Waste Impoundment At Arctic Iron Mine

Kiruna, Sweden

The Kiruna Mine is the largest underground iron mine in the world, generating over 26 million tons of ore annually. The ore deposit is 2.5 miles long and so much subterranean rock has been removed that the ground above it is subsiding. Mine expansion plans call for relocating portions of the adjacent town as future mining progresses.

Ore from this mine was essential to the Nazi war machine in WWII. Hitler had plans to invade Sweden and secure the resource, but abandoned them, reportedly confident that Sweden would continue to sell the ore to Germany, and Göring’s objections due to his Swedish wife.