East Rand Mine

26°06′S 28°19′E / 26.10°S 28.32°E / -26.10; 28.32ProductionProduction79,479Financial year2007-08HistoryOpened1893Active120Closed2008OwnerCompanyOroTree LimitedWebsitewww.orotree.comYear of acquisition2019

East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM) is a 125-year-old underground gold mining operation on the Witwatersrand Basin at Boksburg, to the east of Johannesburg. The mine employed 3,850 people. It was the deepest mine in the world until 2008 at 3,585 metres depth, slightly more than the TauTona mine, also in South Africa, which was 3,581 metres at the time (in 2008 the TauTona mine completed a digging project that extended the depth of the mine by several hundred metres.)^[1]

The mine closed in 2008. Historical gold production between 1896 and 2008 was 43 Moz at recovered gold grade of 8.1g/t (95% plant recovery).

A world class high grade gold deposit remains with existing in situ resources (SAMREC compliant) of 63 Moz, including; - Measured & Indicated resource of 13.6 Moz at 6.7g/t Au - Inferred resources of 50 Moz at 4.92 g/t Au.

The Cason mine dump was once the world’s highest manmade mountain. This dump is currently being recycled. It is now a shadow of its former self and will probably disappear in the near future.

Production

Recent production figures:^[2]

Year	Production	Cost per ounce
2007	80,216 ounces	US $641
2008	79,479 ounces	US $748

History

The ERPM engineered many mining techniques which are still in place today, including "Long Wall Mining". The mine also built the world's largest ice factory which produced up to 8,000t of ice daily to cool wall rock temperatures (50-60 deg Celsius).

The mine was acquired by private Malaysian mining company OroTree Limited Archived 30 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine on 26 February 2019.

• 
  Mine shaft (1963)
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  Daily production (1963)
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  Smelting
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  Lists of mineworkers

References

• Tucker, Rodney & Viljoen, Richard & J. Viljoen, Morris. (2016). A Review of the Witwatersrand Basin - The World's Greatest Goldfield. Episodes. 39. 105. 10.18814/epiiugs/2016/v39i2/95771.

External links

• Details from NGD Iran Archived 13 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
• InfoMine listing
• [1]
• [2]
• [3]
• [4]
• OroTree acquires ERPM GOLD MINE [5]
• Malaysian Explorer acquires ERPM Gold Mine [6]