I wrote the following article a few years back, and it has been published both in Mineralien Welt and at the Kongsberg mineralsympodium. As the Landsverk 1 pegmatite is one of my absolute collecting favourites, I'd like to share this article with the Mindat community as well. The Landsverk 1 quarry is listed as mindat location: Landsverk 1



The Landsverk 1 quarry is one of the oldest pegmatite quarry in the Evje/Iveland district. It was opened late 19th century to produce quartz for the melting process at the nearby Flaat nickel mine.

Due to it’s unique geological history, Landsverk 1 is unusually rich in different minerals. More than 60 minerals have been identified from the 150 x 30 m quarry, often with relatively large crystals. Even though the quarry has been worked for mineral specimens since the 1960ties, the 2004 season indicated that the best may still come.

Location

Evje is a small community with some 5000 inhibitors located in the central part of southern Norway. Geographically Evje lies in the Setesdal valley 65 km north of Kristinsand, along the Riksvei 9. Evje may also be reached from the east or west through riksvei 42 between Arendal and Egersund.

Evje is a communication centre at the entrance of the Setesdal valley. Rich historical finds shows that it has been so since the viking era and even before. In modern times, the Flaat nickel mine has been a large contributor to the development of the society, and later also the Norwegion army had one of it’s training centres here. It is however the rich pegmatite occurances that has made this district known to the mineral collectors around Europe.

General geology

The rocks in this area are predominantly of sveco-norwegian age (1200 years old) and are of metamorphic origin. 3-400 million year later, a series of granitic plutons penetrated the methamorfic rocks. On the outskirts of theese granitic plutons, pegmatites was formed. An amphibolite body (35km long and 10-15km wide) extends southward from Evje. This amphibolite are unusually rich in pegmatites, and more than 200 of them are worked for feldspar, quartz and/or mica.

Normally, the pegmatites are microcline/quartz/mica pegmatites varying from a few meters to bodies several hundred meters long and tens of meters wide. Many of the pegmatites are rich in rare-earth minerals, such as euxenite-Y, allnite-Ce etc.

Some of the pegmatites contains a late pneumalytic/hydrothermal phase, dominated by the albite variety clevelandite. The clevelandite forms irregular masses inside the main pegmatite, and have a slightly different chemistry and mineral assemblage. Around the cleavelandite the hydrothermal solutions have created a border zone, of which the microcline variety amazonite is the most obvious mineral(Frigstad 1968).

History of the Landsverk Quarries.

The mining history of the Evje/Iveland area started in 1844 when Setesdalens Koparverk started to mine for copper in the Flaat mountain just north of the Landsverk area. This operation was however not successful, and it was not until 1872 when the ore at Flaat was worked for it’s nickel content it became a profitable mining operation.

To ease the ore melting process, quartz was added. This quartz came partly from river sands and partly from nearby pegmatites, such as the Landsverk quarries. The feldspar was of no value then, as the transportation to the European markets were to costly. It was the railway construction in 1896 that opened the door to Europe and German china industry for the feldspar.

It soon became obvious that these pegmatites where rich in REE minerals, and the area earned respect as oine of the best occurrences in Scandinavia for these minerals, and minerls like gadolinite-Y and thortveitite where mined after. Later, in the 1950-ties and 1960-ties German mineral collectors came aware of these rich pegmatites, and the local miners where soon to appreciate the value of well crystallized minerals. Names like Olaf and Arthur Landsverk and Theodor Gautestad are well known also today.

Theodor Gautestad opened the first mineral shop in here in the 1960-ties, and the minerals from Landsverk 1 was a cornerstone in his business. Particularily the dark green amazonite where highly valued, amongst other by cabochon cutters in Idar Oberstein. Theodor Gautestad’s collection is now one of the main collections in the local museum at Fennefoss.

Since then the Landsverk quarries has mainly been worked as a source for mineral specimens, where Landsverk 1 is the most interesting of them. Theodor’s son Ivar had the Landsverk 1 quarry open as a collectors quarry, where visitors could pick minerals against a small fee. This tradition has now been carried on by Reidar Kjetsaa. Based on the finds during the recent years, it seems like the Landsverk 1 quarry will supply several generations of collectors with outstanding specimens.

Geology of the Landsverk 1.

Landsverk 1 is a fairly large pegmatite compared to many other in the Evje /Iveland area. The quarry itself are currently approximately 100 m long and some 30 m wide at it’s widest, but the pegmatite seemingly extends beyond that both in length and width.

The pegmatite is formed in three different stages, each with seperate mineral assemblages. The primary phase contains the ususal feldspars, micas and quartz. In addition, several rare earth minerals and also some sulfides belong to this primary phase.

The secondary cleavelandite phase is enriched on the elements mangan, fluorine, tantal etc. creating different minerals than the primary phase. Typical minerals include cleavelandite, quartz, topaz, fluorite, tantalite, mikrolite and amazonite as a border phenomena. The cleavelandite phase in Landsverk 1 is located in the center of the quarry. The amazonite surrounding the cleavelandite are highly sought by collectors and may be difficult to find.

The Landsverk 1 pegmatite is heavily brecciated and in cavities a number of low-temperature hydrothermal minerals including zeolites, fluorite, quartz, calcite and others.

Minerals of the primary pegmatite.

Microcline

Microcline is one of the main consituens of the pegmatite, and may form solid masses with cleavage planes up to 1m across. Primary crystals are normally found at the centre of the pegamtite towards a core of pure quartz. This quartz core are exploited
and large crystals of microcline are rare to find now.

In a border zone outside the clevelandite, the amazonite variety may be found. It is believed that the formation of amazonite is the direct result of metasomatic processes related to the formation of the clevelandite phase. Several tons of strongly coloured bluish green amazonite has been worked since the 1960ties, but are now rather rare.

An interesting phenomena is that the later hydrothermal activity again has caused a color shift in the microcline. This time to brick red. Often one can find slabs of amazonite where the green color is changed to brick-red along cracks and fissures in the amazonite.

Taylor et.al. (1960) has done a study on microcline fra Landsverk 1 to try to determine causes on these color shifts. They could not find any consistant evidence that the color was caused by any trace elements, but observed that the amazonite lost it’s color when heated above 300 deg C.

Microcline has also been re-crystallized in hydrothermal crystals, and form crystals up to 5mm in cavitites in the rock.

Plagioclase


The Landsverk 1 is richer in plagioclase than the average pegmatite in the Evje/Iveland district. Plagioclase is present in all three mineral assemblages, also as crystals. The primary plagioclase is close to albite in composition (An 3,5%, Taylor et.al 1960).

The clevelandite phase consist mainly of the albite variety cleavelandite. The clevelandite at Landsverk 1 are light blue in color and form intergrown crystal sprays. Crystal terminations are rare, but but may be found. Epidote, muscovite and pyrite may frequently be found in cavities between clevelandite crystals.

Albite also form crystals in openings in the hydrothermal system. These crystals are generally small, but have a brilliant luster, and are often associated with other minerals such as fluorite, stilpnomelane, quartz and others.


Quartz



Quartz in any form are one of the most outstanding mineral from Landsverk, and is one of the main minerals of the hydrothermal systems. It is also one of the main constiuent in the primary pegmatite, but most of the crystals are believed to be of hydrothermal origin. It is obvious that there are numerous phases of hydrothermal activity, as the quartz crystals show several growth layers, as phantoms and septre crystals in different forms. Also the quartz are partly covered and partly intergrown with other minerals like chlorite, stilpnomelane, stilbite, albite and others. Besides the ordinary grey quartz crystals the following verieties has been described:

Rock crystal

Although often covered with chlorite or stilpnomelan beautiful rock crystals may be found, either as single crystals or in groups. The crystals may exceed 10 cm and be of facet quality. During 2004 a cavity yielding magnificent groups of scepter crystals covered with bronze coloured stilpnomelane with a velvet like appearance.

Smokey quartz


Is rather abundant in this pegmatite, and in 2004, smokey quartz was abundant throughout the blasted mass, and crystals up to 30 cm was found. The largest crystals were almost black ( morion) and etched on the outer surface. The interiour of the crystals may however be facet quality

Citrine


Citrine crystals are frequently found in Landsverk 1, also in the 2004 finds. These crystals were often quite dark ( smokey citrine), but the yellow colour is appearant in backlight. Over the years, a number of crystals have been found, often in large facet quality crystals.

Muscovite

Are found as large masses without crystal terminations in the primary phase. It is frequently found as small crystals in the cleavelandite phase. Often epidote or other minerals form microcrystals growing parallell to the muscovite cleavage planes.

Biotite

Biotite is abundant in the inner parts of the quarry. It occures in large sheets, often partly altered. Biotite is a good lead mineral for rare earth minerals, such as monazite and others.

Spessartine

Garnet crystals are quite rare and small in The Landsverk quarry, but may occationally be found both in the primary phase and in the cleavelandite phase.

Beryl

Beryl is reported from Landsverk 1 in earlier literature, but has not been found during the last 10 years. Beryl is an abundant mineral in many of the other pegmatites of the area.

Thortveitite
The rare scandium silicate thortveitite are reported from the Landsverk 1 quarry, and further blasting may unveil new finds of this rare scandium silicate. When found, it often occurs with ilmentite or biotite. The nearby Landsverk 3 quarry is the type locality for Thortveitite.

Zircon var. Alvite

Zircon appears quite frequently in the primary pegmatite. The zircon at Landsverk 1 has a relatively high content of rare earth minerals, and is therefore often metamict.

Allanite-Ce

Occurs in long slender crystals in the primary pegmatite. Allanite-Ce may also be found as micro crystals in muscovite mica.

Chalkopyrite
Occurs in crystals and crystalline masses up to 3 cm. Chalkopyrite is often accopanioned with secondary minerals like malachite, gypsum and covelline(?) Also during the summer of 2004, chalkopyrite crystals where found embedded in feldspar.

Galenite

Although galenite is a rare mineral in Landsverk 1, the occational finds may produce crystals and crystalline masses of several cm.

Magnetite
Magnetite is a mineral often found in the outskirts of the pegmatite. In Landsverk 1, small crystals have been found with biotite

Ilmenite

Ilmenite occurs as large platy crystals in the primary pegmatite. The crystals may be several dm wide, and only a few mm thick. Ilmenite is often a good lead mineral for rare earth minerals like euxenite, columbite and U an Th oxides.

Uraninite

During 2004 several uraninite crystals where found embedded in microcline assosiated with ilmenite. The cubic crystals where frequently altered to thorogummite(?). The crystals where normally up to 5 mm across.

Thorite var Orangite

A few bright orange and glassy crystals of orangite were found during the 2004 season. The crystals are embedded in feldspar with ilmenite, uraninite, ferrocolumbite and euxenite.

Ferrocolumbite

Well developed ferrocolumbite crystals exceeding 10 cm has been found in the primary pegmatite. During 2004, smaller crystals were found embedded in microcline with ilmenite.

Monazite-Ce
During the last years several crystals of monazite has been found embedded in feldspar. The perfectly shaped crystals sixed up to 3-4cm are found together with biotite. These crystal are perfectly shaped and are apparently growing outwards from the biotite into the mikrocline feldspar. The crystals are fresh and unaltered and have the typical brown color. Earlier documentation reports large anhedral brown crystals (Frigstad 1968), but no well developed euherdal crystals as found during the later years.

Euxenite-Y

Euxenite is the most common of the rare earth minerals and form flattened crystals. Euxenite do often have a yellowish alteration product covering the crystals. Euxenite are normally found embedded in microcline feldspar. The feldspar surronding the euxenite do often show damage due to radioactive alteration.

Fergusonite-Y

In 2002 two magnificent crystal groups of ferdusonite was wound embedded in muscovite mica. The crystals exceeded 7 cm. Fergusonite have also previously been reported s a relatively common mineral, and are found in agicular crystals with a quadratic cross section. Although the fergusonite have a shiny black luster, the crystals almost always appear with a brownish dull surface from different alteration products.

Polycrase-Y

Polycrase-Y is frequently found as shiny black crystals embedded in feldspar, together with biotite or ilmenite. The crystals resembles those of euxenite-Y, but are more prismatic in it’s shape.

Molybdenite

Molybdenite in large crystal aggregates ( 5cm+) has been found in the primary pegmatite, where it has been found embedded in microcline. Large crystal aggregates are displayed at the Fennefoss museum, but molybdenite has not been reported the last years

Bismuthinite

Bismuthinite are reported from the primary pegmatite, and Evje museum, Fennefoss have crystalline specimens close to 5 cm in size

Sphalerite

Sphalerite is a rare pegmatite mineral in this district, but Frigstad (1968, 1999) reports sphalerite from Landsverk 1. A specimen is also on display in Evje Museum, Fennefoss.

Other minerals reported from the primary phase are samarskite, betafit, yttrotitanite, rutile
Xenotime (Frigstad 1968, andersen 1931, Bjørlykke 1935)

Cleavelandite Phase minerals

The Cleavelandite phase in Landsverk 1 is one of the larger clevendadite zones in the Evje/Iveland district. Compared to the rich mineralization in the primary phase, the cleavelandite phase of Landsverk 1 is surprizingly poor in mineral species. Also Frigstad (1968) makes a point of the limited number of minerals in the cleavelandite phase, he his particulary missing garnets, fluorite and tantalite/mikrolite.

The cleavelandite in Landsverk is light blue and often very compact, almost without the typical cavities from other pegmatites. Muscovite, both green and violet are found here, often forming nice micro-specimens with pyrite and epidote in cavities. Quartz are also quite common in this phase, as greyish masses.
Frigstad (1968) also reports topaz and zircon from this phase.

Hydrothermal minerals

There are many secondary minerals described from Landsverk 1. The pegmatite is brecciated, and many minerals can be found in the brecciated zone. Common for most of the minerals is that they produce crystals and or aggregates exceeding 1 cm. Many of the hydrothermal minerals show crystal growth in several generations, and phantoms and scepters are common. Given the abundancy of rare earth minerals and sulfides along with the extensive hydrothermal activity in this area, there should be a definite potential for finding minerals not previously described from this pegmatite.

As an example, the common mineral gypsum was described here for the first time in 2004

Stilpnomelane

Stilpnomelane is a common mineral in Landsverk 1, and are formed as one of the latest minerals. It is normally found as crusts or small crystals of a bronze colour. Often Stilpnomelan covers quartz or albite crystals, and may form excellent crystal groups. Some of the best quartz/stilpnomelan groups was found during the 2004 season.

Chlorite

Chlorite is a common mineral in the hydrothermal phase. It is often intergrown with quartz crystals.

Chlorite may also appear as mm size crystalline aggregates with quartz and chabazite.

Clay minerals ( montmorillonite)

The different cavities and druses are often filled with different clay minerals, montmorillonite is mentioned in the litterature, but this is, to my knowledge, not confirmed by analysis

Stilbite

Stilbite is a relatively common hydrothermal mineral. It displayes a wide variety of different habitus’ and colours. The most common are greenish globules and sprays. Bright yellow sprays are rarer. Sometimes also transparent single crystals up to a few mm’s may be found.

Stilbite is often found directly on brick red microcline, but frequently also with quartz, stilpnomelane and calcite. Stilbite can be found in a wide variety of habits and mineral assemblages, and closer investigation may reveal new minerals in this group.

Chabasite

Chabasite has been found rather frequently during the last few years in two different paraganesis’. Greenish crystals and crystal aggregates up to 1 cm are found with stilpnomelane in cracks and cavities in the feldspar

Smaller, but bright yellow crystals appear with chlorite and quartz

Laumontite

Laumontite are documented from earlier finds, but has not been reported during the last few years.

Analcime

Analcime crystals up to 2,5 cm are known from the Landsverk quarry, latest finds reported from 2003 and 2004. Analcime crystals are reported from cracks in microcline feldspar, and are not accompanied by other minerals:

Calcite

Calcite are found as sngle crystals or crystal groups, with crystal size exceeding 7 cm. A number of different crystal shapes are described. The most abundant colour are yellowish white. Often calcite crystals are partly weathered.

Fluorite


Fluorite is a commonly occuring hydrothermal mineral, forming hydrothermal fillings in cracks in the primary pegmatite. Quite often, the primary pale microcline feldspar are colored red next to the fluorite veins.

The fluorite are normally dark violet in colour, and form single crystals up to 1 cm, most frequently with albite and microcline. Fluorite are formed at a later stage than the fine albite crystals.

Fluorite often form crystal crusts, with dark purple crystals up to 7-8mm.

Pyrite

Pyrite is an abundant mineral of hydrothermal origin. Cubic crystals up to 5 cm may be found with clorite, fluorite and red microcline. It often forms complex combinations of cubic crystals. Pyrite is also observed as a late mineral with quartz and stilpnomelane. In this paragenesis, the crystals are rarely more than 1 cm.

Pyrite are further found as micro crystals in cavitites between cleavelandite crystals, it is however rare in the primary phase of the pegmatite.

Malachite

The chalkopyrite are frequently altered to malachite as a result of hydrothermal activity

Gypsum

Small gypsum crystals was found in november 2004 related to chalkopyrite. The crystals are white and 3-4mm long.

Fersmite
Are described as a secondary crust on ferrocolumbite.


The Evje mineralsti is frequently blasted to enhance the opportunity to make good finds. It is open for anyone at a low fee payed at the quarry. Every year some 5000 people visits the quarry, and at any given time at least 10 different minerals will be possible to find. Obviuosly, there will not always be great specimens to find for everybody. However, with some patience and hard work the chance of finding well crystallized, and often rare minerals, is better than most other places in Norway.

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