Helgustadir Mine
Helgustaðarnámur, Eskifjörður - Iceland
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To the east of the village of Eskifjörður lies Helgustaðir, a world famous mine for Icelandic spar. The spar is a transparent crystal which was called ‘sunstone’ by the Vikings as they used its light polarization properties to navigate from the sun on cloudy days. Spar has been mined here since the 17th centuary when a Duchman, Huygens, published his works on the polarization of light using the spar. At the mine visitors can view the old relics of the mining days, although the site is protected so artifacts must not be removed. The mine is a natural monument and there are plans in the local community to make it more accessible to tourists.
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