Scandium projects

Scandium-rich pegmatitic feldspars

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Overview

The pegmatites in the Tørdal and Evje-Iveland regions contain abnormally high concentrations of scandium with multiple bodies reaching above >1000ppm. Mineral Holding AS have acquired the previously prepared reports over the regions, and will further investigate if the small but high-grade bodies can be of economical interest. The main idea is a small-scale mine and up-concentrating facility before direct transport for further processing and refinement elsewhere. Even though scandium is a small market, the element has a large importance in defense applications as when mixed with aluminum it makes a strong lightweight alloy for drones and planes.

Highlights

General

Forecasted growth of 14.53% CAGR for scandium between 2026-2031.
Large importance for the European Union for defense applications as China dominates the scandium market.

Tørdal

Previous reports identified multiple bodies of pegmatites containing more than >1000 ppm scandium per ton through field XRF-analysis.
Though bodies are small and ranging only from thousand to ten thousands of tons, the area is estimated to contain several tones of scandium in total.
Rare Gadolinite-(Y) and other crystals located in the pegmatites, carrying interesting amount of REE.

Evje-Iveland

The Evje-Iveland pegmatites was considered the most Sc-enriched pegmatites worldwide.
Rare Thortveitite crystals present in the pegmatites.

Geological Setting

The pegmatite fields of Tørdal and Evje–Iveland are classified as rare-element granitic pegmatites, locally enriched in high-field-strength and other incompatible elements. Both districts are situated within the Mesoproterozoic Sveconorwegian Province of southern Norway and are hosted by high-grade metamorphic basement rocks, including gneisses and amphibolites. The pegmatites are interpreted to have formed during the late to post-orogenic stages of the Sveconorwegian orogeny, approximately 1.15–0.9 billion years ago, as a result of crustal melting and emplacement of highly evolved granitic magmas.

Location and infrastructure

Tørdal is situated in Drangedal Municipality of Telemark County in eastern Norway. The pegmatites are located in a forested area next to a farm with good infrastructure access.

The Evje-Iveland pegmatite district in southern Norway is famous for its several quarries and mines. Alike Tørdal it has good access to infrastructure and contains several minerals of possible interest.

Mineralogy and Metallurgy

The pegmatites of Tørdal and Evje are rare-element granitic systems which are characterized by various of different minerals including quartz, feldspar and mica. The accessory and ore minerals depend on the type, but can include zircon, euxenite, monazite, samarskite and columbite, with the primary types of interest carrying enriched amounts of scandium and REE. The metallurgy characteristics will vary based on types and complexity, and therefore depend on mineral liberation size, alteration state and specific mineral hosts. Detailed tests will be essential to determine economic viability and optimal processing routes.

Conducted and future work

The abnormal high scandium grades have been independently verified by different actors, however it remains to see if the area has suitable tonnage for eventual production. Therefore Mineral Holding will continue to surface sample the region, investigate the possibilities in depth, and gather a general understanding of the system.

Though previous reports predict Tørdal might be too small to have economic potential on scandium alone, it might thrive if mined along for quartz, feldspar and/or mica in the future.