MineGuessr – Ørtfjell, Norway: Banded Iron Formation Iron Ore Mine in the Dunderland Valley

Overview & location

From space, Ørtfjell reads as a classic Scandinavian iron ore district: a cluster of open pits, underground portals, waste rock landforms and haul roads strung along the Dunderland Valley north-east of Mo i Rana. Over time, the timelapse captures the shift from large, single open pits to a more integrated complex of underground workings, satellite pits and progressive backfilling and re-vegetation.

Today, Ørtfjell is the core producing deposit in Rana Gruber’s Dunderland Valley Iron Ore Project, a long-life operation that supplies high-grade iron ore concentrates and iron oxide products to European customers. The valley’s iron ore has been worked for more than a century and remains of international importance according to the Norwegian Geological Survey (NGU).

Where in the world is Ørtfjell?

Ørtfjell lies in Rana municipality, Nordland County, about 27 km north-east of Mo i Rana and roughly 15 km south of the Arctic Circle. The deposit sits on the eastern side of the Dunderland Valley, close to the village of Storforshei.

• Coordinates (NGU, WGS84): approx. 66.42° N, 14.68° E.
• Operator: Rana Gruber ASA, a Norwegian iron ore producer with more than 200 years of mining history in the valley.
• Logistics: Ore is processed at the Gullsmedvik plant and shipped from Rana Gruber’s own port at Mo i Rana, with rail links to the wider European steel market.

Within the Ørtfjell deposit, mining is organised into several zones. A recent technical report lists: Kvannevann UG and Eriksmalmen as underground zones, and Kvannevann East and Nordmalm as open-pit zones, with further expansion planned at Kvannevann West.

Geology & deposit type

Ørtfjell is part of the Dunderland Valley iron district, a cluster of hematite-magnetite deposits hosted in the Neoproterozoic Ørtfjell Group banded iron formation (BIF). Flooded, iron-rich sediments were deposited in a submarine basin >1 billion years ago and later folded, metamorphosed and uplifted during Caledonian tectonics.

Key geological features:

• Commodity: Iron ore (Fe), with hematite as the major ore mineral and magnetite subordinate.
• Deposit style: Banded iron formation – layered, medium-grained hematite-magnetite bands interbedded with carbonate-mica schists and marbles.
• Ore horizons: Two main horizons are recognised:
  • An upper magnetite–hematite ore with relatively low phosphorus (≈0.15–0.3% P).
  • A lower apatite-bearing magnetite ore with higher phosphorus (≈0.8–1% P).
• Grade & scale: NGU reports a crude ore grade around 34% Fe, with reserves ~388 Mt and historical production of ~78 Mt, underlining Ørtfjell’s long-term strategic importance.

For MineGuessr, Ørtfjell represents the banded-iron-formation end of the calendar – a nice contrast to porphyry copper, chromite and gold deposits featured behind other doors.

What the mining satellite timelapse shows

The mining satellite timelapse for Ørtfjell (1984–2022) compresses a half-century of iron ore development in the Dunderland Valley into a few seconds. When you know the backstory, each phase of the imagery corresponds to a distinct stage in Rana Gruber’s evolution.

1. 1980s – Ørtfjell open pits take over from Ørtvann

• Open-pit mining in the Ørtfjell area ramped up in the early 1980s, following decades of mining at Ørtvann closer to Storforshei.
• Early operations focused on large, relatively shallow pits in hematite-rich horizons, feeding the Gullsmedvik concentrator at Mo i Rana.

What you see from space:

• A single dominant open pit expanding into the valley wall.
• Initial waste rock dumps forming along the valley sides.
• Haul roads linking the pits to the rail corridor and processing plant logistics chain.

2. 1990s – deeper pits and intensive open-pit production

• Stress and slope-stability studies from this period considered plans to mine the Ørtfjell open pit to depths approaching 500 m – at the time, potentially Norway’s deepest open pit.
• Production across the Dunderland Valley increased, with annual mined tonnages in the millions of tonnes as open pits in the Ørtfjell Group BIF were pushed back.

In the timelapse:

• The Ørtfjell pit widens and deepens, with more benches visible along the highwalls.
• Waste dumps extend further down-valley, creating a clear man-made landform signature in the satellite imagery.

3. 2000s – transition underground at Kvannevann

• After more than 40 years of open-pit mining in the district, Rana Gruber began underground mining at Kvannevann in 2000 using sublevel stoping and later sublevel caving.
• According to the company’s own history, the original Ørtfjell open pits were closed, with ore increasingly sourced from the Kvannevann underground mine in the Ørtfjell area.

In the timelapse:

• The main pit footprint stabilises – lateral expansion slows.
• New surface infrastructure appears around portals, ventilation raises and waste rock stockpiles linked to underground development.
• Some former pits and land-fills begin to show signs of backfilling and re-vegetation, echoing the re-use and reclamation strategies documented by the company.

4. 2010s–2020s – satellite pits, new projects and ESG focus

• The Dunderland Valley Iron Ore Project is now structured as a group of five deposits, with Ørtfjell the only deposit currently mined via a mix of underground (Kvannevann UG, Eriksmalmen) and open-pit zones (Kvannevann East, Nordmalm).
• Additional deposits such as Stensundtjern, Finnkåteng and Nord Dunderland are being advanced as future open pits, with contractors like HJH already operating the Ørtfjell open pit and preparing to transfer to Stensundtjern as Ørtfjell winds down.
• By 2018–2019, total mined tonnage across the project was about 4.9 Mt per year, underpinned by Ørtfjell resources exceeding 400 Mt.

From a MineGuessr lens:

• The original large Ørtfjell pits remain obvious, but new, smaller satellite cuts appear nearby.
• Waste rock landforms and reclaimed areas tell a story of progressive land use and closure planning, not just continuous expansion.

Mining method & processing – how the ore moves

Today, Ørtfjell is worked through a combination of truck-shovel open pits and underground mining at Kvannevann and Eriksmalmen.

• Open-pit mining: Conventional drilling, blasting and loading on benches, with haul trucks moving ore and waste to stockpiles, dumps and backfill projects.
• Underground mining: Sublevel stoping and sublevel caving methods tailored to the folded BIF and rock mass conditions along the Ørtfjell Group horizons.
• Processing & products:
  • Crushing, grinding and magnetic separation produce hematite and magnetite concentrates.
  • Rana Gruber also produces high-purity iron oxide products (e.g. COLORANA® pigments) for technical and colouring applications.
• Logistics: Concentrates and specialty products are railed to the Gullsmedvik plant and shipped from Mo i Rana to customers in the European steel, industrial and pigment markets.

Role in the raw materials value chain and energy transition

Ørtfjell’s iron ore feeds into the wider raw materials value chain that underpins European steel production and, indirectly, the energy transition:

• Steel production: High-grade iron ore concentrates from Ørtfjell are blended into blast furnace and DRI/EAF routes, supporting everything from construction steel and pipelines to wind turbine towers, rail and automotive steels.
• Industrial applications: Magnetite products are used in water purification and other industrial processes, while hematite pigments serve specialist technical uses.

In the context of the energy transition, Ørtfjell is also a case study in decarbonising legacy iron ore operations. Rana Gruber has announced an ambition to run all of its mining operations CO₂-neutral by 2025, and has partnered with Sandvik to progressively replace its underground diesel fleet with battery-electric equipment – with Mo i Rana often cited as a testbed for low-carbon mining.

What to look for in the MineGuessr timelapse

As a MineGuessr player, you might challenge yourself to spot:

1. The shift from large, expanding open pits in the 1980s–1990s to a more stable footprint as underground mining becomes dominant.
2. The appearance of new, smaller satellite pits in the broader Ørtfjell area as additional deposits are brought online.
3. Evidence of backfilling and re-vegetation in former pits and land-fills – a visual proxy for closure and ESG actions described in public technical reports.
4. The role of rail and logistics infrastructure linking the valley to Mo i Rana and the European steel chain.

MineGuessr perspective – why this mine was included

We selected Ørtfjell for the MineGuessr mining advent calendar because it:

• Is a textbook banded iron formation iron ore deposit in an historic European mining district, contrasting nicely with copper, gold, chromite and industrial mineral mines in other doors.
• Shows a clear life-of-district evolution in the satellite timelapse – from earlier open pits to a combined open-pit/underground complex with reclamation and new satellite pits.
• Illustrates how a legacy operation can be re-tooled for a lower-carbon future through underground expansion, mine planning and electrification of the fleet.

In our GeoGuessr-style mine guessing game, Ørtfjell helps spark conversations about banded iron formation deposits, open-pit to underground transitions, and decarbonisation strategies in long-life iron ore operations.

Throughout December, keep opening a new door every day and explore all 24 mines featured this year on the main MineGuessr mining advent calendar page.

• Day 1 - Aitik (Sweden, copper-gold open pit)
  A large, low-grade copper operation south of Gällivare
  👉 Open Door 1 - Aitik
• Day 2 - Björkdal (Sweden, gold)
  Gold mine near Skellefteå, combining open-pit and underground mining.
  👉 Open Door 2 - Björkdal
• Day 3 - Kemi (Finland, chrome)
  Chrome mine in northern Finland, Europe’s only chromite operation.
  👉 Open Door 3 - Kemi
• Day 5 - Trimouns (France, talc)
  World’s largest working talc quarry high in the French Pyrenees above Luzenac.
  👉 Open Door 5 - Trimouns
• Day 6 - Skouries (Greece, copper-gold porphyry)
  High-grade copper–gold porphyry project in the forests of Halkidiki, still under construction.
  👉 Open Door 6 - Skouries
• Day 7 - Las Cruces (Spain, copper)
  High-grade hydromet copper mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt north-west of Seville.
  👉 Open Door 7 - Las Cruces
• Day 8 - Assarel–Medet (Bulgaria, copper)
  Twin porphyry copper open pits in the Panagyurishte district, from Europe’s former largest open-pit copper mine at Medet to today’s modern Assarel operation.
  👉 Open Door 8 - Assarel–Medet
• Day 9 - Glomel (France, andalusite)
  World-class andalusite open-pit quarry in Brittany’s Montagnes Noires, supplying refractory minerals for Europe’s steel, foundry, cement and glass industries.
  👉 Open Door 9 - Glomel
• Day 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona (Greece, bauxite)
  Karst-type bauxite mines in the Parnassos–Ghiona mountains, a historic alumina feedstock district supplying Greece’s aluminium industry.
  👉 Open Door 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona
• Day 11 - Kittilä (Finland, gold)
  Europe’s largest primary gold mine at the Suurikuusikko orogenic gold deposit north of the Arctic Circle.
  👉 Open Door 11 - Kittilä
• Day 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex (Romania, lignite)
  Cluster of large open-pit lignite mines and mine-mouth power plants in Gorj County, now at the centre of Romania’s coal phase-out and just transition plans.
  👉 Open Door 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex
• Day 13 - Cornwall china clay (UK)
  Historic Imerys china clay pits near St Austell, where bright white kaolin benches and tips reshape “Clay Country” over decades of mining and restoration.
  👉 Open Door 13 - Cornwall china clay
• Day 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini (Greece, bentonite)
  Overlapping bentonite open pits on the volcanic island of Milos, anchoring one of Europe’s key industrial minerals districts.
  👉 Open Door 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini
• Day 15 - Skouriotissa (Cyprus, copper & hydromet)
  Ancient copper mining district in the Troodos ophiolite, now a hydrometallurgical hub processing copper, gold and battery-metal feed.
  👉 Open Door 15 - Skouriotissa
• Day 16 - Tunstead (UK, limestone & cement)
  The UK’s largest limestone quarry near Buxton, feeding an integrated lime and cement works with long-term restoration and biodiversity plans.
  👉 Open Door 16 - Tunstead
• Day 17 - Narva (Estonia, oil shale)
  Large open-pit oil shale mine in Ida-Viru County, supplying the Narva power plants and reshaping the landscape with strip mining and reclamation.
  👉 Open Door 17 - Narva
• Day 18 - Sydvaranger (Norway, iron ore)
  Arctic banded iron formation at Bjørnevatn near Kirkenes, evolving toward DR-grade magnetite for Europe’s green steel transition.
  👉 Open Door 18 - Sydvaranger
• Day 19 - Kevitsa (Finland, nickel–copper–PGE)
  Multimetal open-pit mine in Finnish Lapland, combining Ni–Cu–PGE production with trolley-assisted haulage for lower-emission mining.
  👉 Open Door 19 - Kevitsa
• Day 20 - Styrian Erzberg (Austria, iron ore)
  Terraced “pyramid” open-pit iron ore mine at Eisenerz, turning 12 Mt of rock into ~3 Mt of ore each year for Austria’s steel industry.
  👉 Open Door 20 - Styrian Erzberg
• Day 21 - Minas de Alquife (Spain, iron ore)
  Europe’s largest open-pit iron ore mine in Granada, restarting in 2020 after two decades of closure to supply high-grade ore to European steelmakers.
  👉 Open Door 21 - Minas de Alquife
• Day 22 - Siilinjärvi (Finland, phosphate)
  EU’s only operating phosphate mine in central Finland, mining an Archean carbonatite for fertiliser-grade apatite and creating distinctive pale tailings and phosphogypsum stacks.
  👉 Open Door 22 - Siilinjärvi
• Day 23 - Tellnes (Norway, ilmenite/titanium)
  World-class ilmenite open pit in the Rogaland Anorthosite Province, supplying TiO₂ pigment feedstock from one of Europe’s largest titanium deposits.
  👉 Open Door 23 - Tellnes
• Day 24 - Elatsite (Bulgaria, copper–gold porphyry)
  High-altitude porphyry copper–gold open pit in Bulgaria’s Srednogorie zone, with ore conveyed under the Balkan Mountains to a separate flotation–tailings complex.
  👉 Open Door 24 - Elatsite

---

About Gosselin Mining

At Gosselin Mining, we work with exactly the kind of operations that Ørtfjell represents: long-life iron ore deposits where value comes from banded-iron-formation geology, robust mine planning and ESG-driven transformation. If you need help to:

• Stress-test your life-of-mine plan for a BIF-hosted iron ore project,
• Optimise the balance between open-pit and underground mining, or
• Benchmark your processing performance or decarbonisation roadmap against Nordic peers,

…you’re very welcome to book a meeting with us.

Further Reading and References

1. Rana Gruber AS (online) Resources and mines. Available at https://ranagruber.no/about-us/resources-and-mines/ (Accessed on 5 December 2025)