Linnajavri
Mineral resources
The soapstone bodies
The volume of soapstone derived from serpentinised dunite and peridotite in the Linnajavri area is uncommonly large. Around twenty soapstone bodies contain more than one million tons each. In total the reserves in these bodies have been estimated to approximately 100 million tons. It is a geological potential for large additional resources in the area, especially in the south, most likely 3-5 times the number of estimated reserves.
The deposits are mostly part of ultramafic bodies making a significant reserve. An overview of the deposits in the Linnajavri area with stimated reserves of soapstone in the different bodies is given below.
| The Northern area (9) | Mill. tons | Comments | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Boarta, lens 2 | 0,25 | Talc rich with a thin serpentine cap on top | ||
| 2: Klebervann | 1,7 | 100 % altered to soapstone | ||
| 3: Njaskavarri 985 | 0,5 | The western extremity of a layered ultramafic lens. | ||
| 4: Kvitfjell, NV | 2,9 | Serpentinite inclusions in soapstone | ||
| 5: Kvitfjell, SØ | 1,0 | Serpentinite inclusions in soapstone | ||
| 6: Čohkul | 6,0 | Large flatlying, disc formed lens, basically underground resources estimated. | ||
| 7: Kleberlia (Diagonalgangen) | 1,33 | Part of ultramafic lens | ||
| 8: Helikoptergangen | 0,38 | Intersecting altered breccia zone | ||
| 9: Grensegangen | 1,5 | Intersecting altered breccia zone | ||
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| The Southern area (14): | ||||
| 10: Kleberflåget | 50 | Very large. Thin serpentinite cap on top ridge | ||
| 11: Vakkerdalen | 3,0 | Soapstone enveloping serpentinite | ||
| 12: Hatten | 2,0 | Soapstone enveloping serpentinite | ||
| 13: Klebergryta nedre | 2,5 | Soapstone enveloping serpentinite | ||
| 14: Klebergryta øvre | 8,0 | Complex alteration pattern | ||
| 15: Nåva | 1,0 | Talc rich soapstone, mostly underground. | ||
| 16: Kleberbotn | 0,2 | 100 % altered to soapstone, two distinct soapstone varieties | ||
| 17: Kleberbreen | 7,0 | Intersecting altered breccia zone | ||
| 18: Ridoalggicohkka 1248 | 10,0 | Large. 100 % altered to soapstone, including "Raskleberen" and "nestenkleberen". | ||
| 19: Ridoalggicohkka 1192 V | 1,5 | Western part of ultramafic lens | ||
| 20: Ridoalggicohkka 1192 Ø | 2,5 | Eastern part of ultramafic lens | ||
| 21: Langkleberen | 7,0 | 100 % altered to soapstone, 1.2 km long body of soapstone | ||
| 22: Langkleberdalen | 2,5 | Enveloping and connecting two ultramafic lenses | ||
| 23: Bananvann S | 4,0 | Complex alteration pattern | ||
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In summary it can be stated:
The soapstone contains approximately 50 % talc, and can be exploited as dimension stone and possibly also as source for talc flotation. Additional mineralogical characterization of the soapstone and flotation tests is necessary to test the material for flotation.
The following deposits are totally or near totally altered to soapstone: Boarta (lens 2), Klebervann, Kleberflåget, Nåva, Kleberbotn, Ridoalggicohkka 1248 and Langkleberen.
Deposits suited for dimension stone or small-scale mining for talc based on size and quality are: Boarta (lens 2), Njaskasvarri 985, Helikoptergangen and Kleberbotn.
Deposits suited mainly or exclusively for underground mining and talc floatation are: Čohkul, Vakkerdalen, Hatten and Nåva.
The estimation of the reserves is based on the detailed geology of each body of ultramafics with pattern of soapstone alteration, structure of wall rocks of the ultramafics and geology of the area. The reserves are estimated down to only around 50 meters.
The most significant additional geological resources are located in the Southern area in the Ridoalggicohkka synform where a series of ultramafic lenses occur semi-continuously after each in the stratigraphically lover part of the synform. The deposits here are by far the largest ones outcropping in the Linnajavri area, and their continuation at depth in the shallow and in a broad scale regular synform is considered to be quite substantial, especially in the northern limb
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A principal sketch of a vertical section of the Ridoalggicohkka syn-form indicating the ultramafic lenses with their soapstone deposits as boudinaged lenses through the whole of the shallow open syncline. A weaker boudinaging will give a more continuous large ultramafic sheet, whereas stronger boudinaging forces than indicated here will tend to give an increased number of smaller, well-rounded lenses. The ultramafic lenses have their longer axis parallel to the axis of the Ridoalggicohkka synform perpendicular to the profile.
It is not certain that the ultramafites of the Ridoalggicohkka synform are all conglomerate hosted as indicated on the profile, but is a striking fact that all the larger ultramafites in the Ridoalggicohkka synform are either conglomerate hosted or at least borders conglomerate at one side. This is contrary to the Linnajavri northern area where conglomerates are virtually absent. |
The largest soapstone deposit in the Linnajavri area is the Kleberflåget deposit. The reserve is estimated to 50 mill. tons topographically excellent for open pit mining. The deposit continues into Sweden with an additional reserve of up to 20 mill. tons, as far as it is mapped into Sweden, with a potential for additional reserves further east. The continuation of the Kleberflåget deposit into Sweden could together with the previously mapped deposits at Vietjervaratj (Stigh 1982) be the largest deposits in Sweden.
The priority of investigation of the quality and potential product quality for the soapstone is given to the Northern area. The soapstone deposits in the Southern area is so far only sampled. It is expected to be differences in the quality of the deposits within both the Northern and Southern area, as well as the two areas as a whole. In addition the fact is that some of the deposits in the Northern area tectonically are part of the deposits of the Southern area.
Discovery and recognition of deposits
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Exploitation in the Linnajavrí area