Mineral Mine and Concrete in the Arctic

Close to the Kapp Schoultz Base Camp of the 2025 ARG Expedition in Tempelfjorden, Svalbard, lie the remains of an Anhydrite/Gypsum mine, abandoned, possibly around 100 years ago. There appears to be little readily available information about the mine, the mining or the miners, so if anyone knows more about these things, please let us know. What appears to be known is that the mine was started in the 1920's and was quickly abandoned when the deposit yielded more Anhydrite than Gypsum, and with Gypsum being the more valued mineral at the time, the miners made the only decision they could and closed the mine. The miners can only have had the relatively short Arctic summer of 24 hour daylight to be able to work the mine, as the winter temperatures and weather a century ago, will have been well below zero, with probably metres of snow fall and a completely frozen sea around the archipelago for many months. Not to mention the long polar night with no sunlight.

All images ©Mike Haynes

The workings are located high up on the mountain side between Fjordnibba and Rejmyrefjellet on the east side of Tempelfjorden. There are the remains of a metal cable system that goes up to the mine site, and, down by the shore are rail tracks together with large timber frames erected with concrete blocks in their base as deadweights. The distance between the shore and the mine is hundreds of meters. The ingenuity and efforts of the miners to extract the minerals are commendable to say the least.

All images ©Mike Haynes

Close by there is a hut, named Selbu, which is part-built of on-site cast concrete and is prominently dated with a rusty metal inlay of '1937' with the initials 'JK' above, on the gable wall. It appears that the hut is still used and, by the date and information available, it was probably built after the mine was abandoned. Could this be one of the most Northern examples of such a type of structure? And if it is, who built it, what for and how did they do it? There are also a separate timber structure, which presumably is a toilet, and there's also a hut on a sled which doubtless will be used for fishing out on the frozen fjord in winter.

All images ©Mike Haynes Tempelfjorden is a stunning place and the imposing Templet mountain at the entrance to the fjord, along with the presence of the towering ice front of the Tunabreen at the other end, mean that, while they were there, the miners certainly had an amazing backdrop scenery to enjoy. It's easy to see why those who built the Selbu hut chose the location and why it is visited and used to this day.

All images ©Mike Haynes