Deepest mine in the world
Record
4,000 m
13,123 ft
- Record holder
- Mponeng Gold Mine
What to remember
More than 4 kilometres below the surface, Mponeng Gold Mine in South Africa is the world's deepest mine measured from ground level. A trip from the surface to its deepest point takes over an hour.
Located in the Witwatersrand Basin of Gauteng Province, the mine began operations in 1986 under the name Western Deep Levels No1 Shaft. It is one of the world's major gold mines, in both production and size.
A mine's depth is measured from its entrance down to the deepest excavated point. In 2017, an Ecuadorian marathon runner even completed a half marathon inside it.
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Sources and licences
- Value, holder and date: Wikipedia article “List of deepest mines” (revision used 1329227996). Data from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: JMK, Photo licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
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