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Mponeng Gold Mine

May 10, 2024

Mponeng is an ultra-deep tabular gold mine in South Africa in the Witwatersrand Basin of the Gauteng Province.[1] Previously know as Western Deep Levels No1 Shaft, the mine began operations in 1986.[2] It is one of the most substantial gold mine mines in world in terms of production and magnitude, reaching over 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) below the surface.[3][4] At this depth Mponeng takes the title of world's deepest mine from ground level, with aims to deepen the mine beyond 4km in order to reach more reserves.[5][6] A trip from the surface to its deepest point takes over an hour, but the harsh conditions of the mine did not stop an Ecuadorian marathon runner from completing a half marathon within the mine.[3][7] Mponeng comes with economic, environmental, societal, and seismic detrimental costs, but mining in South Africa has had a huge effect on the technologies of deep gold mining around the world, making South Africa a pioneering leader in gold-mining technologies.[8]

Mponeng
Above-ground operations at Mponeng mine.
Location
Mponeng
Location in South Africa
ProvinceGauteng
CountrySouth Africa
Coordinates26°26′10″S 27°25′50″E / 26.43611°S 27.43056°E / -26.43611; 27.43056
Owner
CompanyHarmony Gold
Websitehttps://www.harmony.co.za

Operations edit

History edit

As part of the Witwatersrand, the largest gold deposit on earth, Mponeng is the result of the discovery of the basin by European colonizers and settlers. Beginning in the 1850-70s a series of mineral discoveries were made in the area, including those of Pieter Jacobus Marais panning gold from a river and Henry Lewis finding quartz and gold vein on a farm, that led to the Witwatersrand Gold Rush in 1886.[9] These discoveries led to many mining operations and after shaft sinking for about 5 years (1981) Mponeng officially began mining operations in 1986.[10][11] Before Mponeng, the mine was known as the Western Deep Levels South Shaft or the No1 Shaft; the name Mponeng came into use in 1999.[10]

 
Liv Shange addresses striking mineworkers in Carletonville during 2012 national strikes.

The mine is estimated to be producing until 2029, when reserves may finally run out, the mine has been running since 1986 and has the possibly to run for 43 years.[12] current depths reach roughly 3.8km down, in the coming years of remaining production life of the mine it will likely reach beyond 4.2km depth. [12] The mine has not be running continuously since the day of opening in 1986. A seismic event in March of 2020 resulted in a stoppage of operations due to fatalities.[12] Like many other operations, Mponeng closed due to COVID-19 in May 2020, but has since returned the producing.[12][13]

Striking in South Africa's mining district was apparent in the 1900s, for example the South African gold mine strike in August 1946.[14] As Mponeng did not start operations until near the turn of the century there has not been many other notable strikes since then, other than 2012. Back in 2012, while AngloGold Ashanti was Mponeng's owner, strikes occurred.[15] The strikes were a combined result of gold and platinum industry-worker issues in South Africa.[15] AngloGold's position on the matter was to maintain safety, peace, and stability.[15] The striking action of 2012 totaled nearly 16% of the total mining workforce of South Africa, not just Mponeng.[16] AngloGold specifically experienced nearly 35,000 workers putting down there tools in the illegal strike.[17] Although not at Mponeng, the strike of 2012 included a wildcat strike at a nearby platinum mine ended with 34 miners dying from police interactions.[16]

Operations and ownership edit

Harmony Gold, Africa's largest gold producer, purchased Mponeng from AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) in 2020, for approximately $200 million. Harmony Gold also acquired Mine Waste Solutions as they gathered the remainder of AGA's assets in late 2020.[18] As of 2022, all-in costs of production were US$1771/oz (US$1614/Troy oz). Even at near record high gold prices, Mponeng is barely breaking even.[19] Gold is currently worth roughly US$2080/oz (US$1900/Troy oz).[20] Over 5,400 metric tons of rock are excavated from Mponeng each day.[21] Harmony Gold, aside from closures, has kept up operations:

The most recent publication from Harmony Gold outlines their 2023 year production:

Physical conditions edit

 
A colony of Desulforudis audaxviator, discovered in the Mponeng gold mine.. See article Life without The Sun for details

The temperature of the rock reaches 66 °C (151 °F), and the mine pumps slurry ice underground to cool the tunnel air to below 30 °C (86 °F).[23] A mixture of concrete, water, and rock is packed into excavated areas, which further acts as an insulator.[23] Tunnel walls are secured by flexible shotcrete reinforced with steel fibers, which is further held in place by diamond-mesh netting.[23]

In 2008, researchers looking for extremophile organisms discovered the bacterium Desulforudis audaxviator present within groundwater samples from kilometers deep in the mine.[24] The name 'Audaxviator' comes from the novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, which means 'descend, bold traveler, and attain the center of the Earth'.[25]

Geology and gold bearing fractures edit

The mine sits in the Witwatersrand Basin and utilizes 2 horizons: Ventersdorp Contact Reef and Carbon Leader Reef.[26] In the Mponeng mine the Ventersdorp Contact Reef is mainly interbedded quartzite and coarse conglomerates and constitutes only a meter or two of thickness.[27] The Witwatersrand Basin has experienced many surges of thrusting in the past, resulting in abundant fractures.[27] These small faults often correspond to depositional and sediment contacts.[27] It is along these faults that mineralizing fluids flow, which lead to the precipitation or mineralization of gold.[28] This complicated geologic history associates with gold mineralization to a high degree, the Witwatersrand Basin holds nearly a third of gold reserves and is responsible for over 40% of all gold.[27] Mponeng has a proven gold reserve of roughly 46 million ounces (over 1300 tons), that is more than 8x more than the second deepest gold mine 'Driefontein' also located in South Africa.[28]

The gold mineralization is likely related to hydrothermal activity, and occurs in varying lithology of conglomerates, known as the reefs stated above.[27] The stratigraphy that the gold is found in ranges in thickness, from around 10 cm to a 1-meter.[29] Gold is found in these variable thickness layers of pebble lags, stacked fluvial deposits, and other stratigraphy.[29][27] Mponeng specifically, gold is associated with previously mentioned thrust fracturing and with the following mineralizations:

  • Steep quartz/sulphide-bearing fractures
  • Sub-horizontal quartz fractures
  • Sulphide-bearing fractures
  • Ultracataclastics
  • Mesophased hydrocarbons[27]

As with most mines, Mponeng is limited to the structural control of the geology. The VCR mineralization is governed by thrust-fracture systems discussed above, largely from the Lower Kliprivierberg age.[29] The VCR and CLR themselves are around 2.7 billion years old, and have experienced lots of deformation and change.[30][31]

Environmental impacts edit

South Africa has been dealing with the effects of mining-related pollution for years; the effects of mining-related environmental damage have been large given that mining is roughly 8% of the South African GDP.[32] In 1998, mining industry contributed nearly 90% of the 533.6 million tons of waste that was produced annually.[33] According to 1998 data, gold mining is the largest single source of pollution in South Africa.[citation needed] A large portion of this occurs in the Witwatersrand Basin, home to over 270 tailings storage facilities, covering 18,000 Ha.[33]

Mining creates two main kinds of waste: waste rock piles and tailing storage facilities (TSFs).[33] Waste rock piles are the rock that must be removed in order to reach the ore; for Mponeng, the waste rock piles are consideration due to the mine's depth.[34] Tailings result from the crushing and grinding process of the ore, very fine silt sized material is produced and collected in mounds. Tailings especially come with severe environmental and health issues as they contain potentially hazardous chemicals.[33] Long-term consequences are also of concern, whether the mine activities continue, halt, or a mine is abounded, these TSFs can pose serious risk the surrounding environment.[33] Pollution has been found to persist even after 72 years of mine abandonment.[33]

Beyond the environment, the citizens of the Witwatersrand Basin have been complaining of windblown dust, most of which originates from partially rehabilitated TSFs. [35] Anglo Ashanti began recording meteorological data in 2012 and Harmony Gold has since taken over monitoring after the acquisition in 2020.[35] Citizens are concerned surrounding heavy metal content as well as silica content, as both pose serious health risks (silicosis, tuberculosis, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer).[36][37] A study in 2020 found elevated value of silica and uranium in PM10 airborne pollution from TSFs of gold mines in the area.[35]

In South Africa, heavy metal pollution from mining industry is the leading cause of soil and water pollution.[33] The pollution stems from a few sources:[33][35]

Environmental remediation edit

Two actions can begin to combat South Africa's pollution issues relating to gold mining, prevention of new pollution and remediation of old. The caveats of prevention and remediation are the fact that both of which are extremely difficult and expensive, neither the mining industry or South Africa could afford a completely turn around on pollution. [33]

Immobilizing the PTEs in the TSFs is a main focus of pollution prevention and control.[33]

  • Liming the acidic tailings to a suitable pH (>5.5) can significantly reduce the mobility of cationic PTEs. This requires large amount of lime.
  • Application of clays or organic matter with high cation capacity, with goal of PTE absorption.
  • Application of sesquioxides (M2O3) which would immobilize oxy-anionic PTEs.
  • Application of hydroxides or phosphates, similar effect of liming.

Other than prevention and remediation, it has been proposed that in order to protect environments remaining tailings materials should be removed from TSFs if containment is not secure.[38]

Seismicity edit

Seismicity in mines is common as removing mass amounts of rock can change stress dynamics, especially if pre-existing faults exist.[39] This seismicity is termed 'mining-induced seismicity', caused by the release of elastic strain but are often low moment magnitude.[39][40] Reaching beyond 1,000 events a day, events of any size pose serious risk to mining operations and employees. It is not uncommon for equipment to be damaged, or have the collapse of drifts and stopes as a result of events.[39][40]

On December 27, 2007 a dyke within Mponeng experienced a 1.9 magnitude event caused by stress change due to excavation within the mine. In March 2020 Mponeng experienced a magnitude 2 earthquake in which 3 people were killed.[41] In deep mines, vertical stress can reach an astounding 80-100 MPa, equivalent to roughly 10 km under water.[42][43][44][45] Seismicity in deep gold mines is common, and is often induced by mining activities.[40][46] Two events can be considered:[40]

  • Type A - low moment magnitude (<1), clustered in time and space, within 100m of mining surface.
    • Induced by blasting, perturbation of excavating processes, closure of stopes.
  • Type B - possible higher moment magnitude (>3), not clustered in time or space.
    • associated with friction dominated existing shear, tectonic earthquakes.

Most earthquakes at depth are mining related (Type A), typically associated with the beginning of a new stope.[47]

Research edit

One way to move forward is a better understanding of rock burst and excavation methods. A better understanding can provide better safety protocols.[48] A prominent use of deep mines and their associated, often low magnitude, earthquakes is to connect laboratory scale experiments to real world situations.[49][50] There is also considerable research trying to understand nucleation of said earthquakes,[49] and whether they work the same as larger earthquakes.[50] In Mponeng, JAGUARS (Japanese-German Acoustic Emissions Research in South Africa)[51] has emplaced a network of accelerometers and piezoelectric acoustic emissions sensors.[49] These sensors can record very small moment magnitude earthquakes, capable of recording events with frequencies from 0.7 kHz to 200 kHz (M<0.5).[47] In a one year period, 2007-2008, nearly 500,000 events were recorded, most of which with low (sub 25 kHz) frequencies.[47] The JAGUARS network in placed below the Ventersdorp Contact Reef, there are eight Acoustic Emissions sensors, two strainmeters, and one triaxial accelerometer that make up the network.[47]

In popular culture edit

 
Millan Ludena, 'From Core to Sun'. Guinness World Record Holder. https://www.flickr.com/photos/asambleanacional

Released in 2010, the American television show 'Build it Bigger' (Powderhouse Productions) hosted by Danny Forster visited Mponeng Gold Mine.[52]

Millan Ludeña, an Ecuadorian marathon runner, became the first person to run a half-marathon fully underground in the deepest part of Mponeng Gold Mine. A Guinness World Records adjudicator was on hand to document the race and issued the certificate for the deepest half-marathon.[53] Inversely, it became Millan's goal to run as far, and as close to the Sun as he could. Later, after Mponeng, Millan ran up Mt. Chimborazo in Ecuador.[54] Millan has a movie called 'From Core to Sun' released in 2018 about his achievements.[55]

See also edit

References edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mponeng Gold Mine.
  1. ^ Ziegler, Moritz; Reiter, Karsten; Heidbach, Oliver; Zang, Arno; Kwiatek, Grzegorz; Stromeyer, Dietrich; Dahm, Torsten; Dresen, Georg; Hofmann, Gerhard (1 October 2015). "Mining-Induced Stress Transfer and Its Relation to a M1.9 Seismic Event in an Ultra-deep South African Gold Mine". Pure and Applied Geophysics. 172 (10): 2557–2570. doi:10.1007/s00024-015-1033-x. ISSN 1420-9136.
  2. ^ www.harmony.co.za https://www.harmony.co.za/operations/south-africa/underground/mponeng/#:~:text=The%20mine,%20which%20began%20producing,and%203%20740m%20below%20surface. Retrieved 12 March 2024. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
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May 10, 2024
mponeng, gold, mine, mponeng, ultra, deep, tabular, gold, mine, south, africa, witwatersrand, basin, gauteng, province, previously, know, western, deep, levels, shaft, mine, began, operations, 1986, most, substantial, gold, mine, mines, world, terms, productio. Mponeng is an ultra deep tabular gold mine in South Africa in the Witwatersrand Basin of the Gauteng Province 1 Previously know as Western Deep Levels No1 Shaft the mine began operations in 1986 2 It is one of the most substantial gold mine mines in world in terms of production and magnitude reaching over 4 kilometres 2 5 mi below the surface 3 4 At this depth Mponeng takes the title of world s deepest mine from ground level with aims to deepen the mine beyond 4km in order to reach more reserves 5 6 A trip from the surface to its deepest point takes over an hour but the harsh conditions of the mine did not stop an Ecuadorian marathon runner from completing a half marathon within the mine 3 7 Mponeng comes with economic environmental societal and seismic detrimental costs but mining in South Africa has had a huge effect on the technologies of deep gold mining around the world making South Africa a pioneering leader in gold mining technologies 8 MponengAbove ground operations at Mponeng mine LocationMponengLocation in South AfricaProvinceGautengCountrySouth AfricaCoordinates26 26 10 S 27 25 50 E 26 43611 S 27 43056 E 26 43611 27 43056OwnerCompanyHarmony GoldWebsitehttps www harmony co za Contents 1 Operations 1 1 History 1 2 Operations and ownership 2 Physical conditions 3 Geology and gold bearing fractures 4 Environmental impacts 4 1 Environmental remediation 5 Seismicity 5 1 Research 6 In popular culture 7 See also 8 ReferencesOperations editHistory edit As part of the Witwatersrand the largest gold deposit on earth Mponeng is the result of the discovery of the basin by European colonizers and settlers Beginning in the 1850 70s a series of mineral discoveries were made in the area including those of Pieter Jacobus Marais panning gold from a river and Henry Lewis finding quartz and gold vein on a farm that led to the Witwatersrand Gold Rush in 1886 9 These discoveries led to many mining operations and after shaft sinking for about 5 years 1981 Mponeng officially began mining operations in 1986 10 11 Before Mponeng the mine was known as the Western Deep Levels South Shaft or the No1 Shaft the name Mponeng came into use in 1999 10 nbsp Liv Shange addresses striking mineworkers in Carletonville during 2012 national strikes The mine is estimated to be producing until 2029 when reserves may finally run out the mine has been running since 1986 and has the possibly to run for 43 years 12 current depths reach roughly 3 8km down in the coming years of remaining production life of the mine it will likely reach beyond 4 2km depth 12 The mine has not be running continuously since the day of opening in 1986 A seismic event in March of 2020 resulted in a stoppage of operations due to fatalities 12 Like many other operations Mponeng closed due to COVID 19 in May 2020 but has since returned the producing 12 13 Striking in South Africa s mining district was apparent in the 1900s for example the South African gold mine strike in August 1946 14 As Mponeng did not start operations until near the turn of the century there has not been many other notable strikes since then other than 2012 Back in 2012 while AngloGold Ashanti was Mponeng s owner strikes occurred 15 The strikes were a combined result of gold and platinum industry worker issues in South Africa 15 AngloGold s position on the matter was to maintain safety peace and stability 15 The striking action of 2012 totaled nearly 16 of the total mining workforce of South Africa not just Mponeng 16 AngloGold specifically experienced nearly 35 000 workers putting down there tools in the illegal strike 17 Although not at Mponeng the strike of 2012 included a wildcat strike at a nearby platinum mine ended with 34 miners dying from police interactions 16 Operations and ownership edit Harmony Gold Africa s largest gold producer purchased Mponeng from AngloGold Ashanti AGA in 2020 for approximately 200 million Harmony Gold also acquired Mine Waste Solutions as they gathered the remainder of AGA s assets in late 2020 18 As of 2022 all in costs of production were US 1771 oz US 1614 Troy oz Even at near record high gold prices Mponeng is barely breaking even 19 Gold is currently worth roughly US 2080 oz US 1900 Troy oz 20 Over 5 400 metric tons of rock are excavated from Mponeng each day 21 Harmony Gold aside from closures has kept up operations The most recent publication from Harmony Gold outlines their 2023 year production Produced 7 449 kg 239 490 oz of gold 22 better source needed Grade 8 43g t 22 Volume of ore milled 884 000 tons 22 Physical conditions edit nbsp A colony of Desulforudis audaxviator discovered in the Mponeng gold mine See article Life without The Sun for details The temperature of the rock reaches 66 C 151 F and the mine pumps slurry ice underground to cool the tunnel air to below 30 C 86 F 23 A mixture of concrete water and rock is packed into excavated areas which further acts as an insulator 23 Tunnel walls are secured by flexible shotcrete reinforced with steel fibers which is further held in place by diamond mesh netting 23 In 2008 researchers looking for extremophile organisms discovered the bacterium Desulforudis audaxviator present within groundwater samples from kilometers deep in the mine 24 The name Audaxviator comes from the novel Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne which means descend bold traveler and attain the center of the Earth 25 Geology and gold bearing fractures editThe mine sits in the Witwatersrand Basin and utilizes 2 horizons Ventersdorp Contact Reef and Carbon Leader Reef 26 In the Mponeng mine the Ventersdorp Contact Reef is mainly interbedded quartzite and coarse conglomerates and constitutes only a meter or two of thickness 27 The Witwatersrand Basin has experienced many surges of thrusting in the past resulting in abundant fractures 27 These small faults often correspond to depositional and sediment contacts 27 It is along these faults that mineralizing fluids flow which lead to the precipitation or mineralization of gold 28 This complicated geologic history associates with gold mineralization to a high degree the Witwatersrand Basin holds nearly a third of gold reserves and is responsible for over 40 of all gold 27 Mponeng has a proven gold reserve of roughly 46 million ounces over 1300 tons that is more than 8x more than the second deepest gold mine Driefontein also located in South Africa 28 The gold mineralization is likely related to hydrothermal activity and occurs in varying lithology of conglomerates known as the reefs stated above 27 The stratigraphy that the gold is found in ranges in thickness from around 10 cm to a 1 meter 29 Gold is found in these variable thickness layers of pebble lags stacked fluvial deposits and other stratigraphy 29 27 Mponeng specifically gold is associated with previously mentioned thrust fracturing and with the following mineralizations Steep quartz sulphide bearing fractures Sub horizontal quartz fractures Sulphide bearing fractures Ultracataclastics Mesophased hydrocarbons 27 As with most mines Mponeng is limited to the structural control of the geology The VCR mineralization is governed by thrust fracture systems discussed above largely from the Lower Kliprivierberg age 29 The VCR and CLR themselves are around 2 7 billion years old and have experienced lots of deformation and change 30 31 Environmental impacts editSouth Africa has been dealing with the effects of mining related pollution for years the effects of mining related environmental damage have been large given that mining is roughly 8 of the South African GDP 32 In 1998 mining industry contributed nearly 90 of the 533 6 million tons of waste that was produced annually 33 According to 1998 data gold mining is the largest single source of pollution in South Africa citation needed A large portion of this occurs in the Witwatersrand Basin home to over 270 tailings storage facilities covering 18 000 Ha 33 Mining creates two main kinds of waste waste rock piles and tailing storage facilities TSFs 33 Waste rock piles are the rock that must be removed in order to reach the ore for Mponeng the waste rock piles are consideration due to the mine s depth 34 Tailings result from the crushing and grinding process of the ore very fine silt sized material is produced and collected in mounds Tailings especially come with severe environmental and health issues as they contain potentially hazardous chemicals 33 Long term consequences are also of concern whether the mine activities continue halt or a mine is abounded these TSFs can pose serious risk the surrounding environment 33 Pollution has been found to persist even after 72 years of mine abandonment 33 Beyond the environment the citizens of the Witwatersrand Basin have been complaining of windblown dust most of which originates from partially rehabilitated TSFs 35 Anglo Ashanti began recording meteorological data in 2012 and Harmony Gold has since taken over monitoring after the acquisition in 2020 35 Citizens are concerned surrounding heavy metal content as well as silica content as both pose serious health risks silicosis tuberculosis bronchitis chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD lung cancer 36 37 A study in 2020 found elevated value of silica and uranium in PM10 airborne pollution from TSFs of gold mines in the area 35 In South Africa heavy metal pollution from mining industry is the leading cause of soil and water pollution 33 The pollution stems from a few sources 33 35 Acid mine drainage AMD Salinization Elevated levels of potentially toxic elements PTE Mainly heavy metals also including arsenic metalloid Airborne dust Environmental remediation edit Two actions can begin to combat South Africa s pollution issues relating to gold mining prevention of new pollution and remediation of old The caveats of prevention and remediation are the fact that both of which are extremely difficult and expensive neither the mining industry or South Africa could afford a completely turn around on pollution 33 Immobilizing the PTEs in the TSFs is a main focus of pollution prevention and control 33 Liming the acidic tailings to a suitable pH gt 5 5 can significantly reduce the mobility of cationic PTEs This requires large amount of lime Application of clays or organic matter with high cation capacity with goal of PTE absorption Application of sesquioxides M2O3 which would immobilize oxy anionic PTEs Application of hydroxides or phosphates similar effect of liming Other than prevention and remediation it has been proposed that in order to protect environments remaining tailings materials should be removed from TSFs if containment is not secure 38 Seismicity editSeismicity in mines is common as removing mass amounts of rock can change stress dynamics especially if pre existing faults exist 39 This seismicity is termed mining induced seismicity caused by the release of elastic strain but are often low moment magnitude 39 40 Reaching beyond 1 000 events a day events of any size pose serious risk to mining operations and employees It is not uncommon for equipment to be damaged or have the collapse of drifts and stopes as a result of events 39 40 On December 27 2007 a dyke within Mponeng experienced a 1 9 magnitude event caused by stress change due to excavation within the mine In March 2020 Mponeng experienced a magnitude 2 earthquake in which 3 people were killed 41 In deep mines vertical stress can reach an astounding 80 100 MPa equivalent to roughly 10 km under water 42 43 44 45 Seismicity in deep gold mines is common and is often induced by mining activities 40 46 Two events can be considered 40 Type A low moment magnitude lt 1 clustered in time and space within 100m of mining surface Induced by blasting perturbation of excavating processes closure of stopes Type B possible higher moment magnitude gt 3 not clustered in time or space associated with friction dominated existing shear tectonic earthquakes Most earthquakes at depth are mining related Type A typically associated with the beginning of a new stope 47 Research edit One way to move forward is a better understanding of rock burst and excavation methods A better understanding can provide better safety protocols 48 A prominent use of deep mines and their associated often low magnitude earthquakes is to connect laboratory scale experiments to real world situations 49 50 There is also considerable research trying to understand nucleation of said earthquakes 49 and whether they work the same as larger earthquakes 50 In Mponeng JAGUARS Japanese German Acoustic Emissions Research in South Africa 51 has emplaced a network of accelerometers and piezoelectric acoustic emissions sensors 49 These sensors can record very small moment magnitude earthquakes capable of recording events with frequencies from 0 7 kHz to 200 kHz M lt 0 5 47 In a one year period 2007 2008 nearly 500 000 events were recorded most of which with low sub 25 kHz frequencies 47 The JAGUARS network in placed below the Ventersdorp Contact Reef there are eight Acoustic Emissions sensors two strainmeters and one triaxial accelerometer that make up the network 47 In popular culture edit nbsp Millan Ludena From Core to Sun Guinness World Record Holder https www flickr com photos asambleanacional Released in 2010 the American television show Build it Bigger Powderhouse Productions hosted by Danny Forster visited Mponeng Gold Mine 52 Millan Ludena an Ecuadorian marathon runner became the first person to run a half marathon fully underground in the deepest part of Mponeng Gold Mine A Guinness World Records adjudicator was on hand to document the race and issued the certificate for the deepest half marathon 53 Inversely it became Millan s goal to run as far and as close to the Sun as he could Later after Mponeng Millan ran up Mt Chimborazo in Ecuador 54 Millan has a movie called From Core to Sun released in 2018 about his achievements 55 See also editGold Mines Witwatersrand Seismicity Tailings Gauteng Acid mine drainageReferences edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mponeng Gold Mine Ziegler Moritz Reiter Karsten Heidbach Oliver Zang Arno Kwiatek Grzegorz Stromeyer Dietrich Dahm Torsten Dresen Georg Hofmann Gerhard 1 October 2015 Mining Induced Stress Transfer and Its Relation to a M1 9 Seismic Event in an Ultra deep South African Gold Mine Pure and Applied Geophysics 172 10 2557 2570 doi 10 1007 s00024 015 1033 x ISSN 1420 9136 www harmony co za https www harmony co za operations south africa underground mponeng text The 20mine 20which 20began 20producing and 203 20740m 20below 20surface Retrieved 12 March 2024 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help a b Wadhams Nick 11 March 2011 Gold Standards How miners dig for riches in a 2 mile deep furnace Vol 19 No 3 ed Wired p 42 Mponeng Gold Mine Gauteng Mining Technology Retrieved 17 February 2024 Praveen 11 June 2019 The top ten deepest mines in the world Mining Technology Retrieved 17 February 2024 Manzi M 16 June 2014 3D Seismic Imaging of the Ghost Carbon Leader Reef of the World s Deepest Gold Mine Mponeng Gold Mine South Africa EAGE Proceedings 76th EAGE Conference and Exhibition Workshops European Association of Geoscientists amp Engineers cp doi 10 3997 2214 4609 20140511 ISBN 978 90 73834 90 3 via EarthDoc Garcia Sergio 23 September 2017 Ecuadorian sets record in run 4 000m below surface www aa com tr Retrieved 17 February 2024 Vegter Ivo 2018 Why Mining Still Matters South Africa Institute of Race Relations 11 Cairncross Bruce 4 July 2021 The Witwatersrand Goldfield South Africa Rocks amp Minerals 96 4 296 351 Bibcode 2021RoMin 96 296C doi 10 1080 00357529 2021 1901207 ISSN 0035 7529 a b Barradas Sheila Mponeng mine South Africa Mining Weekly Retrieved 12 March 2024 www harmony co za https www harmony co za operations south africa underground mponeng text The 20mine 20which 20began 20producing and 203 20740m 20below 20surface Retrieved 12 March 2024 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Missing or empty title help a b c d Mponeng Gold Mine South Africa The World s Deepest Mine Retrieved 12 March 2024 Bongaerts Dion Mazzola Francesco Wagner Wolf 14 May 2021 Closed for business The mortality impact of business closures during the Covid 19 pandemic PLOS ONE 16 5 e0251373 doi 10 1371 journal pone 0251373 ISSN 1932 6203 PMC 8121299 PMID 33989322 James Wilmot G 1987 Grounds for a Strike South African Gold Mining in the 1940s African Economic History 16 1 22 doi 10 2307 3601267 ISSN 0145 2258 JSTOR 3601267 a b c McKay David Strikes shut down 40 of SA gold Business Retrieved 24 March 2024 a b Press RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated 4 October 2012 Striking SAfrican miners find strength in numbers CNBC Retrieved 24 March 2024 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Smith David 26 September 2012 South African s goldmines beset by simmering resentment The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 24 March 2024 Mponeng Gold Mine South Africa The World s Deepest Mine Retrieved 12 March 2024 Burron Ian 13 April 2023 How Low Can you go The Challenges of Deep Mining Geology for Investors www geologyforinvestors com Retrieved 17 February 2024 Gold Statistics and Information U S Geological Survey www usgs gov Retrieved 16 February 2024 Wadhams Nick 11 March 2011 Gold Standards How miners dig for riches in a 2 mile deep furnace Vol 19 No 3 ed Wired p 42 a b c Mponeng Operating Performance FY23 www harmony co za Retrieved 29 February 2024 a b c Cite error The named reference Wired was invoked but never defined see the help page Timmer John 9 October 2008 In the deep a community of one Ars Technica Retrieved 1 June 2015 NASA Astrobiology astrobiology nasa gov Retrieved 29 February 2024 Manzi M 16 June 2014 3D Seismic Imaging of the Ghost Carbon Leader Reef of the World s Deepest Gold Mine Mponeng Gold Mine South Africa EAGE Proceedings 76th EAGE Conference and Exhibition Workshops European Association of Geoscientists amp Engineers cp doi 10 3997 2214 4609 20140511 ISBN 978 90 73834 90 3 via EarthDoc a b c d e f g Jolley S J Freeman S R Barnicoat A C Phillips G M Knipe R J Pather A Fox N P C Strydom D Birch M T G Henderson I H C Rowland T W 1 June 2004 Structural controls on Witwatersrand gold mineralisation Journal of Structural Geology 26 6 1067 1086 Bibcode 2004JSG 26 1067J doi 10 1016 j jsg 2003 11 011 ISSN 0191 8141 a b Cairncross Bruce 4 July 2021 The Witwatersrand Goldfield South Africa Rocks amp Minerals 96 4 296 351 Bibcode 2021RoMin 96 296C doi 10 1080 00357529 2021 1901207 ISSN 0035 7529 a b c Jolley S J Freeman S R Barnicoat A C Phillips G M Knipe R J Pather A Fox N P C Strydom D Birch M T G Henderson I H C Rowland T W 1 June 2004 Structural controls on Witwatersrand gold mineralisation Journal of Structural Geology 26 6 1067 1086 Bibcode 2004JSG 26 1067J doi 10 1016 j jsg 2003 11 011 ISSN 0191 8141 Jolley S J Henderson I H C Barnicoat A C Fox N P C 1999 Thrust fracture network and hydrothermal gold mineralization Witwatersrand Basin South Africa Geological Society London Special Publications 155 153 165 doi 10 1144 GSL SP 1999 155 01 12 Large R R Meffre S Burnett R Guy B Bull S Gilbert S Goemann K Leonid D 2013 Evidence for an Intrabasinal Source and Multiple Concentration Processes in the Formation of the Carbon Leader Reef Witwatersrand Supergroup South Africa Economic Geology 108 6 1215 1241 doi 10 2113 econgeo 108 6 1215 Moncks Tycho 9 February 2023 An Untapped Goldmine Opportunities for South African Mining BCG Global Retrieved 9 April 2024 a b c d e f g h i j Laker Michiel C June 2023 Environmental Impacts of Gold Mining With Special Reference to South Africa Mining 3 2 205 220 doi 10 3390 mining3020012 ISSN 2673 6489 Praveen 11 June 2019 The top ten deepest mines in the world Mining Technology Retrieved 17 February 2024 a b c d Mpanza Mbalenhle Adam Elhadi Moolla Raeesa January 2020 Dust Deposition Impacts at a Liquidated Gold Mine Village Gauteng Province in South Africa International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17 14 4929 doi 10 3390 ijerph17144929 ISSN 1660 4601 PMC 7400412 PMID 32650563 Maseki J 2017 Health risk posed by enriched heavy metals As Cd and Cr in airborne particles from Witwatersrand gold tailings Journal of the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy 117 7 663 669 doi 10 17159 2411 9717 2017 v117n7a8 Merget R Bauer T Kupper H Philippou S Bauer H Breitstadt R Bruening T 1 January 2002 Health hazards due to the inhalation of amorphous silica Archives of Toxicology 75 11 625 634 doi 10 1007 s002040100266 ISSN 1432 0738 PMID 11876495 Rosner T van Schalkwyk A 1 October 2000 The environmental impact of gold mine tailings footprints in the Johannesburg region South Africa Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 59 2 137 148 doi 10 1007 s100640000037 ISSN 1435 9537 a b c Li T Cai M F Cai M December 2007 A review of mining induced seismicity in China International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 44 8 1149 1171 Bibcode 2007IJRMM 44 1149L doi 10 1016 j ijrmms 2007 06 002 ISSN 1365 1609 a b c d Richardson Eliza Jordan Thomas H 2002 Seismicity in Deep Gold Mines of South Africa Implications for Tectonic Earthquakes Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 92 5 1766 1782 Bibcode 2002BuSSA 92 1766R doi 10 1785 0120000226 Reporter Creamer Media Three killed in fall of ground at AngloGold s Mponeng Mining Weekly Retrieved 12 March 2024 US Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration How does pressure change with ocean depth oceanservice noaa gov Retrieved 8 March 2024 Ziegler Moritz Reiter Karsten Heidbach Oliver Zang Arno Kwiatek Grzegorz Stromeyer Dietrich Dahm Torsten Dresen Georg Hofmann Gerhard 1 October 2015 Mining Induced Stress Transfer and Its Relation to a M1 9 Seismic Event in an Ultra deep South African Gold Mine Pure and Applied Geophysics 172 10 2557 2570 doi 10 1007 s00024 015 1033 x ISSN 1420 9136 S2CID 199492287 Kozlowska Maria Orlecka Sikora Beata Kwiatek Grzegorz Boettcher Margaret S Dresen Georg 19 December 2014 Nanoseismicity and picoseismicity rate changes from static stress triggering caused by a M w 2 2 earthquake in Mponeng gold mine South Africa Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth 120 1 290 307 doi 10 1002 2014JB011410 ISSN 2169 9313 via AGU Kwiatek G Plenkers K Nakatani Y Yabe Y Dresen G 2010 Frequency Magnitude Characteristics Down to Magnitude 4 4 for Induced Seismicity Recorded at Mponeng Gold Mine South Africa Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 100 3 1165 1173 Bibcode 2010BuSSA 100 1165K doi 10 1785 0120090277 via GeoScienceWorld Riemer K L Durrheim R J 25 September 2012 Mining seismicity in the Witwatersrand Basin monitoring mechanisms and mitigation strategies in perspective Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering 4 3 228 249 Bibcode 2012JRMGE 4 228R doi 10 3724 SP J 1235 2012 00228 ISSN 1674 7755 a b c d Plenkers K Kwiatek G Nakatani M Dresen G 1 May 2010 Observation of Seismic Events with Frequencies f gt 25 kHz at Mponeng Deep Gold Mine South Africa Seismological Research Letters 81 3 467 479 Bibcode 2010SeiRL 81 467P doi 10 1785 gssrl 81 3 467 ISSN 0895 0695 Li T Cai M F Cai M 1 December 2007 A review of mining induced seismicity in China International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences 44 8 1149 1171 Bibcode 2007IJRMM 44 1149L doi 10 1016 j ijrmms 2007 06 002 ISSN 1365 1609 a b c Kwiatek G Plenkers K Nakatani M Yabe Y Dressen G JAGUARS Group 2010 Frequency Magnitude Characteristics Down to Magnitude 4 4 for Induced Seismicity Recorded at Mponeng Gold Mine South Africa Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 100 3 1165 1173 Bibcode 2010BuSSA 100 1165K doi 10 1785 0120090277 via GeoScienceWorld a b Kwiatek G Plenkers K Drensen G JAGUARS Research Group 2011 Source Parameters of Picoseismicity Recorded at Mponeng Deep Gold Mine South Africa Implications for Scaling Relations Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America 101 6 2592 2608 Bibcode 2011BuSSA 101 2592K doi 10 1785 0120110094 via GeoScienceWorld JAGUARS induced pl www induced pl Retrieved 8 March 2024 South Africa s Mponeng Gold Mine Build It Bigger Danny Forster 13 May 2010 retrieved 8 March 2024 a href Template Citation html title Template Citation citation a CS1 maint others link Garcia Sergio 23 September 2017 Ecuadorian sets record in run 4 000m below surface Anadolu Agency This Endurance Athlete Finished Three of the Most Challenging Races on Earth Men s Health 5 September 2019 Retrieved 8 March 2024 Garland Oliver Lee 1 June 2018 From Core to Sun Documentary Levector Levector retrieved 8 March 2024 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mponeng Gold Mine amp oldid 1222539425, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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