An overview of titanium deposits in Norway

Abstract

Titanium deposits in Norway are of three major types: igneous, metasomatic and metamorphic. The igneous deposits are composed of ilmenite, magnetite and apatite in various proportions and occur in geological provinces of different ages, and some have a metamorphic overprint. The other major Ti ore-type is the rutile-bearing eclogites in western Norway that formed during the Caledonian high-pressure metamorphism of predominantly Proterozoic basic igneous rocks. The third Ti ore-type is the Proterozoic rutile-bearing, scapolitised and albitised rocks in the Bamble region of South Norway. Norwegian Ti mineral resources are large. The Egersund province in southernmost Norway is by far the most significant. This province includes the Tellnes ilmenite deposit which is in operation, as well as large volumes of other low-grade ilmenite ores. The annual ilmenite production at Tellnes, ~550,000 t. ilmenite, is 6-7 % of the total mine production of Ti minerals in the world, and Tellnes alone has approximately 12 % of the world’s resources of ilmenite. Mineralogy is the overall factor influencing the economic significance of Ti deposits, defining the quality of the Ti mineral product that can be produced. Grainsize, mineral intergrowths and mineral chemistry are a reflection of the geological environment and later conditions of the ore-forming process. Due to significant variation in geological settings, Norwegian Fe-Ti deposits show a large range in mineralogical signatures.