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Sweden

Garpenberg Mine

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Overview

Mine TypeUnderground
StatusActive
Commodities
  • Zinc
  • Silver
  • Lead
  • Copper
  • Gold
Mining Method
  • Sub-level stoping
  • Cut & Fill
  • Avoca
  • Longitudinal stoping
  • Longhole stoping
  • Transverse stoping
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Mine Life... Lock
SnapshotGarpenberg is the world’s most productive underground zinc mine.

In 2023, the feasibility project for land remediation and restoration of part of the southern industrial area in Garpenberg, the site of the former processing plant, was finalized. Remediation works have begun and, with consecutive covering of mine waste, will continue during 2024 and 2025.

Owners

SourceSource
CompanyInterestOwnership
Boliden AB 100 % Indirect
Boliden Mineral AB (operator) 100 % Direct
Boliden Mineral AB owns 100 % of the Garpenberg mine.

Deposit type

  • Skarn
  • VMS

Summary:

The Garpenberg supracrustal inlier is situated in the mineralized Palaeoproterozoic igneous province of Bergslagen, south central Sweden. Garpenberg is the largest sulphide deposit in the region and consists of multiple polymetallic deposits hosted within a NE-SW trending tight to isoclinal syncline which is ca. 15 km long and 7 km wide (Vivallo 1985). This syncline is compressed at the southern end and opens to the north with a subvertical axial plane (Allen et al. 2003). The deposits are, for the most part, hosted along the same stratigraphic level within the predominantly rhyolitic sequence.

Structure
The complex geometry of the ore-host limestone is due to large-scale folding, shearing, and faulting events. Folding, sub-folding, and shearing are the dominant structural controls on the geometry of limestone and adjacent strata. The resultant structures strongly influence the position, geometry, and metal grade of the ore bodies. The F2 folds have undulating fold axis which locally can grade into cone or sheath shapes due to inhomogeneous stretching strain associated with the folding (Allen et al. 1996). This is also evident on the horizontal plane where sheath folding is evident in interpreted plan views, where the hinges of such structures can be highly prospective.

The Garpenberg ore deposits vary somewhat in style depending on their origin and subsequent location within the sequence, from massive in-situ mineralization associated with the altered limestone unit found along the footwall – hanging wall contact, to tectonically remobilized ‘bands’ of ore that run sub-parallel to the dominant footwall foliation. The largest ore bodies are associated with antiform or synform structures, specifically Lappberget and Dammsjön. Even the geometry of the predominantly footwall hosted Huvudmalmen deposit is strongly influenced by parasitic folding of the overlying altered carbonate package.

Many of the Garpenberg deposits show extreme isoclinal folding and sub-folding of footwall mica quartzite and schist which can appear almost ‘interbedded’ with the more ductile overlying altered carbonate units (dolomite and skarns) on the hanging wall side. It is also likely that dip-slip faulting and / or shearing have contributed to this repetition / layering. While deposits are well constrained due to tight drilling intercepts, isoclinal folding is common and deposits often comprise of both remobilized and replacement style mineralization.

Mineralization
Mineralization in Garpenberg mainly consists of pyrite, sphalerite, galena and silver-bearing minerals. The ore bodies occur at the heavily skarn- and dolomite-altered contact zone between the limestone and underlying metavolcanic rocks, forming massive to semi-massive sulphides ore lenses. There is also significant mineralization in the footwall metavolcanic rocks (mica quartzites) that are stratigraphically underlying the marble horizon. The footwall mineralization is tectonically controlled, and forms remobilized semi-compact thin veins that are often associated to mica-rich shear zones. Mineralization is mainly of replacement style and is likely to have taken place where metal-bearing fluids penetrated up along synvolcanic, extensional faults and came in contact with reactive limestone to form large, massive sulphide bodies. The initial main stage of mineralization and alteration at all the known Garpenberg ore bodies is interpreted to be essentially syn-volcanic in timing and to pre-date regional metamorphism and deformation (Jansson & Allen 2011).

Reserves

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Mining Methods

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Comminution

Crushers and Mills

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Processing

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Production

CommodityProductUnits202320222021202020192018201720162015
Zinc Metal in concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe109101107109108
Zinc Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe205191201200196
Silver Metal in concentrate koz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe8,2498,7698,6029,7059,270
Lead Metal in concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe3635393942
Lead Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe5150555460
Copper Metal in concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe0.70.70.80.70.8
Copper Concentrate kt  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe55555
Gold Metal in concentrate oz  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe16,52217,41317,40618,66117,962

Operational metrics

Metrics202320222021202020192018201720162015
Ore tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,865 kt2,625 kt2,630 kt2,610 kt
Waste  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Total tonnes mined  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe
Tonnes milled  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe2,861 kt2,622 kt2,634 kt2,622 kt2,367 kt

Production Costs

CommodityUnits2023202220212020201920182017
C1 cash costs Zinc USD  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 0.51 / lb   0.47 / lb   0.46 / lb  

Financials

Units2023202220212020201920182017
Capital expenditures M SEK  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 573   395   377  
Revenue M SEK  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 3,712   3,700   4,019  
Operating Income M SEK  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe  ....  Subscribe 2,079   2,225   2,606  

Heavy Mobile Equipment

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EV - Electric
AV - Autonomous

Personnel

Mine Management

Job TitleNameProfileRef. Date
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 10, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 10, 2024
....................... Subscription required ....................... Subscription required Subscription required Jun 10, 2024

EmployeesYear
...... Subscription required 2023
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Aerial view:

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