TauTona Mine

Western Deep Levels or West Wits Operations is a mining area south of Carletonville, South Africa. The South African mining company AngloGold Ashanti builds there in three mines of gold. The mines are the deepest in the world with up to 4000 meters depth.

Survey

AngloGold Ashanti promoted in 2010 in South Africa a total of 1.78 million ounces of gold ( about 55 t ), which accounts for 39 % of the production of the company, as well as 660 tonnes of uranium as a by- product of which date back to around 25 tonnes of gold from the Western Deep Levels. Both the Mponeng Mine ( 3777 m ) and the Tautona Mine (3.9 miles) apply by its own account as each deepest mine in the world, Savuka, this was also at times with 3.7 km. The company plans to use the mines Mponeng and Tautona further develop in depth, Mponeng is intended to reach a depth of 5000 m to 2017

The working conditions in these depths are very hard. The rock temperature at a depth of 4000 m is about 60 ° C, air temperature 55 ° C. By consuming cooling measures this will be reduced to 28 ° C.

Breakthroughs and other accidents, it always comes back to personal injury, die each year from several miners. Through training and other security measures the number of deaths of several dozen could be reduced to a few per year. Several hundred workers fall ill each year from silicosis. As elsewhere in South Africa, many miners are HIV-positive, most antiretroviral drugs.

Mponeng

In Sesotho show Mponeng means to me. Used to be called the mine Western Deep Levels South Shaft or simply Shaft No. 1 It is the youngest of the three mines, the shaft was sunk in 1981 and completed in 1986.

The ore of Mponeng is particularly rich, so that the mining worth in great depth despite the costs associated with a grade of more than 8 g / t. 2010 Mponeng produced 532,000 oz of gold ( about 16.5 t), the net costs were according to the company at U.S. $ 576 per ounce .. On Mponeng are almost 6000 workers were employed, both underground and in the processing plant where the gold from the ore is extracted.

Savuka

Savuka is the least important of the three mines. The name means Wake up in isiZulu. Used to be called the mine Western Deep Levels West Shaft or simply Shaft No. 2 The shaft was sunk in 1958, 2006 Savuka was the deepest mine in the world.

The gold content is in Savuka only 5.3 g / t, 2010 22,000 ounces ( 700 kg) were produced, with production costs totaled almost U.S. $ 1400 per ounce, just below the price of gold. In Savuka work about 1000 miners.

Tautona

Tautona means in Sesotho Big Lion. Used to be called the mine Western Deep Levels East Shaft or simply Shaft No. 3 The shaft was sunk from 1957, the main shaft was completed in 1962.

Tautona has a grade of 7 g / t, 2010, with 4500 workers, 259,000 ounces ( about 8 t) produced, the production amounted to about U.S. $ 1,000 per ounce.