Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - I. Natural Resources of Sweden. By Gunnar Andersson
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
4
I. TH15 NATURAL RESOURCES OF SWEDEN.
If an estimate is made of the position of Sweden as a producer of
energy, it will be found that the country possesses very considerable
sources of power, even if a considerable direct export to other countries
cannot be considered possible. If development advances on the same lines
as hitherto, part of the power required must be constantly purchased from
abroad; and therefore a quota must be defrayed out of that revenue which
other natural advantages are able to provide. The country, nevertheless,
is, as we have shown above, more favoured in this respect than a large
number of other countries.
Mineral wealth.
Ores. The mountainous regions of Sweden contain in no few places
larger or smaller deposits of ore. Of these, nevertheless, from the point
of view of present industrialism, only the iron ores are of any considerable
importance; but, in compensation, these belong to the greatest and most
productive in the world. They are concentrated in two comparatively
small districts: the one, known from ancient days, is in Bergslagen, in
Central Sweden, stretching from Värmland in the south-west to Uppland
in the east, embracing about 15 000 square kilometers, and containing
nearly a tenth part of the country’s supply of iron ore; and the new
mining district, that in northernmost Lappland, containing the remaining
nine-tenths. Outside of these tracts few ores are found, and they are
generally of less -value.
An attempt has lately been made to arrive at an estimate of the supply
of the world’s iron ore. The result of this has been to establish the fact
that the definitely known resources amount to possibly 22 400 million tons,
containing in round figures about 10 000 million tons of iron. And yet,
to this must be added probably several times this quantity of other
deposits less well known. Meanwhile, at the present rate of
consumption, the supply just named (and it is obviously this we have most nearly
to reckon with) will be exhausted in about 170 years. It is on the basis
which these figures supply that the resources of Swedish iron ore must
be considered. Yet one other fact must be kept well in mind. The present
extraction of iron at an economic advantage in any notable degree, can
very seldom deal with ores containing a percentage of iron lower than
30 %. A yield of from 30—60 °/o is commonly reckoned as low,
while a yield of over 60 % is considered as high. Of the present available
supply of ore in Europe (about 12 000 millions of tons yielding possibly
4 730 millions of tons of iron) not more than about a tenth part, or 1 200
millions of tons, consists of high-grade ore. Of this Sweden possesses
1 100 million tons (92 %), and Eussia the rest. The amount of high-grade
ore in Sweden is much greater than the figures quoted above indicate, if
the deeper-lying ore-deposits are taken into account. Thus, Kiruna-
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
