The world's deepest gold mine is located at a depth of 4km, it takes 90 minutes to get there by elevator

Miners working in mines must wear protective gear and wear emergency breathing apparatus. To get to work, miners have to take an elevator for 90 minutes. Each elevator in the mine consists of 3 floors, can carry 120 workers at the same time.

The temperature inside the Earth increases with depth, up to 60 degrees Celsius. Wells are so deep that the Earth's geothermal gradient becomes a big problem. In order for miners to be able to work at a depth of 4km, cool air is brought down through an artificial cave system as well as a mixture of ice and cold water by ventilation systems combined with chillers.

However, to avoid exposure to dangerously hot conditions for too long, miners still have to work in shifts.

Working at such great depths miners also face the risk of barotrauma when traveling from high pressure at the Mponeng mine to low pressure above ground in a short time. This can create nitrogen bubbles in the body that are painful and even fatal. Therefore, in order to control the temperature and airflow, helping to reduce the pressure on the miner's body, many strict measures need to be followed.

Mponeng gold mine started construction in 1981. There are about 4,000 miners working underground every day. It is estimated that each day the Mponeng gold mine exploits more than 5,400 tons of stone, using 2,300 kg of explosives.

In addition to providing gold, Mponeng discovered many surprises such as the discovery of the first organism living independently of the Sun in a gold mine in 2006.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 26 July 2023