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Did you know that eight of the ten deepest mines in the world are located in just one South African region? We bet you also didn’t know that most of these operations are focused on gold extraction.
To increase your mining knowledge, Mining Examiner brings you a new list today, this time about the 10 deepest pits in the world.
Also see Nature’s Deep Holes
1. Mponeng mine
Operating depth: ranged from between 2.4km to more than 3.9km below the surface.
Operated by AngloGold Ashanti and located south-west of Johannesburg, in South Africa, this gold mine is currently the deepest pit in the world.
2. TauTona mine
Operating depth: extended to 3.9km underground in 2008.
Equally managed by AngloGold Ashanti, this gold mine in the West Wits region of South Africa is the second deepest pit in the world.
3. Savuka mine
Operating depth: contains reefs at a depth of more than 3.7km.
Again, AngloGold Ashanti is the boss at Savuka. The gold pit is also located in the West Wits region of South Africa. It used some of the most sophisticated mining equipment today.
4. Driefontein mine
Operating depth: extended up to 3.4km.
Owned by Gold Fields, the fourth deepest mine in the world can be found near Carletonville, in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. The pit consists of eight producing shaft systems extracting gold ore from three reefs.
5. Kusasalethu mine
Operating depth: 3,276m below the surface.
Operated by Harmony, the fifth deepest mine on the planet is located 75km west of Johannesburg, on the West Wits Line near Carletonville, in South Africa. Kusasalethu produces gold.
6. Moab Khotsong mine
ranging between 2.6km and 3.054km below surface.
Moab Khotsong gold mine is part of AngloGold Ashanti’s Vaal River operations in South Africa, being located around 180km south-west of Johannesbur. The gold mine is currently the sixth deepest pit in the world.
7. South Deep mine
Operating depth: extends up to 2,995m below surface.
Gold Fields is in the game again. The company owns the South Deep gold mine, the seventh deepest pit with an area of 4,268ha. The operation is located 45km south-west of Johannesburg.
8. Kidd Creek mine
Operating depth: extends up to 2,927m beneath the surface.
This copper and zinc mine managed by Xstrata and located 27km north of Timmins in Ontario, Canada, is the eighth deepest pit and the deepest base metal mine in the world.
9. Great Noligwa mine
Operating depth: the maximum depth is 2.6km below surface.
This gold mine operated by AngloGold Ashanti in the Vaal River region, in South Africa, is located 15km southeast of the town of Orkney.
10. Creighton mine
Operating depth: extending up to 2.5km.
This underground nickel mine located in the City of Greater Sudbury, in Canada, is the tenth deepest pit in the world, but also the world’s deepest nickel mine, operated by Vale.