Scolecite

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Neat locality example for the species, prismatic crystals of scolecite across the top of matrix with chabazite. This is in good condition. The Leveaniemi mine, located near Svappavaara in the Kiruna municipality of Norrbotten County, Sweden, is a major open-pit iron ore operation situated within the northern Fennoscandian Shield. Geologically, the deposit is classified as an iron oxide-apatite (IOA) or Kiruna-type deposit, characterized by massive bodies of magnetite ore hosted within a sequence of Paleoproterozoic volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The mineralization is characterized by intergrown magnetite and apatite, which formed through complex magmatic-hydrothermal processes during regional tectonic deformation. Commercial mining at the site began in 1964 under the management of the state-owned mining company LKAB to supply iron ore pellets to global markets. Initial open-pit extraction continued until 1983, when falling market prices and economic downturns led to a temporary suspension of operations and subsequent flooding of the pit. Following structural re-evaluations and rising global iron ore demand, LKAB successfully pumped out the water and restarted full-scale commercial mining production at Leveaniemi in 2015, with large-scale extraction continuing as a primary open-pit asset into the twenty-first century.