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Located in a hotspot for viewing the Northern Lights , the Lapland-based Kiruna mine is the largest iron mine in the world . Having first opened in 1898 , the mine is now operated by state-owned Luossavaara- Kiirunavaara Aktiebolag ( LKAB ), a Swedish mining firm with an additional operation at Malmberget . The size of the Kiruna mine led to the decision in 2004 to relocate the town centre as it was at risk of subsidence . The move began in 2014 , with the town centre set for re-establishment by 2022 . In May 2020 , a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in the mine ’ s footwall was triggered by mining activity . The quake ’ s epicentre was at a depth of around 1.1km , as measured by the mine ’ s seismic monitoring system . As the quake resulted from human activity , the system ’ s sophistication does not enable it to predict such events . miningglobal . com