Place:Helgustadir mine
Helgustadir mine (Icelandic: Helgustaðanáma [ˈhɛlkʏˌstaːðaˌnauːma]) is a mine in the east of Iceland where Iceland spar (a form of transparent calcite) was mined from the mid-17th century to the 20th century.[1] It is the source of the largest and clearest known Iceland spar specimen and the source of most museum specimens of Iceland spar.[2]
It was declared a nature reserve in 1975.[2]
About
Location
The mine is located near Eskifjörður, east of Iceland.[3] Helgustadir mine consists of two mines, known as the upper and lower mine.[3]
Uses
Crystals from this area are known for exceptional clarity,[3] leading to the mineral being named "Iceland spar".[3]
Iceland spar from Helgustadir mine was used in optical devices used in physics, chemistry, and geology,[3] most importantly Nicol prisms.
Nature reserve
The nature reserve is 0.9 hectares.[3] Since 2010, it has been on the Environment Agency of Iceland's red list of areas that are likely to lose their protection status.[3]
Theft of crystals
Being a nature reserve, tampering with the rock formations and removing crystals is forbidden.[2][3] Despite that, visitors often take samples with them, causing a disruption of the area.[3] The problem has gotten worse as tourism has increased,[3] with some visitors filling their backpacks with samples.[4][5]
References
- ↑ Russell 2008.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Helgustaðanáma" (in is). https://ust.is/nattura/natturuverndarsvaedi/fridlyst-svaedi/austurland/helgustadanama/.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 "Helgustaðanáma – Stjórnunar- og verndararáætlun 2017–2026". Environment Agency of Iceland. 2017. https://www.ust.is/library/Skrar/Einstaklingar/Nattura/Verndaraaetlanir/i-vinnslu/Helgusta%C3%B0an%C3%A1ma_stjogverndar%C3%A1%C3%A6tlun%202017_dr%C3%B6g%20til%20kynningar.pdf.
- ↑ runarsr (2017-03-19). "Kristallar hverfa enn úr Helgustaðanámu" (in en). https://www.ruv.is/frett/kristallar-hverfa-enn-ur-helgustadanamu.
- ↑ runarsr (2017-06-13). "Landvörður reynir að stöðva silfurbergsþjófnað" (in en). https://www.ruv.is/frett/landvordur-reynir-ad-stodva-silfurbergsthjofnad.
Further reading
- Russell, Daniel (2008). "Helgustadir Iceland Spar Mine". https://www.mindat.org/article.php/190/Helgustadir+Iceland+Spar+Mine.
[ ⚑ ] 65°02′01″N 13°51′09″W / 65.0336°N 13.8526°W
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