Gruve 3 Mine, Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norwayi

Regional Level Types
Gruve 3 Mine	Mine (Tourist Attraction)
Longyearbyen	Town
Spitsbergen	Island
Svalbard	Archipelago
Norway	Country

Mine 3 was a mine in Longyearbyen on Svalbard that was in operation in the period from 1969 to 1996. It is located on the northern slope of Platåberget above Svalbard Airport. It is located just a little to the west of where the "Trønder mine" was located from 1903.

Work on mapping the coal deposits was started in 1928. At this time there was mining in the Longyeardalen, with Mine 2 on the east side and Mine 1 on the west side of the valley.

In Mine 2, the geological conditions became increasingly difficult and operations were suspended in 1938. The company had to do something to increase mine production and decided to resume operation of Mine 1. The impact point was moved further into the valley and production, in what was referred to as Mine 1B, started in mid-October 1939. At the same time, the new mining town Sverdrupbyen was built close to the point of impact.

Mine 1B was exposed to a mine fire on 29 October 1948 and in mid-December production could resume in the mine. The operation in Mine 1 was gradually characterized by increasingly difficult geological conditions, and from 1950 until 1958 only mining work was carried out. In 1958, Mine 1 was closed, and it became more relevant to start mining operations with features on the opposite side of Platåberget, and this became the basis for Mine 3.

Mining at Mine 3 began in 1969. Production started in the spring of 1971 and in the operating year 1976-77 Mine 3 accounted for half of Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani's coal production. The mine runs right through Platåberget from the north and comes out on the south side in Bjørndalen, where there is a tip — which, like the main mine, has conservation status.

In 1984 there was a fire in Mine 3's day plant where a man lost his life. In November 1996, the mine was excavated and operations were suspended. Mine 3 is one of two mines in Longyearbyen where guided tours are occasionally arranged. There are (2013) plans to create a mining museum in Mine 3.

The eastern parts of Mine 3 have been used as storage for a collection of seeds in the Svalbard global seed vault, established under the auspices of the Nordic Genbank. Over 10,000 different seed samples from more than 2,000 varieties of 300 species are stored.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruve_3
Wikidata ID:	Q11021391

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References