South Africa Mponeng Gold Mine, located 4 km below the Earth's surface, is the deepest gold mine in the world today.
The Mponeng gold mine has extremely high temperatures due to its location deep underground. Photo: A_Dozmorov
Miners working in the mine in South Africa’s Gauteng province have to take an elevator 90 minutes to get there, wearing protective gear and emergency breathing equipment, according to IFL Science . The mine is so deep that the Earth’s geothermal gradient becomes a major problem because the temperature inside the Earth increases with depth. The temperature of the soil and rock can reach 60 degrees Celsius deep underground, far beyond what humans can tolerate. This has prompted many innovations in cooling mechanisms, helping to keep the world’s deepest mine at a workable temperature despite the planet’s molten core.
Ventilation systems combined with refrigeration that circulates cool air through the artificial cave system, as well as a mixture of ice and cold water, help mitigate the worst effects of the high temperatures. However, miners must work in shifts to avoid prolonged exposure to dangerously hot conditions.
Working at such great depths also carries the risk of barotrauma, a condition first reported in French miners in the early 19th century. Barotrauma occurs when moving from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area in a short period of time. For this reason, it is also known as decompression sickness, and today it most commonly affects divers, pilots, astronauts and people working in compressed air environments.
Moving from high-pressure areas like the deepest mines on Earth to low-pressure areas like the surface of the earth can create nitrogen bubbles in the body. This becomes a problem when the change in pressure happens too quickly, releasing the gas into the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The process can be very painful and sometimes fatal. Therefore, there are measures in place to control temperature and airflow to help reduce the stress on miners' bodies.
Mining at such great depths requires creating and maintaining tunnels that can withstand the pressure of the surrounding rock without collapsing. Every day, 2,300 kg of explosives are used to clear 6,400 tons of rock, according to Guinness World Records. In addition to providing gold, Mponeng has also produced some surprising discoveries. In 2006, researchers discovered the first living organisms living independently of the Sun in a gold mine. They rely on radioactivity for energy and may be an example of how life can exist on other planets.
An Khang (According to IFL Science )
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