That was the message from NGU scientist Eduardo Teixeira Mansur during his presentation at the Fennoscandian Exploration and Mining Conference (FEM) in Finland. FEM is the largest gathering place for the mineral industry in the Nordic region.
This translation was created with the help of artificial intelligence. The content has been quality-assured by NGU's staff.
"I showcased the occurrences of nickel, copper, and platinum group elements in Norway, focusing on the mineral potential in various areas. The idea was to use existing data and new results to compare Norway with Scandinavia and other deposits around the world. Norway shares many geological similarities with provinces in neighboring countries like Finland, where significant deposits are found. So, it’s possible that similar deposits also exist on the Norwegian side," says Mansur.
New Collaboration Opportunities in the Nordics
NGU’s Director of Resources and Environment, Henrik Schiellerup, shared the stage with his counterparts from the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK).
They discussed how NGU relates to the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), even though CRMA has not been incorporated into Norwegian legislation.
"The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries has, through allocation and assignment letters, given NGU the same directives for mapping critical raw materials as geological surveys in EU countries like Sweden and Finland have through CRMA. We compared ideas and wording around national mapping plans and discussed existing collaborations and new opportunities related to the Nordic potential for critical and essential raw materials," says Schiellerup.
Predictive Maps Using Machine Learning
NGU scientists Marco Brönner and Claudia Haase, together with geophysicists from GTK and the DroneSOM project, held a two-day pre-conference course in connection with FEM.
"The theme of the course was geophysics in targeted mineral exploration. NGU’s contribution was a three-hour session on ground-penetrating radar in mineral exploration, integration of multiple geophysical, geochemical, and geological datasets to create predictive maps using machine learning, and the importance of the physical properties of rocks and minerals (petrophysics) in the exploration process. The presentations were based on both completed and ongoing research projects at NGU," explain Brönner and Haase.
Packed Venue
FEM is held every other year in Levi, northern Finland, and is one of the most important meeting places for mineral resource geologists and industry in the Nordics.
It is organized by a Nordic committee, where NGU scientistIain Henderson is the Norwegian representative.
"FEM 2025 was packed with 1,200 participants. We had two and a half days of top-class presentations, panel debates, and around 130 booths from industry and geological surveys. We’re looking forward to the next event in 2027," says Henderson.
