen, E.1 and Viola, G.1,2 1Geological Survey of Norway, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
[email protected] 2Department of Geology and Mineral Resources, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway ___________________________________________________________________________ The Geological Survey of Norway has over the last five years carried out a mapping programme; "Mineral Resources in North Norway" (MINN). The programme is aimed at improving the basic geological information relevant to the assessment of the mineral potential in the three northernmost counties. The metallogeny of the area is discussed with emphasis on the new results from MINN. The bedrock geology of Northern Norway comprises Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic basement rocks of the Fennoscandian Shield overthrusted by Caledonian nappes in the Silurian. The nappe units comprise Archaean to Palaeozoic metasedimentary and meta-igneous rocks derived from Baltica, micro- continents outboard of Baltica, and from Laurentia. Neoarchaean (ca. 2.8 Ga) banded iron formations have been mined for over 100 years in the northeastern part of Norway, in the Bjørnevatn area, close to the Russian border. More than 200 Mt of ores grading ca. 30 % Fe (magnetic) have been mined, while the total resources are estimated to be over 500 Mt. The mines are currently under care and maintenance. The quartz-magnetite banded formations (BIF) are interpreted as exhalative sedimentary ores hosted by a basaltic sequence. Following the rifting of the Archaean craton, Palaeoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary belts were formed.