Witwatersrand gold fields: Geology, genesis and exploration

The Witwatersrand gold fields of South Africa account for more than a third of the world's total gold pro- ... stone gold deposit (i.e., Kalgoorlie, 2,000 t Au in five square.

Gold mineralization within the Witwatersrand Basin, South

Deposits formed throughout the last 3.8 billion years of the Earth's history preserve key evidence with which to test fundamental questions about the evolution of the Earth. ... microbeam analytical and petrological study of the main auriferous horizons in the Central Rand Group throughout the Witwatersrand Basin indicates that gold has been ...

Witwatersrand Gold FieldsGeology, Genesis, and Exploration …

The Witwatersrand gold fields of South Africa account for more than a third of the world's total gold production since mining started there in 1886: 48,000 t Au. These …

Witwatersrand gold deposits formed by volcanic rain, …

Precipitation of the richest gold deposits could have been triggered by chemical reduction of the dissolved gold onto organic material in shallow lakes and pools. I conclude that …

Witwatersrand gold deposits formed by volcanic rain, anoxic …

The Witwatersrand gold deposit is the largest in the world. Thermodynamic calculations show that such rich accumulations of gold could be linked to abundant volcanism, primitive life and the ...

Origin of Witwatersrand gold: a metamorphic …

The work would not have been possible without mine access and research projects involving 40 Witwatersrand gold mines. Many people have debated and refined our ideas on Witwatersrand gold genesis; and Russell Myers, Jonathan Law and Andy Barnicoat are thanked especially for sharing their insights into the roles of the thrust …

Auriferous Precambrian conglomerates of Witwatersrand

Geological and mineralogical specificity of the world's largest Witwatersrand gold deposit was defined by geodynamic processes in the Late Archean. The primary crust composed of felsic rocks ("gray gneisses") was intruded 2.9–3.1 Ga ago by mafic melts that gave rise to greenstone belts. This was followed by the appearance of long-lived …

The Witwatersrand Basin and Its Gold Deposits: Methods …

The location of Lindum TSF is located 4.2 km south of the Dump 20 TSF which was studied by Zhang et al. (2023) (Fig. 1b). The Witwatersrand Basin is famous for its gold endowment, having produced ...

The Formation of Gold deposits in South Africa

In 1852, the English prospector J.H. Davis discovered the first gold in the Witwatersrand, leading to the South African gold rush and the discovery of much more gold deposits within the basin. Although the Witwatersrand has been subject for decades of research, the genesis of gold and uranium ore is still unclear.

Quartz-Pebble-Conglomerate Gold Deposits

another quartz-pebble-conglomerate gold deposit as rich as the Witwatersrand deposits remains highly unlikely because of the confluence of features necessary to create such a large endowment of gold. However, some smaller occur-rences do exist in the United States. Pyritic paleoplacers of sub-ore grade are found in the Deep Lake Group and

[PDF] Witwatersrand gold deposits formed by volcanic rain, …

The Witwatersrand gold deposit is the largest in the world. Thermodynamic calculations show that such rich accumulations of gold could be linked to abundant volcanism, primitive life and the oxygen-free atmosphere of the Archaean. The Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa is one of the best-preserved records of fluvial …

Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Gauteng)

Witwatersrand, ridge of gold-bearing rock mostly in Gauteng Province, South Africa.Its name means "Ridge of White Waters, in Afrikaans."The highland, which forms the watershed between the Vaal and Limpopo rivers, is about 100 km long and 37 km wide; its average elevation is about 1,700 meters. Its rich gold deposits, occurring in …

Archaean atmospheric evolution: evidence from the Witwatersrand gold …

The Witwatersrand Basin occupies a central position on the Archaean Kaapvaal Craton (Fig. 2).The causes of its development and early evolution are linked with tectonic processes in and around this craton, whose history is subdivided into two main periods (de Wit et al., 1992).The first period (3.64–3.08 Ga) saw the initial formation of …

Witwatersrand Gold Deposits

The Witwatersrand deposits have produced almost 40% of all the gold produced on earth since beginning of time over 1.5 billion with a B ounces that's the …

What And Where Is Witwatersrand?

In 1886, gold was discovered in the Witwatersrand Basin, and since then half of all the gold that has been mined in the world has been derived from this and nearby sources. Scientists predict that the gold deposits in Witwatersrand formed nearly 3 billion years ago, when elemental gold formed compounds with sulfur that were washed down …

Witwatersrand System | Gold-bearing, Supergroup, Basin

The rocks actually occupy a much larger area; much of the Witwatersrand System is covered by later deposits, and the subsurface areal extent of Witwatersrand rocks has been delimited by exploratory geophysical and drilling studies because the Witwatersrand is of great economic importance owing to its valuable deposits of gold and uranium. In ...

Witwatersrand gold deposits formed by volcanic rain, …

The Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa is one of the best-preserved records of fluvial sedimentation on an Archaean continent. The basin hosts the worlds biggest gold resource in thin pebble beds, but the process for gold enrichment is debated. Mechanical accumulation of gold particles from flowing river water is the prevailing hypothesis, yet …

Gold buried by oxygen | Nature Geoscience

The Witwatersrand gold deposit in South Africa is the source of 40% of the gold in circulation. This gold was formed 2.6 billion years ago, during the Archaean, but the precise mechanisms for its ...

Gold Deposits | Gold.info

Witwatersrand Gold Deposits. A special type of gold deposit is the Witwatersrand goldmine in South Africa, which is by far the biggest gold field in the world. About 40,000 tonnes of gold have already been extracted from it. The Witwatersrand goldmine is identified as a so-called mixed type of primary and secondary gold deposits.

(PDF) The Witwatersrand gold fields: Part II. An origin for

In the discussion about conglomerate-hosted gold deposits, the controversy has mainly centred on whether the gold deposits of the Mesoarchaean Witwatersrand Basin were formed by (a) hydrothermal ...

Witwatersrand | South Africa, Map, & History | Britannica

Witwatersrand, ridge of gold-bearing rock mostly in Gauteng province, South Africa.Its name means "Ridge of White Waters." The highland, which forms the watershed between the Vaal and Limpopo rivers, is about 62 miles (100 km) long and 23 miles (37 km) wide; its average elevation is about 5,600 feet (1,700 metres). Its rich gold deposits, occurring in …

The Witwatersrand Basin and Its Gold Deposits

The Witwatersrand gold deposit is the largest in the world. Thermodynamic calculations show that such rich accumulations of gold could be linked to abundant volcanism, primitive life and the … Expand. 52. PDF. Save. Ages of altered granites adjoining the Witwatersrand Basin with implications for the origin of gold and uranium.

Witwatersrand gold deposits formed by volcanic rain, …

hosted gold deposits, as erosional relics of a potentially much larger primary source of gold1,6. Gold in the Witwatersrand is enriched to mineable concentrations in thin quartz pebble beds ('reefs') that commonly extend over kilometers. These beds represent residual deposits on mature continental land surfaces, where river plains with gravels

3D Reflection Seismic Imaging for Gold and Platinum …

Case Studies from the Witwatersrand Basin and Bushveld Complex (South Africa) M. S. Manzi, M. S. Manzi. University of the Witwatersrand, School of Geosciences, Johannesburg, South Africa ... has been successfully used to explore some of the world's largest gold and platinum deposits and map the gross structural architecture that …

Gold mineralization within the Witwatersrand Basin, South …

The world-class Witwatersrand gold deposit in South Africa has produced some 50 000 tonnes of gold since mining began in the late 1880s (Robb & Robb 1998). The gold is mostly hosted by lower greenschist grade Archaean metasedim e n t a r y rocks of the Central R a n d G r o u p (CRG), the upper group of the 3.07-2.7 Ga Witwatersrand …

Factors responsible for Witwatersrand gold mineralisation

The exceptional gold mineralisation in quartz pebble conglomerates of the Witwatersrand Basin is attributed to a combination of factors. These factors are linked to the co-evolution of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, at a very specific time in Archaean geological history and the evolution of the Kaapvaal Craton.

The formation of gold deposits in South Africa | ScienceDaily

In 1852, the English prospector J.H. Davis discovered the first gold in the Witwatersrand, leading to the South African gold rush and the discovery of much more gold deposits within the basin.

THE NATURE OF THE WITWATERSRAND GOLD-URANIUM DEPOSITS …

The world's greatest deposit of gold is hosted by the Archaean Witwatersrand sedimentary basin, situated in the central portion of the Kaapvaal Craton of South Africa.

Gold mineralization within the Witwatersrand Basin, …

The world-class Witwatersrand gold deposit in South Africa has produced some 50 000 tonnes of gold since mining began in the late 1880s (Robb & Robb 1998). The gold is mostly hosted

Witwatersrand | South Africa, Map, & History | Britannica

Witwatersrand, ridge of gold-bearing rock mostly in Gauteng province, South Africa.Its name means "Ridge of White Waters." The highland, which forms the watershed …

[PDF] Witwatersrand gold deposits

Studies of the morphology and other properties of the gold particles in the fossil placer gold deposits of the Witwatersrand provide fascinating glimpses of the conditions under which they were formed. In particular they indicate that in some areas primitive plant life on the deltas on which the gold was deposited acted not only like the legendary golden fleece …

Witwatersrand System | Gold-bearing, Supergroup, Basin

The rocks actually occupy a much larger area; much of the Witwatersrand System is covered by later deposits, and the subsurface areal extent of Witwatersrand rocks has …

Witwatersrand Gold Rush | The Famous South African Gold …

A brief overview of the history and development of Witwatersrand, the famous gold mine of South Africa. With photos, facts, and figures about its impact on the growth of the region, the history of precious metals in the area, and the people that have mined the gold from the ground, even up to today. ... the Witwatersrand reef is part of the ...

Cobalt, nickel, and gold in pyrite from primary gold deposits …

Cobalt, nickel, and gold in pyrite from primary gold deposits and Witwatersrand reefs