How deep are the mines at Witwatersrand in South Africa?
How deep are the mines at Witwatersrand in South Africa?
3600m
The Witwatersrand is a large basin of metamorphosed conglomerates that forms the greatest goldfield in the world. It occurs across four provinces in South Africa. It stretches for 350 km long by 200 km wide with a thickness that can exceed 10,000m. The mines have reached depths of 3600m.
Which mineral is mined at Witwatersrand?
gold
The Witwatersrand Basin is a largely underground geological formation which surfaces in the Witwatersrand. It holds the world’s largest known gold reserves and has produced over 1.5 billion ounces (over 40,000 metric tons), which represents about 22% of all the gold accounted for above the surface.
What are deep level mines?
The exploitation of coal or mineral deposits by underground mining methods. ‘Deep’ is often interpreted as meaning 5,000 ft (1.5 km) or more, where stresses are high enough to cause sloughing of development openings, not to mention walls and faces in stopes.
How deep is the South Deep gold mine?
South Deep Gold Mine is an intermediate to deep level gold mine comprising two shaft systems that mine various auriferous conglomerates from open ground and pillars that occur at depths between 1,575 m and 3,500 m below surface.
Why is there so much gold in Witwatersrand?
South Africa is famous for its rich deposits of gold, the vast majority of which come from the Witwatersrand Basin, an underground geological formation believed to have once been the floor of a prehistoric sea where rivers deposited their sediments, forming gold and other minerals.
What is the deepest underground mine in the world?
Top 10 Deepest Mines in the World
- Mponeng Gold Mine. Operating depth: ranged from between 2.4 km to more than 3.9 km below the surface.
- TauTona Gold Mine.
- Savuka Gold Mine.
- Driefontein Mine.
- Kusasalethu Gold Mine.
- Moab Khotsong Gold Mine.
- South Deep Gold Mine.
- Kidd Creek Copper and Zinc Mine.
Which is the richest mine in South Africa?
AngloGold Ashanti’s Mponeng mine is located in Gauteng province of South Africa. It is mined to an average depth of 2,800m-3,400m below surface and is one of the world’s deepest and richest gold mines with grades at over 8g/t.
What is the biggest mining company in the world?
Glencore
List of largest mining companies by revenue
| No. | Company | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glencore | Switzerland, United Kingdom |
| 2 | BHP | Australia, United Kingdom |
| 3 | Rio Tinto | United Kingdom, Australia |
| 4 | China Shenhua Energy | China |
What is the deepest mine on earth?
Is there gold in the Vaal River?
It adjoins Kopanang and Moab Khotsong as part of AngloGold’s extensive Vaal River operations, which comprise four gold plants, one uranium plant and a sulphuric acid plant. In 2008, the Vaal River operations (including surface operations) produced 34,785kg (1,119,000oz) of gold, equivalent to 22% of group production.
Who discovered gold on the Witwatersrand?
George Harrison
The original discovery of Witwatersrand gold was by George Harrison in February 1886.
Where is half of the gold in the world found?
It’s estimated that half of the world’s gold was mined from South Africa’s “golden arc.” In 1886, after years of rumors, legends, and smaller discoveries, it was definitively established that there was a huge, rich deposit of gold under the Witwatersrand, a rocky ridge in South Africa.
Where are the mines in the Witwatersrand Basin?
The Witwatersrand Basin Project (WBP) comprises two historic mining centres known as the Durban Roodepoort Deep and the Rand Leases on the Northern Edge of the Witwatersrand Basin in the Central Rand Goldfield immediately southwest of the city of Johannesburg (Figure 1).
When was gold discovered in the Witwatersrand Basin?
Mining in the Witwatersrand Basin here has been the source of about one third to one half of the gold ever produced in the world. Gold was discovered in the Johannesburg area in 1886 and after 120 years of continuous operation, mining is currently approaching depths of 4 000 m.
Who was the first gold miner in the Witwatersrand?
William Knight registered the first mining company on the Witwatersrand, the Witwatersrand Gold Mining Company, in September 1886. Goch founded the George Goch Gold Mining Company in 1886 and the Wemmer Gold Mining Company in 1887.
Where is the deep gold mine in South Africa?
Image courtesy of Gold Fields. South Deep gold mine has a current depth of 2,995m below the surface. Image courtesy of Gold Fields. The South Deep gold mine is located in the Mpumalanga region of South Africa and one of the world’s biggest gold mines. It is also the seventh deepest mine in the world with a depth of 2,995m below the surface.