Ytterby (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈʏ̂tːɛrˌbyː]) is a village on the Swedish island ofResarö, inVaxholm Municipality in theStockholm archipelago. Today the residential area is dominated by suburban homes.[1]
The swedish name of the village translates literally into "outer village".[2] Ytterby is the single richest source ofelemental discoveries in the world; the chemical elementsyttrium (Y),terbium (Tb),erbium (Er), andytterbium (Yb) are all named after Ytterby, and the elementsholmium (Ho),scandium (Sc),thulium (Tm),tantalum (Ta), andgadolinium (Gd) were also first discovered there.
Local roads connect Ytterby tocounty road 274 [sv] and hence the mainland. Except for the winter months, passenger ships of theWaxholmsbolaget call at a pier in Ytterby, providing a connection to Vaxholm town andStockholm.[1][3][4][5] Ytterby is as well served by several local bus lines of the north eastSL district, connecting the area directly toStockholms Östra station.[6]
Quartz was mined in the area beginning in the 1600s for the ironworks inUppland.[7]Feldspar was mined for local porcelain manufacture, such asGustavsberg, and the porcelain trade withBritain andPoland.[8] The mine is likely the first feldspar mine in Sweden, starting in 1790. Feldspar mining was likely sporadic and based on manufacture demand. This demand increased in the 1860s, leading to deeper mining efforts at Ytterby. The mine became one of the most productive quartz and feldspar mines in the country.[9] Feldspar and quartz mining continued until 1933, when the mine was shut down. With 177 years of feldspar mining, it was the longest-mined feldspar mine inSweden.
Towards the end of the 1940s, the Swedish state, through the REF (Riksnämnden för ekonomisk försvarsberedskap) became interested in the possible usage of the mine. In 1953, the mine was renovated and used for the storage of jet fuel,MC 77. The storage method led to contamination of the jet fuel, leading to problems in jet engines that used the fuel. The storage of jet fuel ended in 1978. It was subsequently used to store diesel. In 1995, the mine was emptied, and in the following years the area was rehabilitated.[9]
The mined quartz and feldspar are part of a pegmatitedyke that has a NNE-SSW orientation and a dip of 60° to the west.[10] Thepegmatite dyke include sections ofaplite andgraphic granite.[10] The surrounding host rock is "gabbro-likegreenstone".[10]
The mine's elemental history began in 1787, when LieutenantCarl Axel Arrhenius found an unidentified black mineral. He had previously explored the area for a potential fortification.[9] His hobby interest in chemistry led him to notice the unusually heavy black rock, which he and his friend Bengt Geijer examined with Sven Rinman. It was not until 1794 that Finnish chemistJohan Gadolin fully analysed the mineral and found that 38% of its composition was a new, unidentified earth element. Swedish chemistAnders Gustaf Ekeberg confirmed the discovery the following year and named ityttria, with the mineral namedgadolinite.[11]
Many rare earth elements were discovered in the mineralgadolinite, which eventually proved to be the source of seven new elements that were named after the mineral ore and the area. These elements includeyttrium (Y),erbium (Er),terbium (Tb) andytterbium (Yb)[2] and were first described in 1794, 1843, 1843, and 1878, respectively. In 1989 theASM International society installed a plaque at the former entrance to the mine, commemorating the mine as a historical landmark.[12]
In addition,scandium (Sc)[citation needed] and three otherlanthanides—holmium (Ho, named afterStockholm),thulium (Tm, named afterThule, a mythic analogue ofScandinavia), andgadolinium (Gd, after the chemist Johan Gadolin)—can trace their discovery to the same quarry.[13] The transition metaltantalum (Ta, after the Greek mythological figureTantalus) was also discovered in a mineral sample from Ytterby in 1802.[14]
TheEuropean Chemical Society gave the Ytterby mine and the industrial complex ofABEA, Crete, Greece its Historical Landmarks Awards for 2018.[15]
59°25′46″N18°20′30″E / 59.42944°N 18.34167°E /59.42944; 18.34167
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