The world's deepest gold mine.

South Africa's Mponeng gold mine, located 4 km below the Earth's surface, is currently the world's deepest gold mine.

The Mponeng gold mine has extremely high temperatures due to its location deep underground. Photo: A_Dozmorov — The Mponeng gold mine has extremely high temperatures due to its location deep underground. Photo: *A_Dozmorov*

Miners working in a mine shaft in Gauteng province, South Africa, have to travel 90 minutes by elevator to reach their destination, wearing protective gear and emergency breathing apparatus, according to IFL Science . The mine shafts are so deep that the Earth's geothermal gradient becomes a major issue because the temperature inside the Earth increases with depth. Temperatures can reach 60 degrees Celsius underground, far exceeding human tolerance levels. This has spurred numerous innovations in cooling mechanisms, helping to maintain the world's deepest mine shafts at working temperatures despite the planet's molten core.

Ventilation systems, combined with refrigeration, circulate cool air through the artificial cave system, along with a mixture of ice and cold water, minimizing the worst effects of high temperatures. However, miners need to 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 documented in French miners in the early 19th century. Barotrauma occurs when moving from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure in a short period of time. For this reason, it is also known as decompression sickness, and today it most affects divers, pilots, astronauts, and those working in compressed air environments.

Moving from high-pressure areas like the deepest mines on Earth to low-pressure areas like the surface can create bubbles of nitrogen gas in the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this becomes a major problem when the pressure change occurs too rapidly, releasing gas into the body. The process can be very painful and sometimes fatal. Therefore, many measures must be followed to control temperature and airflow, helping to reduce the strain on the miners' bodies.

Mining at extreme depths requires creating and maintaining tunnels that can withstand the pressure of the surrounding rock without collapsing. Each day, 2,300 kg of explosives are used to clear 6,400 tons of rock, according to Guinness World Records. Besides providing gold, Mponeng has also yielded many surprising discoveries. In 2006, researchers discovered the first living organism independent of the sun within the gold mine. They rely on radiation for energy and could be an example of how life exists on another planet.

An Khang (According to IFL Science )

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