The Kiena Mine Complex area is located in northwestern Quebec, straddling the southern part of the Abitibi greenstone belt (AGB) and the northern part of the Pontiac Subprovince:
- The AGB comprises E-trending successions of folded and faulted volcanic and sedimentary rocks and intervening domes of intrusive rocks. An important geologic feature of the AGB is the occurrence of major, E-trending ductile-brittle fault zones. These zones cut across the entire belt from the Kapuskasing structural zone in the west to the Grenville front in the east, dividing the supracrustal rocks and intervening domes into distinct lozenge-shaped domains. The most two important fault zones in the southern AGB are Destor-Porcupine fault zone (DPFZ) in the north and Larder Lake-Cadillac fault zone (LLCFZ) in the south.
- The Pontiac Subprovince (PS) consists principally of a turbiditic succession composed of graywacke and mudstone with minor intercalated conglomerate and basalt.

The Kiena Complex area has a series of large-scale shear zones and related subsidiary faults trending ESE-WNW to SE-NW, subparallel to stratigraphy and dipping steeply to the north. They are, from south to north: the Larder Lake-Cadillac Fault Zone (LLCFZ), the Parfouru Fault (PF), the Marbenite Fault (MF), the Norbenite Fault (NF), the Callahan Fault (CF), the K Shear Zone (KSZ) and the Rivière Héva Fault (RHF). The Kiena Complex area is cut by all of them. The shear zones contain dykes or stocks of monzonitic or tonalitic composition that vary widely in age (pre-, syn- or post-tectonic) and are spatially associated with gold mines (Norlartic, Marban, Kiena, Sullivan, Goldex, Siscoe, Joubi, Sigma and Lamaque). The observed diversity in the styles and ages of gold mineralization related to these large-scale shear zones demonstrates that several distinct episodes of mineralization occurred.

Gold mineralization on the Kiena Mine Complex shares many geological attributes with other vein-type gold deposits of the Val-d’Or district and with orogenic gold deposits (also known as lode gold, greenstone-hosted quartz-carbonate vein, or mesothermal deposits) in terms of host rock composition, mineralogy and hydrothermal alteration.

Gold mineralization in the property occurs in all rock types except the Proterozoic dykes but is more common in intrusive bodies and basalt as these acted as competent rock units that promoted fracturing during deformation. Gold mineralization is concentrated where there is a marked competency contrast between these competent units and the adjacent deformed komatiite and/or chlorite-talc schists. There are at least two main gold mineralizing events in the region: young deposits in which the gold mineralization did not experience much deformation after its emplacement; and early mineralization in which mineralized bodies are commonly affected by D1 asymmetric folds, are highly strained and are locally dismembered. In a few deposits, both generations are present. Gold-bearing veins in the region exhibit a great variety of orientations, mineralogy and crosscutting relationships.

At least 63 mineralized zones have been observed on the property. In general, mineralized zones on the property occur near a large-scale fault. They are often associated with a subsidiary shear zone that may be proximal, adjacent or host to the mineralization. Alteration minerals are dominantly albite, carbonates and pyrite with lesser chlorite and silica.

The presence in the same area of more than three types of gold-bearing veins exhibiting a wide range of orientations, mineralogy and crosscutting relationships, and the fact that several generations of dykes and veins are involved, suggests that gold mineralization was the product of multiple mineralizing phases (Beausoleil et al., 2019).

Future mining will continue utilizing the historical longhole mining method.

Development will be performed utilizing standard development methods with electric hydraulic jumbos, LHD and scissor lifts for services and ground support. Sills will be developed utilizing the same equipment and will be driven longitudinally along the lenses from either the existing development or new ramps (VC and Kiena Deep zones).

Bottom-up mining is planned with level mining retreating longitudinally along the lenses towards the access. Production mining will utilize electric-hydraulic top hammer drills (downhole and uphole capable) and LHDs for mucking. Mining activities for a stope will consist of:
- Slot raise drilling;
- Production hole drilling;
- Slot blasting and mucking;
- Production blasting and mucking;
- Backfilling.

Underhand longhole mining will be utilized when mining under previously mined areas. This will occur in the Kiena Deep Zone when mining fronts advance under a completed mining front. The same equipment will be utilized for mining, and, at this time, upper drilling for the stopes.

The crushing circuit starts underground with a Birdsboro Buchanan jaw-crusher, reducing the rock size to 6 inches. The mineralized material entering the plant has therefore a maximum grain size of 6 inches. The former design plant throughput is 1,250 tpd, however, with the addition a screen and cone crusher, the plant has run as high as 2,000 tpd. The crushed material receiving facilities start with a 35-tonne capacity hopper equipped with a 30" x 10' vibrating feeder and a 30-inch belt conveyor, which transfers the crushed material onto the existing No. 1 belt conveyor. Conveyor No. 1 will transport the crushed material in two coarse rock silos, both with a capacity of 600 tonnes. The material discharged from the silos is conveyed, screened and crushed to approximately 1¼" (32 mm). The crushing unit is a standard cone crusher (150 kW) operating in an open circuit. The crushed and screened material is then stored in a 1,800-tonne silo. The crushed material is then conveyed by vibrating feeders to the grinding circuit via a belt conveyor.

The mineralised material will be ground in a 1,000 hp semi-autogenous (SAG) mill (11'6" x 18'8") operating in an open circuit, followed by a 900 hp ball mill (10'6" x 13') operating in closed circuit and two stages of cyclones for classification. If necessary, cyanide and lead nitrate can be added at the SAG mill and ball mill. The pH is controlled using quicklime in the feed to the SAG mill.

The Kiena Mine Complex was designed with a plant throughput of 1,250 tpd, however crushing capacity was added, and the plant has run as high as 2,000 tpd in the past.

The design criteria is based on a process plant design throughput of 829 tpd (years 2021 to 2023) and 869 tpd (year 2024 and beyond). The design values were selected from the highest throughput from each phase.

The principal process steps included crushing, grinding, leaching by cyanidation, gold adsorption and desorption, electrolysis, cyanide destruction, melting and casting of doré bars.

Cyanidation
Thickener overflow will be pumped to a series of three carbon columns tanks where the gold in solution will be adsorbed by the carbon. The last carbon column in the series will overflow into a carbon screen where the oversize will be sent to the second CIP tank. The screen undersize (solution with cyanide, collected in the grinding solution tank) will be recycled back to the grinding ci ........