Norway sits on a very old part of the Earth's crust

Norway, Sweden, and Finland all sit on an ancient part of the Earth's crust, known as a craton. This craton is referred to as the Baltic Craton or the Baltic Shield. As a result, there are bedrock formations in East Finnmark, Lofoten, and Vesterålen in Norway that are up to 3 billion years old. The bedrock in parts of Eastern and Western Norway can be 1 to 1.5 billion years old.

Cratons are stable and have not been destroyed by processes in the Earth's crust. They are also often rich in mineral resources, such as gold, diamonds, and iron. Finland, which also lies on the Baltic Shield, is Europe's largest gold producer, and gold has been mined in Finnmark. Likewise, Sweden has large iron deposits, and in Kirkenes, Norway, there is Europe's third-largest iron ore mine.

Read more in the article on sciencenorway.no:

Norway sits atop a strange and ancient part of the Earth's crust, sciencenorway.no, 4.8.2025