Pyrite

specimen number:
8911007

location:
Kemi Mine, Keminmaa, Lapland, Finland

description:
Neat locality example with bright lustrous cubic crystals of pyrite measuring to 2.5 cm on edge embedded on matrix. In good condition.

Located in Keminmaa within the Lapland region of Finland, the Kemi Mine exploits a massive, nearly vertical Paleoproterozoic layered intrusion that formed roughly 2.4 billion years ago. The deposit consists primarily of chromite-rich lenses hosted within altered ultramafic rocks such as serpentinites and talc-carbonate rocks. The presence of ore was initially brought to light in 1959 when an amateur diver discovered a mineralized erratic block, which subsequently led to formal prospecting and exploration by the Geological Survey of Finland. Open pit operations commenced in 1968 under the management of Outokumpu, later transitioning fully to a high-capacity underground mining operation that stands today as the only active chromium mine in the European Union.

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