The deposit was the first major one of its kind discovered. It didn’t take long before Livermore found what he was looking for in an area that is now known as the Carlin Trend. In 1961, John Livermore, a geologist for Newmont Mining, set out in search of this invisible gold based on some ideas in a paper published a year before by noted geologist Ralph Roberts.

Hot springs containing dissolved gold deposited the metal into the sediment in such fine particles that it is difficult to see even with a microscope and impossible to find using older conventional methods such as hand tools and panning. Not so in the Carlin Trend located in northeast Nevada. The mine is so extensive that it takes workers a full two hours to travel from the surface to the deepest sections of the mine where they must then contend with pockets of lethal gas, water and a continual barrage of small earthquakes.Ī large open pit excavation at the Twin Creeks Mine in the Carlin Trend.įor over a hundred years, prospectors in the Western US completely missed one of the richest gold fields in the world as it contained what is now popularly called ‘invisible gold.’ Historically, most gold fields were discovered by the presence of gold veins or deposits visible to the naked eye.

At its deepest levels, the air temperature reaches 131 F and the rock face itself 140 F. A massive ventilation and air conditioning system is required to overcome the extreme working conditions throughout the over 500 miles of tunnels. The Tau Tona Mine features the deepest tunnel in the world extending a full 2.4 miles below the earth’s surface. Mining in the Witwatersrand Basin is accomplished by creating deep underground tunnels that are necessary to reach the plentiful reserves. By 2009, South Africa’s share of world gold production had dropped to less than 8%. In 1970, South Africa’s output accounted for 79% of the world’s gold production.

It is estimated the 40% of all of the gold ever mined has come out of the Basin. Located in South Africa, the Witwatersrand Basin represents the richest gold field ever discovered. The head frame of the Tau Tona Mine is the lone entrance to over 500 miles of tunnels.

Docking goldmine process monitor