The iron ore deposit gave rise to the city of Kiruna, and now the mining activity is the reason for the city transformation.
A model town on the mountain
In 1736, the county governor of Västerbotten, Gabriel Gyllengrip, gave Amund Amundsson Mangi, a Sami, the assignment to show him which mountain contained iron-ore deposits. The mountain Kirunavaara was now on the map for prospective mining activity, but there were obstacles in this northernmost region of Sweden.
The decision to build a railway from Luleå on the Swedish coast to Narvik on the Norwegian coast solved the transportation problem. The second problem was solved when the process called “Thomasprocessen” was established in 1879, which made it possible to produce good quality iron from the phosphor-rich iron ore that is found in Kirunavaara.
Some years later, in 1890, the mining company Luossavaara-Kirunavaara AB was founded and in 1902 the railway was finished. When the railway reached this area, the mining activity began by the mountain Kirunavaara and this lead to a growing settlement.
Read more about the history of Kiruna here.
Mining activity affects the city
In March 2004, LKAB applied for changes in the detailed plan of Kiruna C, due to the effects the expansion of their mining activity has on the ground. Changes in the detailed plan require in turn changes in the comprehensive plan of the city. A comprehensive plan sets the frame for city planning, for example where to locate residential areas and where to locate industrial estates.
The request from LKAB gave rise to the work with a new advanced comprehensive plan of Kiruna C. It is called the advanced comprehensive plan when the plan comprises only a part of the municipality, in this case, the city of Kiruna. In January 2007, the municipal council ratified the new advanced comprehensive plan.
The spreading of deformations
It comes as no surprise that the mining activity affects the ground. The residential area called Ön (The island), close to the mine, was already phased out during 1960- 1970´s and is now a part of the fenced-in industrial estate. Part of the lake Luossajärvi has been drained and the road to the LKAB industrial estate has been relocated due to deformations in the ground.
It is estimated that around 10 % of the population in Kiruna C (pop. 18 000) will be directly affected in a 30-year period because they must leave their homes. But within the deformation zone we also find a lot of important public functions.
In the first section that will be affected by deformations we have an apartment complex with approximately 150 apartments (Ullspiran), two culture buildings - Hjalmar Lundbohms home (LKAB:s first general manager), Bolag Hotel (used for representation by the LKAB), main road E10, the railway and the City hall.
See the map of the spreading of the deformation zone.
Deformations occur long before cracks appear. Just a few centimetres of subsidence can damage electricity lines and water pipes. Buildings are affected later. This was why the rebuilding of the electricity supply system and the waste-water pipes in the affected area had to be relocated at a very early stage.