|
|
Article: Aitik plans for the 21st century. (Boliden Mineral AB's Aitik copper mine)
- Article from:
- Mining Magazine
- Article date:
- July 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Mining Journal Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Boliden Mineral's Aitik copper mine ('Sweden's largest gold mine') lies 60 km north of the Arctic circle and 20 km east of Gallivare. Aitik is one of the lowest grade and most northerly copper mines in the world, and one of Europe's largest open pits. Its ore is found in a shear zone which can be followed from Kiruna to Lake Ladoga in Russia. The low grade copper mineralisation occurs as disseminated and thin veinlets of chalcopyrite within westerly dipping, supracrustal and metamorphosed rocks. Discovered in the 1930s, it has been in production since 1968 (MM, November 1980, pp.402-412). The detailed exploration of the orebody was carried out by diamond drilling in ...