There has been a growth in industrial minerals, aggregate and natural stone in recent years, whilst the production of metallic minerals has declined. Industrial minerals Industrial minerals are often defined as all minerals extracted from the Earth with the exceptions of energy minerals, metallic ores, water and precious stones. The most important Norwegian industrial mineral exports are calcium carbonate, ilmenite, olivine, nepheline syanite, dolomite, feldspar, talc and graphite. The most important mines in Norway produce sulphide ores, iron ores or nickel and olivine. The Norwegian production of massive stone includes hard rock types such as larvikite, granite, gneiss and softer rock types such as marble, serpentinite and soapstone.
Schists are rocks that can be split into thin plates.
Quartzitic, phylitic and mica schists are produced in Norway. Construction materials - sand, gravel and aggregate Sand, gravel and aggregate deposits are some of Norway's most important mineral raw materials, only oil is traded in greater quantities and value. Every year approximately 61 million tonnes of sand, gravel and aggregate are extracted in Norway worth NOK 3 million per year. This is equivalent to 12.3 tonnes per head of the population. NGU has established a Gravel and Aggregate Database containing information on all of the country's deposits of sand, gravel and aggregate.