Løkken Verk
Encyclopedia
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Meldal
in Sør-Trøndelag
county, Norway
. It is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Svorkmo
(in Orkdal
), 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Bjørnli
, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the municipal center of Meldal.
The 1.85 square kilometres (457.1 acre) village of Løkken Verk has a population (2009) of 974. The population density
is 526 PD/km2.
for copper
in 1654. The name comes from a farm at the place. The ore findings at Løkken Verk were originally about 30000000 tonne, and was the largest resource of copper sulfide
in Norway. There was mining at Løkken from 1654 until 1987. Prior to 1845, the target was copper that was smelted
, but in 1851 the mine transferred into mining pyrites that were exported, primarily as raw material for sulfuric acid
. From 1931 until 1962, sulfur
and copper
were produced at Orkla Metal
in Thamshavn
. The history of the mining is preserved at Orkla Industrial Museum at Løkken Verk.
In 1904 the mining operation was taken over by Christian Thams
and Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag, this group has evolved into the Forbes 500
-company Orkla Group
. At the same time, the Thamshavnbanen
railway was built between Løkken Verk and Thamshavn
(just north of Orkanger
) to transport the pyrites to the port.
Meldal
Meldal is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region.The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Meldal. The village of Meldal has a population of 609. Other villages include Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, and Storås...
in Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is located 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Svorkmo
Svorkmo
Svorkmo is village in the municipality of Orkdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is situated in the Orkdalen valley along the river Orkla about west-southwest of the city of Trondheim. Svorkmo is located about south of Vormstad and about south of Orkanger-Fannrem...
(in Orkdal
Orkdal
Orkdal is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Orkanger. Other villages in the municipality include Kjøra, Geitastrand, Gjølme, Thamshavn, Fannrem, Vormstad, Svorkmo, and...
), 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Bjørnli
Bjørnli
Bjørnli is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located just east of the Orkla River about west of Løkken Verk and about northeast of Storås. The Løkken Church is located on the east side of the village....
, and 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the municipal center of Meldal.
The 1.85 square kilometres (457.1 acre) village of Løkken Verk has a population (2009) of 974. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
is 526 PD/km2.
History
Løkken Verk was originally populated when the Løkken Mine started miningMining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
for copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
in 1654. The name comes from a farm at the place. The ore findings at Løkken Verk were originally about 30000000 tonne, and was the largest resource of copper sulfide
Copper sulfide
Copper sulfides describe a family of chemical compounds and minerals with the formula CuxSy. Both minerals and synthetic materials comprise these compounds. Some copper sulfides are economically important ores....
in Norway. There was mining at Løkken from 1654 until 1987. Prior to 1845, the target was copper that was smelted
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
, but in 1851 the mine transferred into mining pyrites that were exported, primarily as raw material for sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
. From 1931 until 1962, sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
were produced at Orkla Metal
Elkem Thamshavn
Elkem Thamshavn is a smelting plant owned by Elkem located at Thamshavn just north of Orkanger, Norway. The plant produces ferrosilicon and microsilica and was started in 1931.-History:...
in Thamshavn
Thamshavn
Thamshavn is a small port village in the municipality of Orkdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the site of the port for Orkanger and the ferrosilicon plant Elkem Thamshavn...
. The history of the mining is preserved at Orkla Industrial Museum at Løkken Verk.
In 1904 the mining operation was taken over by Christian Thams
Christian Thams
Christian Thams was a Norwegian architect, industrialist, businessman and diplomat.-Background:Christian Marius Thams was born in Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. His parens were Marentius Thams and Emilie Christine Ullitz...
and Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag, this group has evolved into the Forbes 500
Forbes 500
The Forbes 500 was an annual listing of the top 500 American companies produced by Forbes Magazine. The list was calculated by combining five factors: sales, profits, assets, market value, and employees...
-company Orkla Group
Orkla Group
Orkla Group is a Norwegian industrial conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. The company's main divisions are branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions, materials, associates and financial investments.-Operations:...
. At the same time, the Thamshavnbanen
Thamshavnbanen
The Thamshavn Line was Norway's first electric railway, running from 1908 to 1974. Today it is operated as a heritage railway and is the world's oldest railway running on its original alternating current electrification scheme, using 25 Hz 6.6 kV AC. It was built to transport pyrites...
railway was built between Løkken Verk and Thamshavn
Thamshavn
Thamshavn is a small port village in the municipality of Orkdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the site of the port for Orkanger and the ferrosilicon plant Elkem Thamshavn...
(just north of Orkanger
Orkanger
Orkanger is village and former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Orkdal at the end of the Orkdalsfjorden, and arm of the Trondheimsfjord. Orkanger is the administrative and commercial centre of the municipality of Orkdal...
) to transport the pyrites to the port.