Mineral Resources In Iceland

Iceland is known as “the land of fire and ice”. Those who come to know this country intimately, however, can see that even the island’s inhabitants are full of fire. They are hearty, honest, and proud of their ancestors. This book is dedicated to the Icelandic men and women involved in prospecting and mining of Icelandic coal deposits during the First and Second World Wars. Their effort helped the nation survive cruel periods of war and commercial blockades. The book is the first to provide a self-contained overview of the history of coal mining in Iceland, including extensive introductory chapters on the geology of the island and the origin of coal-bearing formations. The histories of exploratory works, mining methods, and mining companies also find their place in the book. The focal point, however, lies in the description of individual coal mines, ranging from the largest systems of adits and galleries of commercial origin to small pits utilized by local farmers. Besides its historical-economic aspect, the book will be of great significance for the support of geoheritage and the promotion and protection of inanimate nature. It will appeal to a wide range of readers, such as historians, anthropologists, geologists, paleontologists, climatologists, and the general public interested in the history and nature of this beautiful Nordic country.

Mineral resources, vital for any society, have historically driven exploration in Iceland through three key phases. Early Icelandic settlers to America and Australia got hooked on gold exploration at the onset of the nineteenth century, and brought this knowledge back when they returned home. In the 1970s, Yugoslav geologist Slobodan Janković led a comprehensive exploration for economic resources, especially metals around large intrusions. The 1990s marked the third phase, linking geothermal systems to gold and metal deposition, exemplified by metal-rich scales in the Reykjanes peninsula. This book covers historical accounts, newspaper stories, and scientific results. The first chapters explore ore deposits in old volcanic centres, silicic bodies and young volcanic systems. The second section covers story-cases about gold, silver and other metals, and also includes a chapter focused on the Faeroe Islands, the nearby archipelago with a similar geology to Iceland.

The last few years have seen a lot of activity within the Nordic mining industry. New mines have opened, but there have also been cases of bankruptcies. Heightened activity has in turn led to discussions on the role of legislation and taxation in ensuring that mining contributes to sustainable development. At the same time, a number of voluntary sustainability initiatives have appeared. For historic reasons, the Nordic countries share a lot of similarities with regards to legislation. And not least with regards to environmental laws, the EU has contributed to further harmonisation, even among the non-member states Iceland and Norway. Yet important differences exist. Legal revisions are sometimes the result of much-publicised problems, so experiences in each country plays an important role. An overview of taxation also indicates both similarities and differences.

Innovation-Based Development of the Mineral Resources Sector: Challenges and Prospects contains the contributions presented at the XI Russian-German Raw Materials Conference (Potsdam, Germany, 7-8 November 2018). The Russian-German Raw Materials Conference is held within the framework of the “Permanent Russian-German Forum on the Issues of the Use of Raw Materials”, which has as goals to develop new approaches to effectively use energy, mineral and renewable natural resources and to initiate cooperation in the field of sustainability and environmental protection. The contributions cover current trends in the development of raw materials markets and the world economy, the state of the environment and new technologies applied in the sector, effectively responding to modern challenges. The 63 accepted papers are grouped into four main sections: • Mineral exploration and mining • Mining services • Processing of raw materials • Other Innovation-Based Development of the Mineral Resources Sector: Challenges and Prospects will be of interest to academics and researchers involved in the mineral resources sector, but also to professionals in the public, foreign trade and education fields, and representatives of major corporations and professional associations.