Tunnels + Shafts in Deep Gold Mines

Background:

There are roughly 12 major gold mining companies in South Africa (the number and ownership of these varies regularly). Most (60+%) of the new gold produced world wide is from these mines. Typically these mines are operational at depths of 3-4 km. There are plans to push some mines down to the 5 km level. A typical large gold mine actively mines an area of up to 5 square miles at depth. Cages transport miners up and down the access shafts; a cage carries 40 to 50 persons (full up and full down). The mines are closed on Sundays and are virtually empty on Thursdays (for blasting). Otherwise, they are operational 24 hours a day.

There are numerous earthquakes in these deep mines due to the high stress in the rock. Many of these rock failures result in fatalities. The most common failure of the rock is due to scalping -- a process in which a slab of rock peels away (the ceiling, the floor or a wall) and explodes into a tunnel or shaft. When one surface goes, the other three also give way. For these deep gold mines the fatality rate currently is about 800 a month. When the rock failure is near the bottom of an access shaft, it can kill 80-100 people at one shot.

The US Geological Survey does work in one of these mines to help evaluate the situation. In this mine, there is an ore body which contains $25 billion in gold. Currently (because the geology is unfavorable) it is not being mined as the projected loss of life is over 12K people. This is one ore body of many which are not being mined for this reason.

Status:

A simple, cheap and quick process has been found which prevents scalping in the rock at these depths. It (permanently) prevents scalping in straight runs (tunnels and shafts). A method for securing intersections has also ben found. These processes, if adopted, shouldd reduce the fatalities by about 85% and should allow access to several ore bodies which are now considered too risky to mine. The process should lower overall production costs by at least 20% by providing secure access routes.

A patent application for the process is now being drafted.

Contact person: Frank Hodgson

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