Helgustadir mine

Helgustadir mine (Icelandic: Helgustaðanáma) is a mine in the east of Iceland where Iceland spar (a form of transparent calcite) was mined from the mid-17th century to the 20th century.[1] It is the source of the largest and clearest known Iceland spar specimen and the source of most museum specimens of Iceland spar.[2]

Helgustadir

It was declared a nature reserve in 1975.[2]

About

Location
Helgustadir mine is close to Eskifjörður.

The mine is located near Eskifjörður, east of Iceland.[3] Helgustadir mine consists of two mines, known as the upper and lower mine.[3]

Uses

Crystals from this area are known for exceptional clarity,[3] leading to the mineral being named "Iceland spar".[3]

Iceland spar from Helgustadir mine was used in optical devices used in physics, chemistry, and geology,[3] most importantly Nicol prisms.

Nature reserve

The nature reserve is 0.9 hectares.[3] Since 2010, it has been on the Environment Agency of Iceland's red list of areas that are likely to lose their protection status.[3]

Theft of crystals

Being a nature reserve, tampering with the rock formations and removing crystals is forbidden.[2][3] Despite that, visitors often take samples with them, causing a disruption of the area.[3] The problem has gotten worse as tourism has increased,[3] with some visitors filling their backpacks with samples.[4][5]

    References
    1. Russell 2008.
    2. "Helgustaðanáma". Umhverfisstofnun (in Icelandic). Retrieved 2020-08-20.
    3. "Helgustaðanáma – Stjórnunar- og verndararáætlun 2017–2026" (PDF). Environment Agency of Iceland. 2017.
    4. runarsr (2017-03-19). "Kristallar hverfa enn úr Helgustaðanámu". RÚV. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
    5. runarsr (2017-06-13). "Landvörður reynir að stöðva silfurbergsþjófnað". RÚV. Retrieved 2019-05-08.

    Further reading

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