MineGuessr – Kittilä, Finland: Subarctic Underground Gold Mine in Lapland

MineGuessr Advent Calendar 2025 – Door 11

Kittilä is one of the mines featured in our 2025 MineGuessr mining advent calendar. Each December day, we reveal a new mining satellite timelapse and invite you to guess the mine from satellite imagery of mines across the Nordics and Europe.

On this page, we provide a concise, professional overview of the Kittilä mine – its location, geology, operational history and role in the raw materials value chain. The satellite timelapse helps illustrate how this subarctic gold operation has evolved since the 1980s and supports raw materials education for anyone interested in how orogenic gold deposits are discovered, developed and mined over decades.

Aerial view of the Glomel andalusite open-pit mine in Brittany’s Montagnes Noires

Overview & location

From space, Kittilä is a classic Lapland operation: a compact open-pit footprint that appears in the mid-2000s, a growing processing plant and tailings management facility, and – in later frames – a largely stable surface layout that hides an expanding underground mine beneath the tundra and forest.

Today, the Kittilä mine (Suurikuusikko deposit) is the largest primary gold mine in Europe, operated by Agnico Eagle Finland Oy. It lies in the municipality of Kittilä in northern Finland’s Lapland region, roughly 900 km north of Helsinki and about 150 km north of the Arctic Circle. The main plant and shaft area are near 67°54′N, 25°24′E.

Where in the world is Kittilä?

The mine is located about 36 km north-east of Kittilä town, close to the village of Kiistala and within the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt – a region that also hosts other orogenic gold deposits and base-metal projects.

The operation has gone through distinct phases:

Construction and open pit start-up (2006–2012) – Suuri and Roura open pits built and mined; surface plant and tailings facility commissioned.
Transition to underground (2010–2012) – underground mining begins in 2010 and becomes the sole source of ore after open-pit mining ends in late 2012.
Expansion & shaft era (2014–2023) – plant expanded to ~4,000 t/d, a new shaft and deeper zones (Rimpi, Sisar) are developed, and tailings capacity is enlarged to support mine life into the mid-2030s.

Commercial production was achieved in May 2009, making Kittilä Agnico Eagle’s first mine outside Canada. Since then it has grown into the company’s largest primary gold producer in Europe and hosts some of Agnico Eagle’s largest gold reserves.

Geology & deposit type

Kittilä exploits the Suurikuusikko orogenic gold deposit in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt (CLGB), a Paleoproterozoic belt famous for structurally controlled gold systems.

Key geological features:

Deposit style: Orogenic, shear-zone hosted gold deposit along the Kiistala shear zone, with mineralisation primarily in mafic volcanic rocks and associated tuffs.
Mineralogy: Gold is mostly refractory, locked in arsenopyrite and pyrite, with fine-grained quartz–carbonate alteration and sulphide lenses.
Geometry: Multiple steeply dipping lodes traced along several kilometres of strike and to depths approaching 2,000 m in drilling, giving strong vertical continuity and long-term underground potential.

Because the gold is refractory, Kittilä is one of the few European operations that uses pressure oxidation (autoclave) as part of its processing flowsheet – a key factor that shows up in both the plant layout and the mine’s power demand.

What the mining satellite timelapse shows

The mining satellite timelapse for Kittilä (1984–2022) condenses nearly four decades of change into a few seconds. From a MineGuessr perspective, it’s a great case study of how a northern greenfield discovery evolves into a deep, long-life underground gold mine.

Pre-2000s – forest, bogs and early exploration

Gold was first discovered near Kiistala in 1986, with the Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) leading the initial drilling campaigns.
In the 1980s and 1990s, most activity is subsurface (geophysics, drilling), so the satellite imagery mainly shows a largely undisturbed forest and wetland landscape with only subtle access tracks.

What you see from space: small clearings, early roads and exploration pads gradually appearing, but no pit or plant yet.

Mid-2000s – open pits and first plant

Construction of the mine and plant begins after Agnico Eagle’s 2006 construction decision; open-pit mining in Suuri and Roura starts in 2008 and processing in August 2008.
Commercial production is achieved in May 2009; early years see production of ~150,000 oz Au/year.

On the timelapse: the Suuri and Roura open pits appear, together with the first waste dumps, plant buildings and an initial tailings cell to the north-east of the pits.

2010–2014 – transition to underground and plant expansion

Underground mining starts in October 2010; by November 2012 open-pit mining ends and Kittilä becomes an underground-only operation.
A plant expansion in 2014 raises capacity to roughly 4,000 t/d (~1.4–1.6 Mt/a), supporting higher output from deeper zones.

In the imagery: pit growth slows and then stabilises, while the process plant, stockpiles and tailings impoundment expand. You can also start to pick out new portal areas and surface infrastructure supporting underground development.

2015–2024 – deeper mining, shaft, and permit-driven optimisation

By 2016 the mine has poured its one-millionth ounce of gold, and proven and probable reserves climb above 4 Moz Au, with mine life extending to around 2034–2035.
Construction of a production shaft and further mill upgrades begins in 2018, enabling deeper mining in the Rimpi and Sisar zones; the shaft is commissioned in 2023.
In 2020, Kittilä achieves record production of about 6,473 kg (228,300 oz) of gold with ~1.84 Mt of ore processed – a high-water mark that reinforces its status as Europe’s largest primary gold producer.
In 2023, Finland’s Supreme Administrative Court confirms permits allowing a processing rate of 2.0 Mtpa, restoring Kittilä’s ability to operate at full expanded capacity.

On the timelapse: surface changes in this period are mostly about incremental tailings dam raises, refined waste-rock placement and new shaft/ventilation infrastructure rather than new large pits – a visual signature of a mature underground mine.

Mining method & processing – how the ore moves

Kittilä is now a large underground long-hole stoping operation with paste backfill, fed by several ore zones (Suuri, Roura, Rimpi, Etelä, Sisar):

Underground mining: Sublevel long-hole stoping with both longitudinal and transverse stopes depending on orebody thickness, paste-fill to maintain stability, and ramp + shaft access to multiple production levels.
Mine depth: Active development and resources now extend to depths approaching 1,500–2,000 m below surface, reflecting the deposit’s strong vertical continuity.
Processing: Crushed ore is treated via grinding, flotation, pressure oxidation (autoclave) and carbon-in-leach (CIL), producing doré bars for refining. Typical gold recoveries are around 90%+.

This is one of the more technically complex flowsheets in the MineGuessr calendar, and a good example of how metallurgical constraints drive plant design and energy use in cold climates.

Role in the raw materials value chain and energy transition

Kittilä is a gold-only operation, but its role in the raw materials value chain is still closely tied to long-life, secure supply from stable jurisdictions:

Gold for critical applications: high-reliability electronics, aerospace, medical devices, and specialised connectors where gold’s stability and conductivity are vital.
Financial system & reserves: bullion, central-bank reserves and investment products that underpin macro-economic resilience.
Technology development: a long-life mine with strong geoscience data, making it a reference for orogenic gold exploration in the Central Lapland Greenstone Belt.

Even though gold is not a battery metal, the Kittilä story is still relevant to energy transition discussions: Arctic permitting, tailings and water management, decarbonising underground operations, and the co-existence of mining with other land uses such as tourism in Lapland.

What to look for in the MineGuessr timelapse

As a MineGuessr player, can you spot the following?

The appearance and growth of the Suuri and Roura open pits in the late 2000s, cutting into the forest and glacial deposits.
Progressive tailings dam raises and new cells as cumulative tonnage climbs.
The plateau in pit size after 2012, reflecting the shift to underground-only mining.
Later-stage surface changes linked to shaft construction, ventilation raises and water management rather than new pits – a hallmark of mature underground operations.

MineGuessr perspective – why this mine was included

We selected Kittilä for the MineGuessr mining advent calendar because it:

Is Europe’s largest primary gold mine and one of the best examples of a deep, long-life orogenic gold deposit in a Nordic greenstone belt.
Shows a clear life-of-mine evolution in the satellite timelapse – from greenfield forest to open pits, and then to a predominantly underground operation with stable surface footprint.
Highlights the challenges and opportunities of subarctic mining: Arctic climate, permitting, tailings safety and balancing mining with other land uses in Lapland.

In our GeoGuessr-style mine guessing game, Kittilä helps spark discussion about orogenic gold deposits, underground expansion, pressure-oxidation processing and long-life Arctic mining in a mature European jurisdiction.

Throughout December, keep opening a new door every day and explore all 24 mines featured this year on the main MineGuessr mining advent calendar page.

Day 1 - Aitik (Sweden, copper-gold open pit)
A large, low-grade copper operation south of Gällivare
👉 Open Door 1 - Aitik
Day 2 - Björkdal (Sweden, gold)
Gold mine near Skellefteå, combining open-pit and underground mining.
👉 Open Door 2 - Björkdal
Day 3 - Kemi (Finland, chrome)
Chrome mine in northern Finland, Europe’s only chromite operation.
👉 Open Door 3 - Kemi
Day 4 - Ørtfjell (Norway, iron ore)
Iron ore mine in Norway’s Dunderland Valley, evolving from large open pits to underground mining.
👉 Open Door 4 - Ørtfjell
Day 5 - Trimouns (France, talc)
World’s largest working talc quarry high in the French Pyrenees above Luzenac.
👉 Open Door 5 - Trimouns
Day 6 - Skouries (Greece, copper-gold porphyry)
High-grade copper–gold porphyry project in the forests of Halkidiki, still under construction.
👉 Open Door 6 - Skouries
Day 7 - Las Cruces (Spain, copper)
High-grade hydromet copper mine in the Iberian Pyrite Belt north-west of Seville.
👉 Open Door 7 - Las Cruces
Day 8 - Assarel–Medet (Bulgaria, copper)
Twin porphyry copper open pits in the Panagyurishte district, from Europe’s former largest open-pit copper mine at Medet to today’s modern Assarel operation.
👉 Open Door 8 - Assarel–Medet
Day 9 - Glomel (France, andalusite)
World-class andalusite open-pit quarry in Brittany’s Montagnes Noires, supplying refractory minerals for Europe’s steel, foundry, cement and glass industries.
👉 Open Door 9 - Glomel
Day 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona (Greece, bauxite)
Karst-type bauxite mines in the Parnassos–Ghiona mountains, a historic alumina feedstock district supplying Greece’s aluminium industry.
👉 Open Door 10 - Parnassos–Ghiona
Day 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex (Romania, lignite)
Cluster of large open-pit lignite mines and mine-mouth power plants in Gorj County, now at the centre of Romania’s coal phase-out and just transition plans.
👉 Open Door 12 - Oltenia Energy Complex
Day 13 - Cornwall china clay (UK)
Historic Imerys china clay pits near St Austell, where bright white kaolin benches and tips reshape “Clay Country” over decades of mining and restoration.
👉 Open Door 13 - Cornwall china clay
Day 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini (Greece, bentonite)
Overlapping bentonite open pits on the volcanic island of Milos, anchoring one of Europe’s key industrial minerals districts.
👉 Open Door 14 - Aggeria–Agia Irini
Day 15 - Skouriotissa (Cyprus, copper & hydromet)
Ancient copper mining district in the Troodos ophiolite, now a hydrometallurgical hub processing copper, gold and battery-metal feed.
👉 Open Door 15 - Skouriotissa
Day 16 - Tunstead (UK, limestone & cement)
The UK’s largest limestone quarry near Buxton, feeding an integrated lime and cement works with long-term restoration and biodiversity plans.
👉 Open Door 16 - Tunstead
Day 17 - Narva (Estonia, oil shale)
Large open-pit oil shale mine in Ida-Viru County, supplying the Narva power plants and reshaping the landscape with strip mining and reclamation.
👉 Open Door 17 - Narva
Day 18 - Sydvaranger (Norway, iron ore)
Arctic banded iron formation at Bjørnevatn near Kirkenes, evolving toward DR-grade magnetite for Europe’s green steel transition.
👉 Open Door 18 - Sydvaranger
Day 19 - Kevitsa (Finland, nickel–copper–PGE)
Multimetal open-pit mine in Finnish Lapland, combining Ni–Cu–PGE production with trolley-assisted haulage for lower-emission mining.
👉 Open Door 19 - Kevitsa
Day 20 - Styrian Erzberg (Austria, iron ore)
Terraced “pyramid” open-pit iron ore mine at Eisenerz, turning 12 Mt of rock into ~3 Mt of ore each year for Austria’s steel industry.
👉 Open Door 20 - Styrian Erzberg
Day 21 - Minas de Alquife (Spain, iron ore)
Europe’s largest open-pit iron ore mine in Granada, restarting in 2020 after two decades of closure to supply high-grade ore to European steelmakers.
👉 Open Door 21 - Minas de Alquife
Day 22 - Siilinjärvi (Finland, phosphate)
EU’s only operating phosphate mine in central Finland, mining an Archean carbonatite for fertiliser-grade apatite and creating distinctive pale tailings and phosphogypsum stacks.
👉 Open Door 22 - Siilinjärvi
Day 23 - Tellnes (Norway, ilmenite/titanium)
World-class ilmenite open pit in the Rogaland Anorthosite Province, supplying TiO₂ pigment feedstock from one of Europe’s largest titanium deposits.
👉 Open Door 23 - Tellnes
Day 24 - Elatsite (Bulgaria, copper–gold porphyry)
High-altitude porphyry copper–gold open pit in Bulgaria’s Srednogorie zone, with ore conveyed under the Balkan Mountains to a separate flotation–tailings complex.
👉 Open Door 24 - Elatsite

About Gosselin Mining

At Gosselin Mining, we regularly work with the kind of long-life, underground operations that Kittilä represents: orogenic gold deposits in greenstone belts, complex life-of-mine planning, and ESG-driven transformations in tailings, water and energy systems.

If you’d like to:

Benchmark your own orogenic gold project against peer operations in the Nordics
Stress-test cut-off strategies and underground stoping sequences for deeper mining
Explore decarbonisation pathways and tailings-risk management for a subarctic or Arctic operation

…you’re very welcome to book a meeting with us.