Name of the Mine
Zinkgruvan mine.

Location  
South-central Sweden, about 250 km south-west of Stockholm and some 15 km from the town of Askersund.

Mine Owner/s  
The Zinkgruvan mine is owned and operated by Zinkgruvan Mining AB (ZMAB) a 100% subsidiary of Canadian mining company Lundin Mining Corporation. 

In December 2024, the company announced the sale of Zinkgruvan to Swedish multinational metals, mining, and smelting company Boliden AB, with the transaction expected to close in mid-2025.. 

Brief Description  
Zinkgruvan is an underground mining operation. ZMAB holds three mining concessions – Zinkgruvan, Klara and Marketop.

ZMAB also holds five exploration concessions, which surround the Zinkgruvan property and comprise the Dalby Hytta No 1 exploration concession, the Flaxen No 1 exploration soncession, the Hjortonmossen No 1 exploration concession, the Orkaren No 2 exploration concession and the Hövdingamon No 2 exploration concession.

Brief History  
The Zinkgruvan mine has been in continuous production since 1857.

Lundin Mining acquired the mine from Rio Tinto in 2004.

Primary Metals/Minerals  
Zinc.

Secondary Metals/Minerals  
Lead, silver and copper.

Geology/Mineralisation  
The Zinkgruvan deposit is located in southern Bergslagen province of south-central Sweden. The deposit comprises a stratiform, massive zinc/lead deposit situated in an east-west-striking synclinal structure within the lower Proterozoic Svecofennian supracrustal sequence. 

The deposit exhibits distinctive stratification and extends for more than 5 000 m along strike and to depths of 1 600 m. The Zinkgruvan orebodies, which range in thickness from 3 m to 40 m, are dominated by sphalerite and galena and are generally massive, well banded and stratiform. In the central part of the deposit the zinc/lead mineralisation is stratigraphically underlain by a substratiform copper stockwork. The copper stockwork mineralisation occurs in the structural hanging wall of the Burkland deposit. Chalcopyrite is the main copper mineral.

Reserves  
Total proven and probable zinc and lead reserves as at December 31, 2024, were estimated 11.28-million 7.74% zinc, 3.45% lead, 76.7 g/t silver.

Total proven and probable copper reserves as at December 31, 2024, were estimated at 2.03% copper, and 33.1 g/t silver.

Resources  
Total measured and indicated resources of zinc and lead were estimated at 17.32-million grading 8.6% zinc, 3.76% lead and 81.8 g/t silver. Total inferred resources were estimated at 14.45-million tonnes grading 9.3% zinc, 4.2% lead and 100 g/t silver.

Total measured and indicated resources of copper  were estimated at 2.59-million tonnes grading 2.18% copper, 35.5 g/t silver. Total inferred resources were estimated at 1.7% copper and 30 g/t silver.

Type of Mine
Underground.

Mining Method  
The mine is highly mechanised and uses primarily a combination of longitudinal and transverse longhole panel stoping. Stopes are backfilled with paste tailings and cement or waste rock.

Major Infrastructure/Equipment  
Infrastructure includes the Zinkgruvan underground mine, a 1.6-million-tonne-a-year mineral processing plant and associated infrastructure and tailings storage facility. In addition, all ore is trucked by road to a facility leased by ZMAB and located at the inland port of Otterbäcken, on the eastern shore of Lake Vänern, where it is loaded on to sea going ships for transport to smelters. 

There is an extensive network of paved highways, rail service, telecommunications facilities, national grid electricity, and an ample supply of water. 

Prospects  
The exploration focus has shifted towards the western half of the mining area. Additionally, deeper exploration efforts are being prioritised at the Knalla mine, aimed at uncovering untapped mineral resources.

Contact Details 
Lundin Mining Corporation
Tel+1 604 689 7842
Email info@lundinmining.com
Website https://lundinmining.com/