When the race for the search and extraction of gold and diamonds subsided in the world, only those mines were left in development where the deposits are really large and promising. These time-tested deposits are located in Siberia and South America, but a large number of them are in the South African Republic (South Africa). It is important that there are not just a lot of mines, they are really huge. They are located from each other at a relatively small distance. The deepest mine in the world is also located in South Africa. Her record is not yet surpassed. Today, the Tau-Ton mine goes 5,000 meters deep into the Earth! And this is not the limit, because they want to deepen it further.
The deepest mines
The most deep mines to date are almost all located in South Africa, they are mining gold. It is very interesting that they are all next to each other. First of all, this is the Tau-Ton mine, the Witwatersrand mine, as well as the Western Deep Mine. It is easy to guess that the working conditions here are not just difficult, they are extreme. The most painful is the air temperature. In the mine, it reaches 60 degrees. It is periodically reduced, but this is not enough for working miners to feel at least some miserable comfort. In addition, do not forget that at such depths there is a constant threat of water breakthrough or explosion. But all this is justified in the eyes of the owners of the mines, because gold is mined here. And that means. no danger seems significant. No matter how international organizations struggle for the rights of miners in South Africa, it does not become easier to work in these mines. Mortality is high.
The world's deepest gold mine
Currently, the deepest mine is the Tau-Ton. It goes down to a distance of more than 5 thousand meters. This record is not just not broken, not a single mine is even close to these values. Meanwhile, a proposal has recently been made to deepen the Tau-Ton by another 3.9 meters!
This mine is located in South Africa, a few tens of kilometers from the city of Johannesburg. From the local language, the name "Tau-Ton" is translated as "The Great Lion." So the deepest mine in the world bears a royal name. Well, this field is really great. The mine is successfully developing high-quality gold. The content of precious metal in the earth's interior is huge. This value is approaching 9.8 grams per ton. This figure can only be understood by comparison. For example, other deposits, depending on the production method, show values from 0.1 to 5 grams per ton.
According to verified data, the AngloGold Ashanti company, which owns the mine, mined about 8 tons of high-quality gold in 2010. At the same time, a huge amount of precious metal remains in the bowels of the Tau-Ton. Therefore, it is constantly deepened.
Mponeng Mine
Of course, Mponeng is not the deepest mine in the world, but meanwhile, it is a real candidate for the championship. Today, this field takes an honorable second place. Its depth inland is 3777 meters. Gold is being developed here. The mine itself is located near the city of Johannesburg in South Africa. It is adjacent to the famous Tau-Ton. Precious metal deposits are also great here. The developments here are very promising, because you can still delve into the ground. AngloGold Ashanti also owns this mine. Working conditions are extremely difficult, the situation is aggravated by the heat and the constant risk of collapses and explosions. Accidents are not uncommon.
A very interesting fact is associated with the Mponeng mine. It was in it in 2002 that they found not just an isolated, but a previously unknown strain of bacteria - extremophiles. This microorganism carries out its vital activity solely due to radioactive ores, of which there are many. This discovery is very interested in microbiologists around the world.
The world's deepest coal mine
The deepest coal mine is located in Ukraine. It has a depth of about 1.5 kilometers. Mine "Miner" is located in the Donetsk region. In a city with a "talking" name Shakhtersk. It was commissioned in 1986. This is the deepest mine in the world, in the USSR, in particular, in coal mining. There in the south-east of Ukraine in the Donetsk region is a coal basin. It is inferior in depth to several other large mines. Bazhanov them. Skochinsky and Progress. But despite this, the field is the largest.
The deepest mine in Russia
But what about Russia, are there deep mines on its territory? Undoubtedly! A coal deposit is located 11 kilometers from Vorkuta. This is where the deepest mine in Russia - Komsomolskaya is located. It is mining coal. Its depth is approximately 1100-1200 m. It was discovered in 1977. Since then, thousands of people have been working here. Working conditions are, of course, difficult. But coke coal is very much appreciated and is considered the highest quality. Russian scientists have calculated that there will be enough reserves there until 2018.
Komsomolskaya, of course, is not the deepest mine in the world. Russia is rich in coal deposits. Kuzbass is especially famous. This is primarily the mine "Raspadskaya", located in the Kemerovo region. It is inferior to its Ukrainian "colleagues", but, undoubtedly, this is one of the deepest deposits of coal. It was opened in 1973. 10% of the country's total coal is mined here.
Unfortunately, she is also known for tragedy. In May 2010, a mine accident killed 91 miners.
The largest diamond mine
In fairness, it should be noted that Russia has the deepest diamond mine in the world. She has a very symbolic name "World". It is located in Yakutia. This is an open pit mine with a depth of 500 meters. Its diameter along with tiers is 1.2 kilometers.
Currently, it is an actively developed field. At the bottom of the "World" are two more closed type mines. They penetrate deep into the depths and increase the depth of the deposit to 1200 meters. They were built in 2001 after the explosion. After it, the open development of precious stones became impossible.
The shape of the quarry is a round giant funnel. Its dimensions are so large that it is unsafe to fly here.