Assessment of Graphite Potential in the Siikalatva Area, Central Finland

Critical and strategic raw materials have emerged as a focal point of global interest and are increasingly embedded in geopolitical competition among major powers. The European Union (EU) has been identified as reliant on external suppliers for these minerals and has undertaken a range of measures to mitigate this dependency.

As part of this initiative, Siikalatva graphite as a raw material for the green transition project has been launched in Central-Finland by the municipality of Siikalatva, the University of Oulu, and the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK). The project is funded by the EU’s Just Transition Fund (JTF) for 2024–2026, with the objective of mitigating the adverse impacts associated with the transition to a low-carbon economy. The project aims to achieve this goal by supporting the regions and employees most affected by the transition and by promoting a balanced socioeconomic transformation.

The main goal of this project is to investigate the flake graphite potential in a small municipality (Siikalatva) in Central Finland. Flake graphite is, after all, a critical raw material e.g., in battery production. Flake graphite occurs in a Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary environment that has undergone high-grade metamorphism, which increases the size of the graphite flakes. Graphite exhibits strong geophysical conductivity and is frequently associated with iron sulfides, including pyrrhotite and pyrite.

In this presentation, we will examine the geophysical research opportunities offered by the GTK’s geophysical and geological data sets for assessing graphite potential in the municipality of Siikalatva. This also serves as a good example of the possibilities and long-term usefulness of geodata for various purposes.

By processing geophysical data from a high-grade metamorphic area, we can delineate graphite-rich zones and further classify them into sulfide-poor and sulfide-rich types. These zones can then be presented as potential areas and integrated with other land-use planning, existing infrastructure, settlements, and tourism. Similarly, integrating this information with, for example, groundwater resource data provides valuable insights for the potential utilization of flake graphite.

This study provides the municipality of Siikalatva an opportunity to assess the perspectives and potential that the graphite in its area may offer. At the same time, it supports land-use planning and decision-making. The results of the project will be published in the final report in 2026.