Witwatersrand gold fields (Mponeng)

The Witwatersrand is a ridge in South Africa that holds the largest gold deposit on Earth. Its name is Afrikaans for white water ridge, because rivers form waterfalls where they cross its hard rock.

The Witwatersrand Gold Rush began in 1886 and led to the founding of Johannesburg. Today the basin is home to Mponeng, a gold mine that reaches more than 4 kilometres below the surface, the deepest mine in the world measured from ground level. Pale mounds of mining waste called tailings dumps are the trademark of the region and can be seen from far away. The money made from gold here helped Johannesburg grow into South Africa's biggest city.

What was the gold rush?

Gold was found in the area in the 1850s to 1870s, including by Pieter Jacobus Marais panning in a river. The big Witwatersrand Gold Rush followed in 1886. The ridge is 56 kilometres long, and the gold lies in rock layers beneath it. South Africa's currency, the rand, was named in 1961 after the ridge because so much gold has been taken from its rocks.

What is Mponeng like?

Mponeng began operations in 1986 and was known earlier as Western Deep Levels No. 1 Shaft. The name Mponeng came into use in 1999. Current workings reach around 3.8 kilometres down, and the miners aim to go beyond 4 kilometres. A trip from the surface to its deepest point takes more than an hour. In 2017 an Ecuadorian marathon runner ran a half marathon inside the mine.

On the globe

The model shows the pale, flat-topped mine waste heaps near Johannesburg.