In 2018 the mine produced 26.9 million tonnes of iron ore.[2] The Kiruna mine has an ore body which is 4 km (2.5 mi) long, 80 metres (260 ft) to 120 metres (390 ft) thick and reaching a depth of up to 2 km (1.2 mi).

[7] The iron ores that lie closest to the Kiirunavaara are Loussavaara, Henry, Nakutus, Rektorn and Lappmalmen.

[15] The thickness of this seemingly coherent hematite body is mostly within the range of decimeters but at one location it reaches 25 m.[15] The largest deposit of rare earth metals discovered in Europe was announced by LKAB in January 2023 to be at Kiruna.

[9] Then the ore bed was covered by further volcanic deposits, quartz porphyry, and sedimentary rocks.

[9][10][verification needed] The hematite bodies of Kiruna are considered by R. Frietsch to be "hydrothermal impregnations".

[22] Parák also argued that the form of the orebodies as tilted sheets is also indicative of them being sedimentary units.

[9] At places this syenite porphyry has nodules variously filled with actinolite, apatite, titanite and magnetite.

[26][1] As of 2018 the Kiruna Mine had Proven and Probable Reserves of 683 million tonnes grading 43.8% iron.

On October 28, 2008 LKAB decided to go even deeper, with the mine reaching a depth of 1,365 metres (4,478 ft) by 2012 at a cost of US$1.7 billion.

[1] The re-development of Kiruna is a reconstruction project, as the Kirunavaara mine, run by LKAB, undermines the current town center.

A more official sketch was published early in the spring of 2008, which was then discussed with various interest groups before a further version was to be produced.

In June 2010 the city council decided that the town would be moved eastwards (to 67°51′1″N 20°18′2″E / 67.85028°N 20.30056°E / 67.85028; 20.30056), in the direction of Tuolluvaara, instead of the proposed northwestern location.

[34][35] White Arkitekter AB based in Stockholm and Ghilardi + Hellsten Arkitekter based in Oslo together with researchers from Luleå and Delft universities won the contract to design the new city, which envisages a denser city center with a greater focus on sustainability, green and blue infrastructure, pedestrians and public transport rather than automobiles.