East Rand Mine
Encyclopedia
East Rand Proprietary Mines (ERPM) is a 100-year-old underground gold mining operation on the Witwatersrand Basin
at Boksburg, to the east of Johannesburg
. The mine employs 2,740 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.)
Witwatersrand basin
The Witwatersrand Basin is a geological formation in South Africa holding the world's largest known gold reserves and having produced over 1.5 billion ounces. The basin straddles the old provinces of Transvaal and the Orange Free State and is of the same period as the Vredefort impact of 2.023 Ga...
at Boksburg, to the east of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
. The mine employs 2,740 people. It was the deepest mine in the world until 2008 at 3,585 metres depth, slightly more than the TauTona
TauTona
The TauTona Mine or Western Deep No.3 Shaft, is a gold mine in South Africa. At some deep it is currently home to the world's deepest mining operations.-Overview:...
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.)
Production
Recent production figures:| Year | Production | Grade | Cost per ounce |
| 2007 | 80,216 ounces | 1.23 g/t | US $ 641 |
| 2008 | 79,479 ounces | 1.14 g/t | US $ 748 |
| 2009 | |||