Mineral Resources
Many rocks that may seem grey and ordinary can be of great economic value as sources of minerals which are essential components in a large variety of products, including metals, paper, cosmetics and plastics, fertilisers and food, glass and ceramics, and many more. NGU uses bedrock geological, geophysical and geochemical data in order to find out where there is a potential for economically useful minerals and rocks for use in the short or long term and as a basis for ensuring planned, logical management of Norway's geological resources.
In addition to construction materials, like aggregates and natural stone, Norway's mineral resources are categorized into three groups: metals, energy minerals and industrial minerals. NGU's Mineral Resources group primarily deals with metals and industrial minerals.
NGU works in partnership with both the public sector and the mineral industry in Norway, as well as with exploration companies from around the world. Both NGU's industrial mineral database and the ore database are available online (see maps and dataset).