Tankavaaran Kultakylässä

Tankavaara Gold Prospector Museum - Tankavaara Gold Village

Useful Information

Location:	Tankavaara, Ivalojoki Placer Mining District. 220 km north of Rovaniemi. (68°10'52.01"N, 27° 5'39.76"E)
Open:	JUN to 15-AUG daily 9-18. 16-AUG to SEP daily 9-17. OCT to MAY Mon-Fri 10-16. [2007]
Fee:	Adults EUR 7, Children EUR 3.50, Gold Panning EUR 3.5, Family (2+2) 16. Groups (10+): Adults EUR 6. Guide: Mon-Sat EUR 40, Sun EUR 50. [2007]
Classification:	Gold Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Tankavaara Gold Prospector Museum, Kultamuseo, Tankavaaran Kultakylä, Kultakuja 35, 99695 Tankavaara, Tel: +358-16-626171, Fax: +358-16-626271. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1868	discovery of first placer gold.
1870	start of alluvial mining (sluicing).
1973	Gold Museum founded.
1993	bronze statue of a gold panner unveiled during the 20th anniversary celebrations.

Geology

The gold of Finland is manly placer gold, which means it is deposited in sediments by erosion. The original gold bearing rock eroded, the gold being resitant remained and was trapped in gullies while the lighter material was dissolved or transported away. The gold is contained in an alluvial (and eluvial) layer of gravel, sand, and sporadically till. The grade of the ore is around 0.8g/m³ Au. Since its discovery 464kg of gold have been mined and there is an estimated reserve of another 500kg.

Description

The town Tankavaara calls itself Tankavaaran Kultakylässä (Tankavaara Gold Village) and was founded as a result of a (small) gold rush and is still economically based on its gold deposits. But today its a touristic gold mine, with gold panning for foreign visitors and the Kultamuseo (Tankavaara's Gold Prospector Museum). The museum shows the history of gold prospecting in Lapland starting from the rush to the Ivalojoki River in 1870s, later to the Lemmenjoki River, and until todays gold mining projects. There are gold panning tools, a collection of gems and minerals