MineGuessr – Tellnes, Norway: Ilmenite Open-Pit Mine in the Rogaland Anorthosite Province

MineGuessr Advent Calendar 2025 – Door 23

Tellnes is one of the mines featured in our 2025 MineGuessr mining advent calendar. Each December day, we reveal a new mining satellite timelapse and invite you to guess the mine from satellite imagery of mines across the Nordics and Europe.

On this page, we provide a concise, professional overview of Tellnes – its location, geology, operational history and role in the raw materials value chain. The satellite timelapse reveals how an ilmenite-rich norite body in southern Norway has been turned into one of Europe’s largest titanium deposits, supporting raw materials education around TiO₂ pigments and industrial minerals.

Aerial view of the Tellnes open-pit ilmenite mine in Sokndal, Rogaland, showing the elongated pit, waste rock piles and processing plant

Overview & location

Tellnes is a world-class ilmenite open-pit mine located in Sokndal municipality, Rogaland county, in south-western Norway. The mine sits a few kilometres north-east of the Jøssingfjord, in the heart of the Rogaland Anorthosite Province, and is operated by Titania A/S.

From a MineGuessr perspective, Tellnes is interesting because:

It is one of the largest titanium deposits in Europe and is often described as a world-class ilmenite deposit.
The orebody is hosted in an ilmenite-rich norite lens intruding a massive anorthosite pluton – a classic magmatic Fe–Ti oxide system.
The open pit, waste rock piles and tailings facilities create a distinctive footprint in satellite imagery against the coastal Norwegian landscape.

Where in the world is Tellnes?

Country & region: Sokndal, Rogaland, south-western Norway, near the North Sea coast.
Geological setting: Within the Åna-Sira massif anorthosite, part of the Proterozoic Rogaland Anorthosite Province.
Mine layout: A single, elongated open pit developed along the ilmenite-norite lens, with waste rock dumps and processing facilities in the surrounding valleys.
Operator: Titania A/S, supplying ilmenite concentrate primarily for TiO₂ pigment production.

Geology & deposit type

Tellnes is a benchmark example of a magmatic Fe–Ti oxide deposit hosted in anorthosite.

Key geological features:

The orebody is an ilmenite-rich norite that intrudes the central part of the Åna-Sira anorthosite pluton.
The lens-shaped body is approximately 2.5–2.7 km long, 400 m wide and up to 350 m thick, dipping moderately to steeply.
Average ore grades are just over 18% TiO₂, with ilmenite (hemo-ilmenite) as the main ore mineral and magnetite as a common accessory.
The deposit formed as part of a large Proterozoic intrusive complex where Fe–Ti-rich magma segregated and crystallised as ilmenite-norite within the anorthosite host.
By-product concentrates of magnetite and Ni–Cu sulphides can also be recovered from parts of the orebody.

For MineGuessr, Tellnes represents the titanium end of the calendar: the value is in ilmenite for TiO₂ pigment, not in base or precious metals.

What the mining satellite timelapse shows

The mining satellite timelapse for Tellnes (1984–2022) captures almost four decades of open-pit development in a narrow valley cut into the Rogaland anorthosite.

1960s–1980s – early open pit in anorthosite

The Tellnes orebody was discovered in the 1950s during an aeromagnetic survey and production started in 1960.
By the early 1980s, an open pit had already been established along the ilmenite-norite lens, with waste rock dumps growing on the valley sides.

On the timelapse:

You see an elongated pit etched into pale anorthosite, contrasting with darker forested hills.
Initial waste rock piles appear downslope from the pit, forming angular benches.

1990s–2000s – deepening pit & growing waste rock volumes

Annual production reaches around 2 Mt of ore and 1.6 Mt of waste rock, yielding roughly 0.55–0.58 Mt of ilmenite concentrate per year.
Tellnes consolidates its position as one of the largest hard-rock ilmenite producers in the world.

In satellite imagery:

The pit becomes deeper and longer along strike, following the ore lens.
Large waste rock dumps expand down-valley, with lighter anorthosite and darker Fe–Ti-rich material visible as textural differences.
Mill and processing facilities are more clearly defined, with roads and infrastructure tying the pit to the plant and product storage.

2010s–2020s – mature open pit & by-product reuse

The open pit operates as a mature, steady-state operation, with continuing pushbacks and deepening along the orebody.
Ilmenite concentrate continues to feed the TiO₂ pigment value chain, while anorthosite waste rock increasingly finds use as construction aggregate and rock armour.

On the most recent frames:

The pit reaches its modern dimensions, with a clear bench structure and a long, narrow footprint.
Waste dumps appear as large, terraced landforms; some are partly reworked or reshaped as material is re-used off site.
The overall footprint is clearly industrial but still relatively compact compared to many bulk commodity operations in the MineGuessr series.

Mining method & processing – how the ore moves

Tellnes is a truck-and-shovel open-pit operation in competent igneous rock:

Open-pit mining: Drill-and-blast benches in ilmenite-norite and adjacent anorthosite, followed by loading with rope shovels and excavators into haul trucks.
Processing:
- Primary and secondary crushing of ore.
- Grinding to liberate ilmenite from silicates and anorthosite.
- Magnetic separation and further beneficiation steps to produce an ilmenite concentrate with ~44–45% TiO₂.
Products & logistics:
- Ilmenite concentrate shipped to TiO₂ pigment plants, including major consumers such as KRONOS.
- Anorthosite waste rock reprocessed as construction aggregate and rock armour by partners working with Titania A/S.

Role in the raw materials value chain & energy transition

Tellnes is a critical part of the titanium dioxide (TiO₂) pigment value chain:

Ilmenite from Tellnes is a feedstock for TiO₂ pigments used in paints, coatings, plastics, paper and inks.
These pigments provide UV protection, whiteness and opacity, which are relevant for durable infrastructure, packaging and even some energy technologies.

In an energy transition context:

TiO₂-based coatings contribute to the durability and performance of wind turbines, solar infrastructure and grid assets by protecting steel and composite structures from corrosion and UV degradation.
Tellnes exemplifies a long-lived single-commodity mine where discussions about decarbonising haulage, managing mine wastes and re-using by-products are increasingly important.

From a European viewpoint, the mine helps illustrate how industrial minerals and pigment feedstocks fit into broader conversations about strategic raw materials, even if titanium is not always framed in the same way as battery metals.

What to look for in the MineGuessr timelapse

As a MineGuessr player, see if you can spot:

The elongated open pit cutting through pale anorthosite, with a clear bench structure along the ore lens.
The progressive growth of waste rock dumps in the valley – terraced landforms with variations in tone depending on rock type.
The relatively compact, linear footprint compared to rounder or multi-pit operations elsewhere in the calendar.
How the mine sits within a rugged coastal landscape close to fjords and the North Sea.

MineGuessr perspective – why this mine was included

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

Is a world-class ilmenite deposit and one of Europe’s most important titanium mines.
Provides a clear example of a magmatic Fe–Ti oxide deposit hosted in anorthosite, complementing the porphyry, VMS and industrial mineral sites in other doors.
Has a distinctive linear open-pit footprint and waste rock architecture that MineGuessr players can learn to recognise from satellite imagery.

In our GeoGuessr-style mine guessing game, Tellnes helps spark conversations about titanium raw materials, ilmenite beneficiation, by-product reuse and the footprint of long-life industrial mineral 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 4 - Ørtfjell (Norway, iron ore)
Iron ore mine in Norway’s Dunderland Valley, evolving from large open pits to underground mining.
👉 Open Door 4 - Ørtfjell
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 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 long-life open pits and critical raw-material value chains like Tellnes: magmatic Fe–Ti oxide deposits, bulk mining operations, mine planning and haulage strategies, and projects where industrial mineral markets, ESG performance and permitting all intersect.

Stress-test your life-of-mine plan and pushback strategy for ilmenite, iron-titanium or other hard-rock industrial mineral deposits
Evaluate options for waste rock, tailings and by-product reuse to reduce footprint and support circular material flows
Benchmark your ESG profile and technical performance against Nordic and European peers in the titanium and industrial minerals space

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