Products

Olivine – an ultramafic rock

Olivine is formed 50–60 km beneath the earth’s surface and was brought to Norway during the Caledonian orogeny about 450 million years ago. Norwegian olivine is considered the best in the world, with MgO content between 46–49%. It has a specific gravity of 3.2–3.3 and a melting point of 1800 °C.

 

Thanks to these unique properties, olivine is used for a wide range of applications:

 

  • Slag conditioner in steel production
  • Refractory material
  • Foundry sand in casting
  • Sandblasting
  • Gemstone (crystalline peridot variant)
  • Ballast material
  • Stabilization of contaminated soils
  • Water treatment to remove heavy metals and toxins
  • CO₂ sequestration – finely ground olivine absorbs large amounts of CO₂, locking it in permanent mineral structures
  • MPC cement
  • Raw material for brucite

Quality

The quality of the olivine in Vassbakkedalen is very high and on par with the leading deposits in Europe. The olivine has an MgO content of 46–49%, and analyses show no occurrence of asbestos above the EU limit values.

 

 

The raw material is well-suited for both industrial processes and environmental applications. Feedback from customers confirms that the deliveries maintain consistent and stable quality.

Control

 

Quality control begins at the quarry with borehole sampling and continues throughout production until shipping.

 

Samples are analyzed for chemical composition, grain size, and moisture in collaboration with NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) in Trondheim.