Polar Warmth III

Arctic Finland, January-February 2019 Sitting in Pyhä-Luosto in Lapland, Finland, the Lampivaara Amethyst Mine is the only active amethyst mine in Europe. The amethyst in this region was formed over 2 billion years ago, making it almost half as old as Earth. The mine only uses traditional mining techniques with small tools (chisels, pans) to minimise environmental damage, and visitors are allowed to participate in this mining process and take home one piece of amethyst.