The Løkken Mine is an underground pyrite mine located in the municipality of Orkland in Trøndelag, Norway. The mine was operative from 1654 to 1987, from the mining community Løkken Verk. It contained the largest deposits of its kind in Norway. Between 1654 and 1845, a total of 11,300 tons of copper was produced from the mine. From 1904 the mine was run by the company

Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag Orkla Mining Company Ltd. (Norwegian: Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag) was a Norwegian mining company established in 1904. The company was the largest mining company in Norway in the aftermath of World War I, and was among the world's largest pyrite produce ...

, and until 1987 a total of 24 million tons of pyrite was produced from the mine. In addition to sulphur, the pyrite contained about 2% copper, in addition to zinc and traces of silver and gold. The products were originally transported to the sea by horse and sledge during winter time. From 1908 the ore was transported by the Thamshavn Line, which was the first electrical railway line in Norway. The annual production was about 350,000 tons of ore during its final years.

1654 – 1904

Traditional mining methods, only the copper exploited.

1904 – 1987

Large-scale production. Modern methods. Electricity. Transport of ore by railway ( Thamshavn Line). Melting plant at

Thamshavn Thamshavn or Thamshamn is a small port village in the municipality of Orkland in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the site of the port for the town of Orkanger and the ferrosilicon plant Elkem Thamshavn. It is located right along European ro ...

Aftermath

Museums.

Orkla Group Orkla ASA is a Norwegian conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. At present, Orkla operates in the branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions and financial investment sectors. Orkla ASA is listed on the Os ...

References

Underground mines in Norway 1654 establishments in Norway 1987 disestablishments in Norway Buildings and structures in Trøndelag Meldal {{mining-stub