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Man-made earthquake
- Jun 19, 2020
- 1,331views
Kiruna is Sweden's northernmost town. Home to about 20,000 people, it is beyond the Arctic Circle. For most of the year, this part of Sweden is very cold. During mid-summer, the Sun does not set. Yet, in mid-winter, it is permanently dark. The Sun does not rise above the horizon.Built completely from ice, Kiruna's ice hotel is well known. It is reconstructed every year. Yet, the town is best known for its iron ore mine. It contains one of the biggest volumes of iron ore in the world. Also, its ore is of the highest quality. Kiruna is named after a nearby mountain called Kiirunavaara. Much of it has been "cut away" to extract the iron ore. A government-owned company called LKAB operates the mine.The mine has a rich iron ore "seam", or orebody. Unusually, the seam is four kilometers long and around 100 meters thick. It extends beneath the ground for at least two kilometers. The orebody is at an angle. Its slant goes below the town. Over the years, the mine has become deeper and deeper. To expose the orebody a large part of the mountain had to be removed.Over 20 years ago, big cracks in the ground began appearing close to Kiruna. The mine-workings are destabilizing the surface area. About 13 years ago, a decision was made to move the whole town. The new site is about 3.2 kilometers to the east. The work began in 2009 and is ongoing.On May 18, an earthquake shook Kiruna and the mine. With a magnitude of 4.3, it was one of Sweden's biggest ever earthquakes. Soon afterwards, officials confirmed that the quake was man-made: the mining activities triggered, or caused, it.Today, the Kiruna mine produces about 90% of all Europe's iron ore. The mine's bosses claim that enough iron ore to make six Eiffel Towers is dug out of the seam every day. The Eiffel Tower is in Paris, the capital of France. Made from iron, it was built over 120 years ago.After it's dug out, the iron ore is crushed. This removes most of the waste rock. Trains then transport the ore to one of two ports. There, it is loaded onto large cargo ships. The ports are Lulea, on the shore of the Baltic Sea, and Narvik on Norway's Atlantic coastline. During winter months, sea ice blocks Lulea. Narvik is ice-free all year.A railway line and station for the "new" town were built several years ago. The old station was closed in 2013. Many apartment buildings have been demolished. New blocks for the residents have been constructed. Kiruna's older buildings will not be destroyed. They are to be carefully dismantled, transported and reassembled at the new site.Kiruna's church is one of the buildings that is to be "moved". Completed in 1912, its design is based on the tents, or tepees, used by the Sami. These indigenous, or native, people live in northern Sweden and Norway. They are expert reindeer herders and hunters. In a vote held in 2001, people in Sweden chose the church as the country's most beautiful building. The operation to move the church is expected to begin in 2025 or 2026.LKAB officials said the earthquake caused rocks to crash into some of the mine's tunnels. Water levels in parts of the mine had also risen. Thirteen workers were under ground when the earthquake struck. All left the mine and no one was hurt. The quake, the officials said, could be felt 20 kilometers away.
Manager’s Pro Answer: Yes, fur farming should be banned. Animals, such as mink, can be bred and farmed for their fur. Often, they are treated badly. The animals are kept in small and crowded cages. Fur farms can spread animal diseases such as the coronavirus. This is another important reason to stop fur farming. People can live without having to wear animal fur.