Back Mina d'or d'Mponeng Catalan Mponeng Czech Mina de oro de Mponeng Spanish Mponeng French Miniera di Mponeng Italian Шахта Мпоненг Russian Mponeng Swedish Мпоненг Ukrainian
 Above-ground operations at Mponeng mine. | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
  Mponeng Location in South Africa | |
| Province | Gauteng |
| Country | South Africa |
| Coordinates | 26°26′10″S 27°25′50″E / 26.43611°S 27.43056°E |
| Owner | |
| Company | Harmony Gold |
| Website | https://www.harmony.co.za |
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 mines in the 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] South Africa’s mineral resources are the lifeblood of the economy with mining a foundational industry that supports a very large number of people, companies and industries, including entire towns and cities. The depth of some of those resources, including Mponeng, have made South Africa a pioneering leader in deep gold-mining technologies.[8]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HarmonyOverviewwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ 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 & 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 (2019). "Why Mining Still Matters" (PDF). South Africa Institute of Race Relations.