Geological Survey of Sweden

The Geological Survey of Sweden was founded in 1858. The first verifiable documented attempt to locate iron ore deposits with magnetic methods (the compass method) in Sweden was recorded on 29 July 1668 by the prospector Jöns Persson. The first attempt but with electrical equipotential methods was recorded in 1906. In 1921, Centralgruppens Emmissons A.-B. used electromagnetic instruments for the first time in Sweden to locate iron ores. In 1959, a metal detector was first used for archeological prospection (Skedemosse site by Hagberg). GPR was first used in the country in 1976. Seismic methods were used only once, in 1992 in Birka. In 2011, the Geology Survey of Sweden proposed a national strategy for mineral exploitation of the national land. The government published it in 2013, which led to more funding for survey-oriented work, including 200 km of archived drill core to be scanned, and the resulting hyperspectral imaging data analyzed. In 2013, the SGU launched a domestic network to favour the development of geoparks in Sweden. One site of focus is the meteorite impact at the Siljan Ring (Siljansringen) in Dalarna. In February 2018, the SGU published a report that highlighted the country's new mineral extraction opportunities regarding the rapid development of consumer electronics and the growing need for rare metals (graphite, lithium, cobalt, rare earth elements (REE) and tungsten), urging the government to finance more specific survey projects. A $1.3-million budget was approved for the SGU to survey the northern Norrbotten and Västerbotten provinces. The Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet called Northern Sweden the "Mecca of Battery Metals", highlighting its rare metals potential. In November the same year, SGU agreed to help the State Geologic and Subsoil Survey of Ukraine to draft a Mineral Strategy Plan aligned with European standards. In 2019, the SGU teamed up with the Geological Survey of Iran, the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, and the Universities of Cardiff and Cape Town to chemically fingerprint the processes that led to formation of Kiruna-type iron ores, employing Fe and O isotopes (main elements in magnetite Fe3O4).