Scandinavia’s first geomorphological test site – a milestone for sustainable mining
Geomorphological landscape design provides LKAB with the opportunity to continuously rehabilitate affected areas and initiate work to increase biodiversity, while the mine is still going. The test site established in Svappavaara in 2022 is the first of its kind in Scandinavia.
Geomorphological design is the creation of a landscape that looks and functions like the surrounding natural environment. Geomorphology is the study of the earth’s surface forms and the processes that create and reshape them. An example is to look at how water over millennia has eroded the earth’s surface, resulting in the formation of a drainage system adapted to handle the amount of surface runoff specific to the local landscape, from small to large quantities. This drainage system represents a landscape in hydrological equilibrium – a physically stable landscape. Geomorphological design transfers this knowledge to modeling software that can replicate geomorphological features that signal a stable, natural landscape. In short, it is landscape design according to Mother Nature’s own recipe.
The design method includes collecting data from local reference areas. Three key factors determine the suitability of a reference area. These sites should be physically stable with no signs of active erosion, located within the same climate region, and of the same material as the design will be built from. For this project, data from 30 different reference areas located around Svappavaara were used. The method is currently considered Best Available Technique (BAT) in Europe and is used worldwide. A stable landscape in hydrological equilibrium means that the site has built-in erosion protection, ensuring that on-site maintenance is minimised. This, in turn, enables a landscape that is safe to visit and suitable for alternative future land use. The method provides a solution to the rehabilitation goal of making the mining area fit into the surrounding landscape – with the added benefit of also functioning like the surrounding landscape.
Promotes biodiversity
The topographically varied areas within the geomorphological design provide the area with a variation in water retention capacity, wind exposure, and solar radiation. This creates conditions for a variety of plants to establish themselves, just like in nature.
On the test site, plants will be established with the aim of creating lichen-pine heath, with, for example, pine, reindeer lichen, lingonberry, and heather. Ecological furniture – such as larger boulders, stone piles, and logs – will also be placed in the terrain. This contributes to a variation in habitats for flora and fauna. It will also soften the landscape and make the area look more natural faster.
When vegetation is established on the test site, links to surrounding natural areas are created. In the future, nature here will become part of the green infrastructure, which allows different species to move through the landscape. This plant establishment attempt is an important part of building knowledge about how to create opportunities for biodiversity within the mining area in Svappavaara.
Information:
- Size: 4.2 hectares
- Volume: 1,400,000 tons
- Construction time: Six weeks
- Highest point: 405 meters
