The Peat Investigations in the Geological Survey of Finland

Authors:
Valpola, Samu E.

Book:
Proceedings of the 14th International Peat Congress

Venue:
Stockholm

Keywords:
alaharma, mire, peat, peat-investigation, peat-use

Documentfile:
Valpola 2012: The Peat Investigations in the Geological Survey of Finland

Summary:

Theme I.  Inventory, stratigraphy and conservation of mires and peatlands

SUMMARY

The Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) aims to research all the mires in Finland. Since 1975, GTK has studied over 1.9 million hectares of peatland. During one year, about 30 000 hectares become studied. Peat data is gathered and a description is written for each studied mire, also maps and profiles are drawn. Municipal-specific reports are introduced here with the case Alahärmä. There, the Kurjenneva fen is a representative example with total area of 162 hectares and mean depth of 2.2 m. In Finland, peat is used primarily for energy generation and horticultural purposes. From the total energy consumption, the amount of peat is 7.0%.