It’s not exactly a gold rush, but results of some test drilling in mountainous areas of northern Norway could let some modern-day prosectors yell what their forerunners did in California 163 years ago: “There’s gold in them there hills!”
There’s also platinum and cobalt, copper and nickel, according to the results of the tests carried out by Nordic Mining, which drilled in the mountains over the Reinfjord, along the border of Troms and Finnmark counties.
“This is a very good discovery and we have great expectations for the further analyses now being conducted by our experts in Finland,” Mona Schanche, a geologist and research leader for Nordic Mining, told newspaper Aftenposten.
Signs of the precious metals come from an area around 600 meters over sea level. Schanche said profitable mining operations have begun in areas of Canada and Finland “with less gold content that this. In addition there are good possibilities for platinum, palladium and copper.”
Local Mayor Jan Helge Jensen is already hoping for a profitable mining operation that will create new jobs in the area, activity and tax revenues. It’s the latest good news for northern Norway, which is also eyeing a boom in land bases for offshore oil and gas activity, increased tourism and more mining operations elsewhere.
Views and News staff
