Question
Here is the question : WHERE IS THE DEEPEST GOLD MINE IN THE WORLD?
Option
Here is the option for the question :
- South Africa
- China
- United States
- Russia
The Answer:
And, the answer for the the question is :
Explanation:
Talk about digging deep.
The Mponeng gold mine in South Africa is the world’s deepest gold mine, reaching depths of more than 3 kilometers (2 miles) below the surface of the earth.
The mine is located southwest of Johannesburg.
According to Wired, it takes over an hour to reach the bottom, and it’s so hot in the deepest tunnels — 140 degrees Fahrenheit on the rock face, per NPR — that ice has to be pumped underground to cool the air to a bearable 85 degrees.
Every day, thousands of people are employed to work at the mine, which led to the production of 265,000 ounces of gold in 2018.
South Africa is home to the deepest gold mine in the world. The Mponeng gold mine extends almost 2.5 miles (nearly 4km) underground into the Witwatersrand basin. It first opened in 1986 and remains an active mining operation, although at greatly reduced depths in recent years due to high costs and declining gold prices.
Gold mining in South Africa began on the Witwatersrand in 1886, transforming the country into the world’s largest gold producer for most of the 20th century. Decades of intensive mining led to the digging of ever deeper mineshafts and tunnels as gold deposits were exhausted nearer the surface. The Mponeng mine reached depths that make it dangerous and difficult to operate, requiring advanced engineering to ensure structural stability, prevent accidents and enable mobility of equipment and personnel.
However, the extreme depths of mining have raised environmental and safety concerns. Issues emerge around increasing instability of rock formations, flooding risk, exhaustion of accessible gold and long-term impact of toxic waste and pollution built up over decades of mining activity. Accidents and fatal incidents have also occurred more frequently at greater depths. There are complex debates surrounding limits of profitability versus responsibility, short-term economic gain versus sustainable management, restraint versus relentless progression into more perilous operating conditions. Reasonable people can disagree on degree of risk acceptability, prioritization of prosperity versus welfare or necessity of ceasing operations entirely.
Economically, gold mining including at Mponeng was once crucial to South Africa’s prominence as a global economic power and significant employer of black labor. However, declining gold prices, high costs of deep level mining and depletion of accessible deposits have reduced viability and employment opportunities in recent decades. While historic contributions to national wealth and progress remain, many argue the costs now outweigh benefits of continued deep mining. Alternative industries and development must emerge for sustainability. There are good discussions here around legacy versus present-day impact, responsibility for past prosperity versus duty to future potential, sacrifice of limited remaining resources versus preservation of opportunity. Balancing historical significance with practical necessity remains complex with reasonable perspectives on multiple sides.
Culturally, gold mining has been woven deeply into South African identity, representing overcoming of impossible odds, resilience and ambition in the face of immense difficulties. For many, it symbolizes the nation’s courage, strength, struggle and final liberation from oppressive rule. However, other voices argue it has more to do with greed, exploitation and broken promises that undermine dignity and justice than virtuous qualities. Complex conversations continue around veneration of industry versus remembrance of sacrifice,