Minerals from Norway

Norway has a long history of mining, although it’s perhaps better known today for its oil and gas than its minerals.

That said, Norway does produce a range of mineral resources. These include iron ore, titanium, nickel, olivine, and a number of industrial minerals. It also has significant deposits of rare earth elements and graphite, which have seen increasing interest in recent years due to global supply concerns.

For collectors, Norway is perhaps best known for its Pegmatites. These have produced some fine specimens of feldspar, beryl (including aquamarine), tourmaline, and garnet. The Evje-Iveland area, in particular, is well known for this kind of material.

Quartz is found widely across the country, often in large and aesthetic crystals. I’ve also seen some quite good examples of Rutile and Anatase from Norway, often as micromount specimens.

Thulite, a pink variety of zoisite, is sometimes seen for sale and is Norway’s national stone. While it’s not typically of high specimen interest, it can be cut and polished for ornamental use.

Older specimens from Norway may be labelled as “Norway, Scandinavia” or even just “Scandinavia”, depending on the source and era of collection.

For other specimens from Norway, including fossils, see the links below

Norway