Overview
Stage | Production |
Mine Type | Underground |
Commodities |
|
Mining Method |
- Sequential grid mining
- Breast stoping with strike pillars
- Undefined backfill
|
Production Start | ... |
Mine Life | 2030 |
Mponeng Mine is a deep-level gold mine and is the deepest mine in the world. The majority of production was always from Ventersdorp Contact Reef(VCR) with limited Carbon Leader Reef(CLR) mining commencing during 2020. Ore mined is processed at the Mponeng gold plant.
The CLR, historically mined at the adjacent Harmony wholly owned TauTona and Savuka Mines. In 2017, Savuka and Tau Tona mines commenced orderly closure. Harmony Gold has an opportunity to extend life-of-mine of Mponeng, known as the Mponeng deepening project:
- Savuka shaft pillar - The objective is to assess the feasibility of extracting both the VCR and CLR shaft pillars. The business case study is scheduled for completion in Q2 FY24.
- Tau Tona pillar - The objective is to extract the VCR and CLR shaft pillar. The feasibility study considering the extraction of the VCR shaft pillar is scheduled for completion in Q2 FY24. A feasibility study cof the CLR shaft pillar is scheduled for completion in Q3 FY24. |
Latest News | Harmony Gold Mining Company: Financial Results For The Six-Month Period Ended 31 December 2023 February 28, 2024 |
Source:
p. 105
Mponeng is wholly-owned and operated by Harmony.
Contractors
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Summary:
Mponeng is situated on the northwestern margin of the Witwatersrand Basin of South Africa, one of the prominent gold provinces in the world. There are seven gold-bearing conglomerates within the lease area, of which only the Ventersdorp Contact Reef (VCR) and Carbon Leader Reef (CLR) are economically viable.
The Ventersdorp Contact Reef (VCR) is the main reef horizon mined at Mponeng Mine.
The VCR forms the base of the Ventersdorp Supergroup, which caps the Witwatersrand Supergroup through an angular unconformity. The overlying Ventersdorp Lavas halted the deposition of the VCR, preserving it in its current state. The Carbon Leader Reef (CLR), previously mined at Tau Tona and Savuka mines, is found within the Witwatersrand Supergroup. The CLR lies 900m beneath the VCR on Mponeng. The VCR is preserved across the Mponeng lease area and dips at approximately 22 degrees in a SSE direction.
The VCR was deposited on uneven footwall strata due to uplift and is now represented by a shallow angular unconformity. The footwall lithologies to the VCR therefore vary across Mponeng Mine as the unconformity cuts deeper in an easterly direction into older strata of the Witwatersrand Supergroup. Fluvial action during deposition of the VCR continually eroded and reworked the conglomerate, creating steep slopes and embayment’s between relatively undisturbed terraces.
The CLR conglomerate was deposited by several sedimentary cycles. Erosion and rewor ........
Mining Methods
- Sequential grid mining
- Breast stoping with strike pillars
- Undefined backfill
Summary:
Mponeng is a deep-level underground gold mine operating at depths ranging between 3,160m and 3,740m BMD, and currently the deepest mine in the world with development at 3,841m BMD. Potential future mining operations at Mponeng are expected to deepen the shaft bottom to 4,227m BMD. The reef portion being mined at Mponeng is accessible between 3,000 – 3,600m BMD.
There are two mining methods in practice at Mponeng. The Sequential Grid Mining(SGM) method with backfill support, makes use of dip pillars and reduced mining spans with pre-developed tunnels, aimed at further control of stresses experienced in rock movement. While Mponeng’s business plan is based primarily on the SGM method, there are sections of the mine that are still operating using the breast mining method. The mining sequence is a V-shaped configuration, colloquially referred to as the “inverted Christmas tree”. An underhand face configuration is adopted when mining towards the west and an overhand face configuration when mining towards the east.
Both breast mining and SGM mining methods are suitable for underground, narrow reef mining. The common feature of breast mining and SGM is the layout of the primary and secondary development. Primary development is done off-reef (in waste rock), while secondary development is done on-reef (in the mineralised zone). In primary development, horizontal haulages are developed from the vertical shaft, extending to the extremities of the mining level. Int ........
Source:
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Flow Sheet:
Summary:
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Reserves at June 30, 2023:
The Mineral Reserves are reported using a cut-off grade of 971cmg/t determined using a gold price of US$1,582/oz gold.
The Mineral Resources are reported using a cut-off value of 761cmg/t determined at a 90% profit guidance, and a gold price of US$1,764/oz.
Mineral Resources are reported inclusive of Mineral Reserves.
Category | Tonnage | Commodity | Grade | Contained Metal |
Proven
|
2.7 Mt
|
Gold
|
9.68 g/t
|
834 koz
|
Probable
|
3.3 Mt
|
Gold
|
8.87 g/t
|
946 koz
|
Proven & Probable
|
6 Mt
|
Gold
|
9.23 g/t
|
1,779 koz
|
Measured
|
4.6 Mt
|
Gold
|
18.07 g/t
|
2,675 koz
|
Indicated
|
20.8 Mt
|
Gold
|
14.2 g/t
|
9,510 koz
|
Inferred
|
31.5 Mt
|
Gold
|
11.7 g/t
|
11,855 koz
|
Total Resource
|
57 Mt
|
Gold
|
13.13 g/t
|
24,039 koz
|
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