page_title: Kittilä mine
section_title: Open pit
hierarchical_section_title: Kittilä mine / Mining operation / Open pit
caption_attribution_description: English: Caterpillar Dumper 777D, in Alguaire Airport building (Catalonia).
context_page_description: Kittilä mine, also known as Suurikuusikko mine, is a gold mine in Kittilä, in the Lapland Province of Finland. The mine is owned and operated by Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited and is located 36 kilometres north-east of Kittilä. Exploration began in 1986, and production started in 2008. The mine is composed of two open pits, with the proceeds of the operation funding an underground mining operation, accessed by a ramp from surface and utilizing both transverse and longitudinal long-hole stoping methods. The mine utilizes on-site concentrating to produce Doré bars for shipment off-site for refinement, and is scheduled to produce 150,000 ounces of gold in 2009.
context_section_description: The ore zone at the Kittilä mine (mined by what are known as the Suuri and Roura pits) is approximately 4.5 km (2.8 mi) long, 3.3 km (2.1 mi) wide, 1.1 km (0.68 mi) deep. Drilling is done using both Sandvik and Atlas Copco drill rigs, with ore being loaded into Caterpillar 777 dump trucks (pictured) by Caterpillar 385 hydraulic excavators. Mining in the pits is expected to last for up to five years. Proceeds from the pits are being used to finance the underground mining operation. The pit produces 65,000 tonnes (72,000 short tons) of material per month, removing eight tons of waste per ton of ore. Provided they are able to acquire larger trucks, Agnico will increase their monthly tonnage to 100,000 tonnes (110,000 short tons).
caption: Caterpillar 777
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